Burner stops when tank reaches 100 gallons

Nelson_6

Do you think it loses suction and the oil falls back down the line and is unable to be pulled up by the pump?

if this was the scenario, then air is replacing the oil as it drops down the line. When the burner gets no oil it will not fire but time out. this is my logic.

How will the tiger loop help and do you know of a temporary inexpensive fix.

Nelson_6

Burner stops when tank reaches 100 gallons

When my oil quantity reaches a certain level in the tank the burner stops.
I have dual 275 gallon tanks each with its own filter and vacuum gauge.
When the level of oil in the tank goes down to a hieght of 10 inches above the valve, the burner stops getting fuel and stops.

If I fill the tanks and prime the system it restarts.It does this consistently at the same level.

The tanks filters and lines are new.The boiler is a new buderus with a riello 40 burner.

One possability i thought was that since the boiler was raised 24 inches from the ground, that the height of the oil pump is above the oil level and therefore the pump can not pull up the oil.

any thoughts
thank you

Leo_17

I Knew It

As soon as I started reading this I told myself it had to be a Riello burner. Seen the same thing before, get a Tiger Loop installed.

Leo

Norm Harvey

Riellos are the best burners in the world, but the pumps cant handle lift that well. I concur with Leo, Tigerloop.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Nelson_6

The reasn for the .

The reason for the temporary fix is because I am switching to gas and I need to use up the last of the oil.I do not want to invest 200.00 into a tiger loop.

I have tried putting the tank up on blocks but I do not have a tremendous amount of ceiling height.

i removed one tank and tilted the tank slightly.

I do not want to be jerking around with this thing after it reaches its shut off level. I would rather have a temporary solution in place .

How about removing one of the oil filters, i have two in a row.

World Plumber

Two filters in a row? They may have had fuel problems in the past. I know some techs who solder a piece of tubing to the valves of all the tanks they install to keep the intake above any water or sludge they may get in the tanks. You could try putting the line in from the top of the tank. If the tank is close to the ceiling try putting an 18 inch long 1/2 nipple in the adaptor the tubbing will be straightened by the long nipple so you can get it too the bottom.

Nelson_6

tanks

the two filters were there because there were two tanks.
I spoke ti riello and they said to run a short tube off the pump and t it back into the feed line. this would create a slap together tiger loop.

Maine Ken

That is a "cheater loop". And there is more to it than just teeing in a return line. Did they tell you about the bypass plug? Are you a diy? If so, I would recommend a bit of assistance from a knowledgeable pro.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Charlie from wmass

just wondering why go gas if you have a buderus with a reiello? AFUE drops when firing gas in oil boils far as I knew, am I wrong? I can see it being a thought when you have an old boiler and rebates are taken in to the mix.

Nelson_6

Why change

1. Oil is messy and primitive
2. Oil unless we start drilling more of our own it makes us more dependant on foriegn countries
3. Oil requires delivery men dragging 100 feet of hose through my garden
4. Oil is much more expensive and unpredictable.
5. Oil burners have more break downs then gas burners
6. ok thats enough.

oil-2-4-6-gas

yeah but -- gas leaks can be REAL bad -gas is manufactured using petroleum products or coal --(foreign dependency--or environmentally detremental) --gas burners are installed by plumbers who dont know (in my area anyway) what a digital analyzer is and don't know how to service or repair ,, natural gas is more expensive -(if you have radiators or baseboard - ie: high temp systems) in my area

Charlie from wmass

Ok since I install both systems and I do use an analyzer for both fuels I do not agree fully with the last 2 posts. I find a well maintained boiler does not have many break downs. I was under the understanding that oil had 40% more heat per unit. I also was under the understanding that the carbon footprint of such a change over would negate any reduction sought from gas. As for flower beds as a gardener I can plan around an occassional oil delivery and good suppliers are careful when they do deliver. I am not trying to talk people out of providing work I simply do not understand the math. Is there not also a shortage of natural gas that is supplemented with propane? Propane being the product of the same crude oil that the fuel oil comes from. As for the use of the last of the oil in the tank have you tested for a leak in the suction line?

Nelson_6

tell me more

I do not understand some of your statements.

