Oil furnace turns on and off repeatedly

Coldie

We have a Kerr oil furnace with a Riello burner. We ran out of oil, had the tank filled, bled the furnace, and the heat would still not work. Cold air would blow up from the vents. Hit the reset button a few times. The heat worked again. But now it is blowing hot and cold air switching intermittently. I can hear it turn on and off over and over again. We cleaned the eye and that didn't seem to do much. We have little children and have been without heat for four days, live in Canada and we are having a winter storm right now, can't afford to have someone in and are desperate for help.

Thank you for your time.

STEVEusaPA

Probably wasn't properly bled, or maybe now by running out you clogged the nozzle and/or filter.
Sorry but you're going to need a tech.

HVACNUT

Does it have an electric air damper on the right side of the burner?
Does the burner actually go into lockout? Faint red light on the reset button?
If you ran out of oil, you probably didn't prime the pump enough and theres air.
A little tricky with a Riello.

Coldie

Yes it has a faint red light on the reset button. No it does not have a damper on the side.

HVACNUT

The safest way for you would be to reset the burner, open the bleeder and prime. Listen very closely after the 10 second pre purge you'll hear a faint buzz. When you hear it, press the reset again. There should be steady oil, no air before closing the bleeder.
It might take a few times to get the air out.
If you're already getting air free oil, then theres something else wrong.
If priming doesn't work, dont keep hitting the reset button. You'll need to call a pro at that point.

SuperTech

Riello burners are really sensitive to oil supply problems. If you ran out of oil then you likely need a new oil filter and burner nozzle. I'd recommend biting the bullet and calling a pro. You are going to make the problems worse by continuing to reset the burner.