Clogged nozzle

CT_user

Over the past few years I have been using my wood stove as the primary source of heat using the oil feed forced air furnance as a backup.  In that time frame our furnance will not fire up from time to time.  With each service call they've replaced the nozzle.  I've been told it's a 0.5 on the lower side.  The burner is a Beckett AFII 85 which gets terrible comments.  Last night it went out again but restarted via the reset button (uncommon occurance).  Also happened a month ago but since I use little oil (200 gallons last year), the service company terminated our contract. 

Since I'm a little mechanically inclined, I'd like to replace the nozzle on my own but not sure which one (i.e. manufacturer, spray angle/shape, etc).  Seen the service guy do it quite a few times. 

Eventually I think I'll get a new burner but not sure our problem will go away due to how much oil we're consuming. 

Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks

World Plumber

Tanks

Try treating you tanks. I like Super Heat. Get one that kills bacteria. I've had great success at taking food out of my mouth. Customers who had 12 to 14 service calls a year in the past. Need to reminded it's been 2 years since there burner has been serviced. With the small nozzles you need a good filter, won't tolerate any bacteria. Which will grow is sitting oil.

CT_user

Clogged again

Happened again last night.  Woke up at 5:30a feeling a little chilly.  Been pretty cold here in CT over the past few days.

When down to the furnace hit the reset button and nothing.  Took the line off the nozzle assembly to see if it was getting oil.  Yes.  Took the nozzle assemby out.  Removed the nozzle and let it sit in the oil for 10-15 minutes.  Dialed down my compressor to 40 PSI and blew back into the nozzle.  Put everything back together and it fired up. 

Whenever the tech put it all back together he never does anything else other than make sure it fires up.  Can't say I understand why to perform combustion analysis if I swap out for another direct replacement nozzle.  Couldn't hurt I guess.

Like the Super Heat idea.  Guessing I have a decent amount of water in the take since we don't use a lot of oil in a season.  Have to look into the filters too!

Thanks for all the info guys.  I'll stay within my safety limits before getting a pro out.

billtwocase

also try

a Delavan nozzle line filter. Mounts on the discharge side of the pump before the nozzle. I would also treat the oil. Nozzles don't foul that easily, even .50's

World Plumber

Filter/strainer

Is the fuel pump square? If so Check/ replace the strainer along with the filter. The nozzle line filters work good. Haven't needed to use any the last 10 years.

    Is the filter on the nozzle turning black?

icesailor

Clogged Nozzles/Filters:

I've used them all. The best solution I have found is two Garber type Spin-On filters, the short 10 micron ones. With a restriction gauge on the one closest to the pump. The Garber is a non-bypassing filter. It is supposed to stop flowing when it is clogged. Even when they have sludge coming out the inlet holes and have clogged up, when you drain the oil, you can see the shiny bottom of the can. If you use two, whatever fine particles that may get by, will be trapped in the second filter. When the vacuum goes up, the second filter is still working. I never see sludge in the pump strainer. I do find the nozzle strainers plugging. If I pull the nozzle Assembly out and hold the nozzle up and the oil doesn't readily run out, the nozzle strainer is clogging. The nozzle strainer clogging will lower the pressure after the strainer and the nozzle will see lower pump pressures. You can have 140# pump pressures but 80# nozzle pressures and bad fire. That's what I have experienced.

applezyde

clogged nozzle

I just had the burner people replace a clogged nozzle.  They told me to use Diesel 911 5 or 6 times to clean out the fuel line.  Has anybody used this before?  The stuff for the bacteria is a whole different thing, right?  I try not to use much oil and had one tenant here in the past who only used 79 gallons for a whole New England winter (southern MA)!  Thanks for any help.  I'm a newbie.  

billtwocase

where is the tank?

inside or outside?  Has someone determined that there is a fuel problem?

icesailor

Lazy:

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

Would it have been too much exertion to blow out the oil line to get rid of the crud?

