Urgent help needed ! Boiler light on but burner doesn't run

Perry_3

I suggest you call your local heating contractor and get them over there. Is the company that installed that boiler still in business, are you having someone do routine work.

If all else call some freinds or your neighbors and get recomendations - or even crack open the yellow pages.

While it is possible that the issue is very simple - the fact is that it will take time to figure out and your boiler may have other problems.

If the place really gets cold you may need to bail to a hotel (or at least send the baby with a caretaker to a hotel).

Perry

alex Kuznick

Urgent help , please ! Boiler light on but burner does not run

Hi ,

Could you please help ASAP - no heat in a house with a little baby inside .
We have oil fired steam Peerless boiler ECT ( installed 1996 ) with Beckett AFG burner . The green light on the burner is on and not blinking but the burner does not fire . It happened earlier today ,the system wouldn't reset - one hour later it started ok . Now it is repeated . What should we check first ?

Perry_3

Another source to find a heating contractor

Click on "find a professional" on this site.

You may have someone close.

Alternately, post where you live and the people on this site may be able to tell you who to contact in your area who is really good. This is even more likely to get you a great heating professional - but only if you live near one of the regulars who participate on this forum - or near someone they know directly.

Perry

alex Kuznick

Anything we could test beofre leaving for a hotel?

My husband is now in the basement trying to figure out what's happening . He is very handy with this kind of stuff ( he is installing geothermal system himself , just did not quite finish it in time). We called the service and they are not available until who knows when - we live in a very small place and there are not too many options . My husband even tried to buy whole burner assembly in a store but they do not have it in stock .
We had the system lock out two weeks ago . Service guy came , figured out that it was electrical in Mcdonnell feeder 47 - he smacked it with a wrench and it started working again ).( Anything we could hit now ???
Could it be dirty electrode insulation or electrical problem with transformer ?
Any suggestions ?

Todd_22

What about

Your oil company? Full service companies often have 24hr service departments.

alex Kuznick

the burner would not reset now

The burner would not reset . Could it be electrical board on it - any way to test or repair ?

alex Kuznick

It started again !!!! But any thoughts on what's going on ???

Well , out of the blue- it started running again .

Anybody can give a diagnosis or a theory on why it is happening ? I am sure it is going to lock up again - this is a second time around today.

lee_7

t sounds like primary control is going bad. It will work for a while and heat up and then trips off on safety. Try and call another service comapny and explain you have a small child in residence and they should be able to help. Where are you located?

Ed_26

boiler

Have you recently replaced thermostat? maybe new batteries? Have found this to be an issue with forced air units.

alex Kuznick

So far working but reset fis erratic ,calcium in burner

I will check to see if it actually turns off because of one safety devices triggers it .So far it keeps running .
My husband opened the burner and cleaned ceramic , electrodes and the board as well as he could ( alcohol etc ) . He says it is full of white stuff inside , particularly one of springs . It looks like thick calcium deposits from evaporating water . the water is leaking from the indicator tube - would it damage the burner ?
Another mystery is a very erratic behavior . The instructiouns on the burner state that you hold the button for 30 seconds and the light would blink twice confirming the reset . It used to work before - now there is n o aknowlegment of reset being made . also , after the reset the light does not come on at all but the burner keeps working .

Ed_26

burner

Call for service/repair!

Al Corelli_2

Please answer a very simple question

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

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alex Kuznick

I am in eastern part of North Carolina

I am in eastern part of North Carolina , near New Bern . about 120 miles from Ralegh , same from Norfolk VA and same from Wilmington .
Did not yeat find down here anybody knowing what to do with our system . There are very few who use oil at all - it is not like Northeast , most houses here run gas-pack heat pumps .
We have an old 5400 sqf house with one-pipe steam , no access to gas .

alex Kuznick

does not look like primary control

> t sounds like primary control is going bad. It

> will work for a while and heat up and then trips

> off on safety. Try and call another service

> comapny and explain you have a small child in

> residence and they should be able to help. Where

> are you located?

alex Kuznick

it does not look like bad primary control

It does not look like primary control is gone , yet .
The boiler run the full cycle , worked fine overnight and today too .A mystery !

alex Kuznick

Did not change anything

No , we did not replace anything in the system . It is steam one-pipe run on oil Peerless .

Frenchie

Clean

Alex it sounds like he did the right thing by cleaning out the burner area. I would make some kind of shield out of sheet metal or something so the water can't drip right on the burner. Water could easily ruin the electrical components. Hopefully theat cleaning will keep the burner firing until you can get some help! Since you are in an area with little help I know you are going to have trouble getting service. People here are going to get angry with me for suggesting this, but you could order an entire burner on ebay and have your local company put it in. The reason you shouldn't put one in yourself is because there are many nozzle variables with flow rates,spray angle, and spray pattern that need to be matched to your boiler. Also if the combustion air setting is not correct, you can make carbon monoxide and endanger your family. Good luck! I hate to say this, because I love oil heat, but in your area you may be better off having your tech switch your boiler to a gas power burner fired on propane. At least the "gas guys" in your area could work on it then.

Ed N.Y.C.

P Control

Your pig tail is plugged or pipe going to it. Take it apart and clean it and pipe going into boiler. ED

RianS

oil, steam, North Carolina?

Good luck finding someone down there who will understand the whole system. Your best bet may be recruiting a Marine from Lejeune who is from the north east who may have some experience with oil steam heat. That is a rare system for down there. Be very careful with trying to service it yourself, the safety of your family is more important. Good luck

kevin coppinger_4

where do you...

get your oil from? Probably a good chance that the supplier will do service or at least direct you so who does service....kpc

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