Weil Mclain Burner to Beckett Burner

ACG

I recently had my oil company service tech tell me that I should replace my Weil Mclain brand burner with a new Beckett burner to help with the efficiency of my system. The reasoning was that the Weil Mclain burners (I believe early 2000 vintage) were not good quality and was subsequently discontinued after a few years of production. Seems to make sense given I cannot find any information on the Internet on Weil brand burners. It works okay throughout the winter but will often need an cad eye replaced at least once during the winter and I do get occasional misfires and or soot puff-back (nothing that fills the basement). And my boiler is also a Weil brand WGO 3 I believe which I have been told on many occasions is in excellent shape.

1) Is there any other pros out there that share my oil company's recommendation to replace?

2) Is it normal to have to replace parts such as the eye annually?

3) Is there anything else that could cause misfires / puff-back besides a faulty burner?

Thanks in advance.

Steamhead

That's the W-M "QB" burner

they will run fine with proper setup. But you can't set them up like a Beckett, which too many knuckleheads try to do. For setup info, go here:



http://www.oiltechtalk.com/pages/oldburners/qb180300manual.pdf



The delayed ignition can have several causes- electrodes not set properly, bad ignitor or nozzle, etc. The fuel unit (pump) is a standard Suntec part. Carlin and others make replacement ignitors for this burner.



You should not have to replace the cad cell (eye) each year. I'd bet the burner head is out of adjustment, possibly causing the cell to overheat.



Did the oil company set up this burner using a combustion analyzer? Since you're having so much trouble with it, I think I know the answer................

icesailor

QB Burners:

Your "Tech" is a parts changer, not an oil burner technician. QB Burners work fine. They don't need a new Cad Cell (eye) every year. If someone replaces one every year, there is a problem.

Carlin has a yellow plastic "Jig" gauge that we use on Carlin EZ-1's to set the electrodes and spacings ahead of the nozzle. I found that the Carlin Yellow "Jig worked far better than any rule I ever used to measure. If your WGO is run as a cold start, that is part of your problems. QB's and WGO's like to be toasty warm on start up so they don't get carbon build-up on the retention ring. specially with funky draft. I wouldn't hesitate to leave it in. Is it a QB 150 or a 300? If it is a 300, there are other issues that the "tech" isn't addressing. You can't grossly under fire a QB300 in an application that it is spec'ed to, nor ones on the boarder of a 150 to 300. You MUST use a combustion analyzer on them and thoroughly clean Kibbles & Bits out of them. Especially, opening the front and taking the mat of old dog food off the rug. I always replaced them with a Lynn "Wet Blanket", cut to fit slightly farther up the sides.

At least in my experience. Others may differ from me. That's my experience with the ones I did.

It was also my experience that the WGO's developed a different personality when run on EZ-1's. Not ever so much on Becketts. But that was my experience. They also seemed very happy with Riello's.

icesailor

True, true words my friend.

True words.

Beckett+ Fixed Head Burner.

All others: Adjustable Heads.



Sure makes a difference if the only thing you know how to work is a fixed head burner. "Z" equals Zero.

billtwocase

I will echo

what has been said. QB was a great burner. They only went out of production due to a manufacture loss. I have them out there no problems. If replacement was a necessity, I would go Carlin EZ-1, and make sure it is running rear flue. Chances are, it is as Frank said, not a cad cell problem, it's more likely a tech problem.  Good luck