My old High School auto shop teacher used to say "You can't buy a mechanic in a can." Any time I have ever walked away from a dirty oil line, I was back to blow it out or replace it.

ALSO, You said that you live in Southern Massachusetts. This should be a new oil line due to the new oil line law. If the line hasn't been replaced, the oil company isn't supposed to deliver oil, and if it doesn't meet code, the tech(s) that serviced the burner, should have brought the line to compliance. You should NOT have a dirty, sludged oil line.

How many times and how many ways do I have to say it. A "clogged" nozzle IS NOT clogged in the orifice, it is clogged in the strainer. You can set the pump pressure to 200# and have 200# at the strainer. If the strainer will only allow 50# of pressure through the strainer, the orifice will ONLY see 50# pressure.

Prove it????  Take the strainer off the "bad" nozzle and screw on a new strainer from a new nozzle. If it runs fine, then the old nozzle was clogged. NOT the orifice.

Hackaroo Techs are ruining all of the heating industries. If you don't know what you are doing, take classes and learn. Or get the heck out of the industry and let those of us that do, do our jobs.  

icesailor

Lazy:

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

Would it have been too much exertion to blow out the oil line to get rid of the crud?

My old High School auto shop teacher used to say "You can't buy a mechanic in a can." Any time I have ever walked away from a dirty oil line, I was back to blow it out or replace it.

ALSO, You said that you live in Southern Massachusetts. This should be a new oil line due to the new oil line law. If the line hasn't been replaced, the oil company isn't supposed to deliver oil, and if it doesn't meet code, the tech(s) that serviced the burner, should have brought the line to compliance. You should NOT have a dirty, sludged oil line.

How many times and how many ways do I have to say it. A "clogged" nozzle IS NOT clogged in the orifice, it is clogged in the strainer. You can set the pump pressure to 200# and have 200# at the strainer. If the strainer will only allow 50# of pressure through the strainer, the orifice will ONLY see 50# pressure.

Prove it????  Take the strainer off the "bad" nozzle and screw on a new strainer from a new nozzle. If it runs fine, then the old nozzle was clogged. NOT the orifice.

Hackaroo Techs are ruining all of the heating industries. If you don't know what you are doing, take classes and learn. Or get the heck out of the industry and let those of us that do, do our jobs.  

billtwocase

Amen Ice

ditto

applezyde

clogged nozzle

The tank is inside.  I'm not in the heating business.  I just own the house and boilers.  And the boiler people told me to treat the oil with Diesel 911.  Is it a big job to replace the fuel line?  My boilers aren't that old and I'm leaning toward switching to gas when they go.



BTW, I've taken two classes.  That's how I found out about your listserv.  If heating systems weren't complicated, you wouldn't have thousands of posts here!  And I'm very grateful for it because I haven't gotten much help from the burner people from the oil company so far.



Thanks for helping me out here.

icesailor

Sludge in Supply:

Where are you located?

Did you say that you were in SE Massachusetts? Or was that someone else. If you are, is the oil line in a blue plastic NMT conduit or is it a copper tube covered in red, orange of yellow plastic? If you live in Massachusetts, and your oil line doesn't meet the criteria of what I just wrote, you are not in compliance and the oil service techs would know that. If so, double, no, triple LAZY, LAZY, LAZY. It is no biggie to change the oil line. Some are harder than others but if it goes under a concrete floor, your insurance company may demand that you replace the line.

Where are you located?

In Massachusetts, we have to fill out a form stating that the oil system is in compliance. One form if it is from the install and another when we have to bring it into compliance. With our license numbers on it and legal responsibility. Where I work, the oil companies will NOT deliver unless they have their own copy on file for their insurance records.

Not to be trifled with.

You can grouse about Massachusetts all you want. We don't want a lot of crud in our groundwater. We have to drink it. 

OBTW, if you have a problem, your insurance company may tell you that you are on your own. And you don't have enough money to do a proper oil spill remediation. A new oil line is still cheaper than replacing the whole thing with gas. IMO