Electrical Problem

Jordan Schwartz

Hi - I hope someone here can help point me in the right direction. I have a Burnham steam boiler. Lately I have been having problems with the heat not turning on consistently. I think I have traced it to the electrical box attached to the side of the furnace. This box is where the wires from the thermostat come in, and trigger the flue damper to open and ignite the burner. There is a transformer (or relay?) on the outside of the box. If I give the transformer a good solid whack, the furnace will then ignite. So I am suspecting that the issue is probably with the transformer, but I am unsure. Can they/do they fail? How can I get a replacement part? I don't think it's necessarily part of the Burnham furnace. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jordan

Neville

just he,lping

 If you have to hit  on the furnace for the boiler to come on there may be a probleem with either the relay or the damper  transformer dont work and stop unless it  have a short wire

JStar

Voltage.

If I called my supervisor and told him what you just wrote, he would take a deep breathe, sigh, wait 10 seconds, then ask me politely if I have 120 volts before the transformer, and 24 volts after the transformer.



I'm not trying to bust your chops. I've just made enough embarrassing "help" calls to finally put me in the right mindset for troubleshooting. It's a good motivator.



As for your question...Yes, transformers can burn out and stop working. Find the wiring schematic and check voltage before and after the transformer.  Also, check to make sure every wire nut is secure and tight.



Now, if you can make it work by hitting it, I'm suspecting that it's not a bad transformer at all. Look at the picture...what's right next to the electrical box?



Pressuretrol. Now you know why people keep a spare hammer on top of their boilers. Try cleaning that pigtail and pressuretrol.

Jordan Schwartz

Follow-up

Jstar- Thanks for your reply but if I can ask you for a little more clarification. I am not a professional, I am a homeowner who is very handy and I'm trying to see if I can fix the problem myself if possible. I understand what you are referring to as adjacent to the electrical box - the pressuretrol and pigtal. What are those for, and how do I remove and clean the pigtail? It looks like it is fairly firmly attached but could be unscrewed from the bottom of the pressuretrol box and the port on the side of the boiler.

Also since I am the homeowner I don't have a wiring diagram to refer to for the transformer circuit. Is there a way I can get one?

Thanks for your assistance

Jordan

Timco

electric issues

You need to kill power, remove wires and un-thread pressuretrol to clean the pig tail. Pressuretrol maintains steam pressure and pigtail keeps steam out of the pressuretrol. Also may be a dirty LWCO. (Low Water Cut Off) That is the black box under the pressuretrol in the picture. Same proceedure, and make sure the probe is not covered with scale & dirt or it will not see water and can shut off sporadicly. Wiring diagram is always located on the service door (inside) of the boiler or in the manual which is almost always available online.



Tim