Carlin boiler won't turn on

tommytelephones

Please excuse me if I call something by the wrong name. Here's my issue....I have a fairly new boiler and ran it out of oil the other day. Has happened a few times in the last couple of years but no issues starting back up. So when I have power to the unit the "low water level" indicator turns green which tells me there is power and the water levels are good. The only other thing that happens is when I turn it on the amber light lights up on the reset button for about 4 seconds so I can't bleed the system either. I have tried doing a factory reset by holding the button down like it says on the back but nothing at all happens. Do I need to replace the reset unit ? I also tested the cad cell eye, I think it's called, by running a jumper between the two leads but no changes. Any advice ?

newagedawn

please take a pic and show it

newagedawn

sounds like you need to hold the button longer till it flashes the let go, usually 90 sec

EBEBRATT-Ed

don't run out of oil. running the tank low could cause plugged nozzles, filters, strainers and other untold problems. repairs will be expensive.

tommytelephones

Sorry guys, didn't realize anyone replied since I wasn't notified by email.....new member. Anyway it looks like the primary controller could be bad. When I turn the unit on the amber light goes on for 4 seconds then off, which it says is normal. However I can't do a reset of any kind and it's not throwing power to the motor. I tested the motor and it's fine. In fact it started bleeding oil through the bleed valve which also tells me the pump is working. Does this sound right ?

STEVEusaPA

If power is going in, the control is properly reset, and power isn't going to the motor/transformer, then I would also suspect the primary control. But that control can be tricky to reset.

Big Ed_4

did you take off the jumper to FF .It will not fire , If jumper off disconnect one FF lead if fires up replace the complete cad cell ... If light stays red hold button until it flashes green ... No lights and power in but no power out ,replace control

tommytelephones

I will give it a try. Last night I replaced the control with an older one that my neighbor had laying around. It only had 3 wires coming out of it but the manual did have that option. The boiler started and heated the water to temperature. However it hasn't run since but doesn't that prove that it's the control that was the problem ?

HVACNUT

Like @ Big Ed said, it sounds like a cad cell problem.
After you replaced the primary and the burner made limit, but it did not recycle, did it go into safety?
Does the fuel pump have a delayed oil valve? If so, is the hot side of the coil wired to the motor lead of the 3 wire primary?
Seems like you need a cad cell with lead, and OEM primary. Check safety operation when complete.

tommytelephones

I may have posted in the wrong place, I apologize. HVACNUT I'll check on these points that you listed. I did test the cad cell and silonoid before I replaced the control and both were ok.

wasup23

Multimeters are your best friend, learn how to use it, and you will never have a question like this ever again. Don't ever blindly reset anything with fuel. This is how people die.

tommytelephones

I'm an electrician...low voltage...I am very familiar with multimeters. I just have no clue how a boiler operates, just learning it now

tommytelephones

I know it's been a while but here's where I am at with it. I bought a new primary control and had a company come hook it up. So one more question...there is a circulator pump bolted to 1-1/2" ridgid pipe either going into or coming out of the bottom of the boiler. I'm assuming that is for the baseboard heaters that heat the house only, and not for the sink hot water. If that is the case and I have the thermostats off at the moment should that pump be running at all right now ?

Jamie Hall

Assuming that you are correct in that that pump is for the baseboard heaters -- which it probably is -- then the answer is no. But... it also depends a lot on how the various controls are wired, which would be worth finding out.

HVACNUT

Post a pic of the boiler if you can. How is your domestic hot water heated? How many thermostats? Zone valves?
If it's 1 heat zone, tankless coil or direct fired oil, gas or electric water heater, then no, the circ should not be running.

tommytelephones

A picture I can't provide but it's got 3 zones, 3 thermostats with 1 of them having the on/off switch for all of the zones (so the air and heat dont run at the same time). It's an oil furnace by Carlin. I followed all of the pipes going to the circulator and all lead to baseboard heaters. None of the domestic water pipes seem to have anything to do with the circulator.

HVACNUT

I assume you have zone valves (rectangular silver boxes attached to each zone pipe with wiring).
How is your hot water heated?
Are any of the heat pipes hot?
If the circ is STILL running and the heat pipes are cool, it's possibly a bad end switch in one of the zone valves, or faulty contacts in the aquastat. Try removing the TT low volt wires in the boiler aquastat and see if the circ shuts off. Check ohms on the wires you took off. If there is no resistance, you have a bad end switch on one of the zone valves.
And Carlin is the burner not the boiler. Just being picky.

tommytelephones

Ok, I'll check these points also...and thank you for correcting me with the terminology. That was half my problem in the beginning !

tommytelephones

Ok here's something that just happened that has me completely stumped. I currently have the low water cutoff and aquastat both bypassed because somehow they both are bad. For the last month whenever I need hot water I just go down and flip the switch on until the water gets up to temperature then flip the switch off so we can take showers. Well somehow the boiler water climbed to 280 degrees with the unit not even running and steam is pouring out of the blowout valves. How the hell does water get hot in a boiler that isn't even running ?

Steamhead

The answer is: the burner was running enough to produce that much heat.

This is a dangerous condition. SHUT THAT THING DOWN AND CALL A PRO NOW!

KC_Jones

tommytelephones said:

Ok here's something that just happened that has me completely stumped. I currently have the low water cutoff and aquastat both bypassed because somehow they both are bad. For the last month whenever I need hot water I just go down and flip the switch on until the water gets up to temperature then flip the switch off so we can take showers. Well somehow the boiler water climbed to 280 degrees with the unit not even running and steam is pouring out of the blowout valves. How the hell does water get hot in a boiler that isn't even running ?

I will reiterate what Steamhead said. You need a pro. You have purposely bypassed 2 safety/operating controls on your boiler and now the only protection you have is the safety valve which is now open because something major went wrong. You have been running like this for a month? Really? This is the stuff that ends up on the 6 o'clock news...seriously. Call a pro...now...do not delay.

tommytelephones said:

I bought a new primary control and had a company come hook it up.

Why did you not have them fix everything while they were there? It would have been cheaper to have them fix it while on site, now if they come back you are on the hook for another service call.

STEVEusaPA

Everything from the OP sounds fishy.
-..."I'm an electrician...low voltage..." [That's a new one on me-must be a new designation].
-"...I bought a new primary control and had a company hook it up..."[Most companies wouldn't do this].
-"...A picture I can not post..." [Why? what don't you want us to see?].
-"...I currently have the low water cutoff and aquastat both bypassed because somehow they both are bad. For the last month whenever I need hot water I just go down and flip the switch on until the water gets up to temperature then flip the switch off so we can take showers. Well somehow the boiler water climbed to 280 degrees with the unit not even running and steam is pouring out of the blowout valves. How the hell does water get hot in a boiler that isn't even running ?..."

They are both bad probably because somewhere in all your DIY, you either shorted something out and/or wired them wrong.
Now you're running a boiler with the safeties disconnected.
And all this time you won't pay to have a competent tech come out and diagnose/fix all these problems.
It all stems from you being a will call customer letting yourself consistently running out of oil, instead of using a competent full service company with automatic delivery. Full service doesn't have to be expensive, although some are.
Get a recommendation for a qualified, competent tech, pay the money, and get your boiler running properly, and most importantly safely.
And be more forthcoming with professionals trying to help you.

HVACNUT

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