1. Do you mean ng poses a problem for the enviornment at the home or where it is processed?
2. When my oil burner was installed the tech was sitting in my back yard with parts of his bachrac kit spread out every where while he was reading the directions on how to use it. i have yet to find a tech that uses one. They all want to look at the flame and go by rulles of thumb.Incedently, I the homeowner had to learn how to check my own stack temps draft co and rent a kit.
You are probably correct. I will have to learn how to make the final adjustments and tweeks on my new gas boiler.I am just hoping that with 10,000 plumbers in the boston area that some are qualifyed enough to do this.

3. efficiency of gas versus oil and why old cast iron radiators will not be happy. A flame is a flame if its made by gas oil or anything else. Ok i understand that some flames burn hotter. In this case just increase flame size which means more fuel consumption.It is my belief that oil prices are so much more than gas it is not even a consideration. last year my oil bill was $7,000.00 dollars.This is at $3.00 a gallon. What happens if it hits $ 4 or 5 dollars a gallon?

Nelson_6

you have some points also.......

Thank you for the reply my fellow massachusetts neighbor.

much of my decision has to do with being tired of the hassels of oil. Oil burners and their related items require more service and maintenance. I just want a plug and play system. I do not want to have to spend anytime in my basement. Just like my car. I lease it new. I never, never open the hood and when the warranty is over i dump it. life is to short to be doing this kind of trivial stuff. Me having to be in the basement is also another reflection of the qualifications of the help in this area.

Nelson_6

Yes i ...........

I am not a plumber or oil burner tech.
however, Since my area does not have techs that are familiar with riello I had to take the Riello training course and a oil burner tech service course. I owned 18 rental buildings and all of them had old oil burners. 6 of them had riellos installed in the 1970's.
Money wise it was worth the small amount of time to take the training. it reduced many of the no heat calls to sevice techs. fortunately the properties are sold and i want to stay away from basements. when i did have a service guy come out, at least i knew if i was getting the run around. Most of these guys do not even have metric wrenches. If i do a diy job its only because I can not find a qualifyed person.

Leo_17

You're in the Boston area?

I'm from Central Mass, am working for the third oil company and everyone I have been associated with can work on
riello burners and all three companies issued test equipment.

By the way gas has to be tested and should be serviced at least every two years.

Leo

Nelson_6

Thank you leo

I am in hanover near the cape. It is not that there are many qualifyed techs south of Boston. It is trying to find one that is qualifyed. Knowing which tech is experienced is difficult. An oil company will send out whatever person is on duty. You will be lucky to know their name. Knowing if they are experienced is another matter.

Most homeowners know nothing about tuning a boiler and techs take advantage of this.
Aside from that, you must admit there is less to go wrong with the mechanics of gas then oil.

Charlie from wmass

Thanks Mark for you reasoning behind your choice. You should remember that a gas unit should be maintained even though they seldom are. I find a once over each year can prevent a small issue from being a big one, such as a dripping flange causing a premature failure of a circulator, or a worn expansion tank causing issues with the rest of the system. As for finding Reiello tachs in MA I do not know of many companies out here in Berkshire county who do not have several guys who are well trained with them and also parts are availlible in every wholesaler in the county. I often see gas or oil is more then just dollars and cents. I seems tech support is more of an issue to many people.

Charlie from wmass

Mark every other weekend I need to drive to Rockland, MA to pick up my boys from their mother so I am familiar with your end of the state. I am sure that there are some good guys but it is hard to filter through when it is dollars wasted to learn if they know what they are doing. If things get to the point you need to contact me you can email me at garrityplumbing@gmail.com. I thought there was a good outfit in rockland Hoadley I think is the name, have you tried them?

Nelson_6

yes.....

Yes. The Hoadlys are excellant plumbers. They will be converting my system to gas. They know his stuff. Hoadly does all the plumbing in my home and I am very happpy with their work.

My past posts refer to dealings i had with oil tech repairmen that work for the oil delivery companies, here in my area. I had bad luck with them.

I apreciate your offer to advise me.

I was recently in your area. I was white water rafting.

Charlie from wmass

Must have been up towards route 2 east of shelburne falls? I am down in Lee. Locals do not boat in our river. We saw what was dumped in it over the years. It is being cleaned up but the fish are still unfit for human consumption. I tend to stick to the mountain lakes and ponds I prefer the still water. Good luck with the system and let us know how the fuel bills work out, I would like some hard numbers from a conversion. I never seem to find hard numbers from people after they convert to gas as to the cost difference.