Riello pump pressure

Paul_11

We are having a problem with a Riello 40 F20.

The oil pump pressure is supposed to be set at 178 psi and yet we can't t it higher than 110 psi.



We figured it was the pump but the new one is acting the same.



Does anyone have any ideas on what else the problem could be.



Paul

A Real Good Plumber, Inc

Steamhead

Oil supply problem, maybe?

not quite enough oil to meet the firing rate? Have you checked the supply for excessive vacuum and air infiltration?

STEVEusaPA

Are you

Checking the pump pressure in low fire or high fire?

sdc

delay valve?

The F20 has a delay valve that can be turned on (low fire) so that you can set it up on low. Is it possible the little screw got turned the pressure gauge would show the low fire pressure all the time.

Paul_11

You all were so right, but now I got one more

I want to apologize for taking this long to update you all, but we have been so crazy busy since Sandy you just can't believe it.

I want to thank everyone who replied as you were all so right.

The screw was stuck on low fire but we got it to finally go to high fire.

We had very little vacuum so we put in a new supply line and now we have 5 to 7 vaccuum.

It ran great until about a week ago when it started getting real cold.

Now it is humming along real nice but every 5 minutes or so the pressure drops from 178psi to 40psi or 50psi or lower for a few seconds, (it seems like an eternity as I desperately don't it to lock out) and then it goes back to 178 and hums along fine again.

We have observed the vacuum when the pressure drops and it stays constant and does not drop or increase at all.

This repeats itself every five or ten minutes or so.

Of course last night it locked out so 30 families had not heat or hot water this morning and I got an earful.

We are at our wits end.

We are beginning to think it might be water in the oil tank, because if the pump makes pressure for five minutes and we don't lose vacuum what could make the burner stop firing?

Water in the oil would be one reason.

I suppose a weak transformer could be another.

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK???

Paul

A Real Good Plumber, Inc.

SWEI

air in the line?

1 pipe or two?  Tiger Loop?

Paul_11

ALL IS WELL IN RIELLO LAND

HERE IS THE END OF THIS STORY



On Friday 02/01/13, we removed 135 gallons of water from a 2000 gallon tank.

We figure it was about 3" high which is just at the bottom of the supply pipe.

I'm surprised the burner ran at all.



We then added 8 quarts of HY-DRO-SOL and called for another oil delivery to top the tank off and mix up the HY-DRO-SOL.



We had to nurse this burner all weekend.

Translated, this means we lived in this boiler room and hit the reset button about a 1000 times.

We had to replace it once as well.



It still took a few days to get the rest of the water that was mixed up with the oil to burn out



Then after the majority of the water was gone we replaced the oil pump and high fire relay just to be sure because they should never pump water.



The burner is running beautifully now and all are happy,



This landlord just paid for his last 20 years of committing sins of neglect in this building.