Flameout

Bill_49

Chris, thank you for your kind answer.

Bill

Jim Franklin

Flameout on oil burner

Hi folks...for the past few days my Beckett AFG has been losing flame, once every 5-10 burn cycles (steam heat). Sometimes it recovers, sometimes it shuts off. Due to monetary issues I've put off servicing it for 3 years. I guess it's wanting some attention now.

I'm going to call around for someone, but on the chance I can't get anyone in given the NE cold snap, is there anything I can do without any "special" tools? I'm good at digging into things and fixing them (and more importantly I know when to stop digging) but this is completely foreign territory. Perhaps wisely, there's no online manual from Beckett...

I know you all want to say "don't" and I can understand that, but I had a freeze-up on the one FHW zone 3 years ago and don't care to repeat that. If I'm going in anyway (as is my nature) I might as well have some kind of roadmap, rudimentary as it may be.

thanks!

jim

Jim_47

no heat

Put off having it cleaned or looked at for 3 years?
You would be at the bottom of any guys list today!
Yes someone will come, but I automatically would raise my rates if the customer screws with his own machine.
Be smart, or maybe I should phrase it as smarten up, the money you thought you saved by not getting it looked at sooner will cost you dearly now.

Bill_49

answers

I remember when this site would give you answers, not ****.

Bill

Chris_82

arggh, unknowing home owneer vers liability...

By admitting your oil equipment hasn't been serviced in over three years, it is like saying I haven't been to the dentist in the last ten and my theeth hurt so what should I do. It is begging for a comical answer that you probabley deserve. Other than that you can attempt to change the filter, but be shure to shut off the tank valve before changing the filter.

Leo

What does it take

The guy said, "I know you all want to say "don't" and I can understand that, but I had a freeze-up on the one FHW zone 3 years ago and don't care to repeat that."

Yet he has put off annual servicing for three years. What does it take to learn. I started work today at 7:30A and got home at 9:30P. Our worst freeze up was because of lack of annual servicing. In the business you see it all too often. So the help from a person who does this for a living is call a pro and keep up with annual service.

Leo

Jim Franklin

Pros vs \"pros\"

I didn't expect any answers from real pros during the day as they were all out working. Jasper seems like a wannabe; of course you need to raise your rates- either you're not good enough to undo what the HO did, or you're at the bottom of *our* list, which is why you have time to post a useless response in January. Actually, it wasn't useless; it was a prime example of why HOs would rather attempt to fix it themselves than gamble on a "pro".

Thanks for the straight talk Leo. The last freeze-up was poor piping location by the previous owner along with no insulation, a few weeks after I'd moved in.

Sometimes money is tight. Oil servicing or oil bill? Pick one. Luckily my oil company had time to come out yesterday. Replaced the tank filter & nozzle, something I could have easily done were there basic instructions available *somewhere*. Had no one been available I might have needed to (or drain the house), and that's why I was looking for answers. What's done was done; I needed help with the current situation, not grief about choices made in the past.

jim

Leo

I understand

Jim,

I understand money is tight. But the whole point I was trying to make was, a little spent now to maintain a system saves a lot down the road in the form of a service call. In an annual service replacing a filter and nozzle is just part of the equation. There are a few other checks and settings, vacumning, brushing, and finally setting with combustion testing equipment.

Leo