Old Boiler won't start

UselessMedic

I apologize in advance because I know nothing about HVAC.

I have a Carlin Model 100crd burner that shut off the other day and now I have a solid red light which indicated lockout. I tried to reset and got more oil incase my gauge was incorrect and then tried to bleed and prime the line. But the burner won't kick on. Anyways. I had no air come out of the line just a steady flow so I don't know what other issues I could have. Resetting wouldn't work and I turned the heat up in the house just to see if I could get it to do anything and still nothing.

STEVEusaPA

You need a professional in there to check it out. Most likely a bad ignitor and/or bad nozzle.

But DO NOT press the reset button anymore or you are going to really be a uselessmedic.

All you are dangerously doing is filling up the chamber with oil. The oil will not evaporate or dry up.
When that burner does lite off, if you're lucky it will just be a smokey mess. That's if you're lucky.
Tell the tech what you did, and how many times so he/she doesn't hurt themselves and/or burn down your house.

EBEBRATT-Ed

What @STEVEusaPA said

Steamhead

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

What @STEVEusaPA said

This.

UselessMedic

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I got it solved. I really really didnt want to pay someone to come check it out unless i really had to. (I was taking cold showers until my oil got delievered). So just for s#!ts and giggles I flipped the breaker off and back on and bam. Furnace kicked right on.

STEVEusaPA

That's not solved. That's just luck. Whether it's good luck or bad luck is to be determined.

UselessMedic

Well you're not wrong. But it has been working now for the past day and seems to be heating my water again. The breaker maybe have been tripped but just didn't flip all the way over. Or it's a completely different issue and itll break again in the winter and then I'll pay someone handsomely to come fix it asap. But until then. Thank you all

pecmsg

When was the last time that boiler was serviced?

You might want to have it looked at before the winter!

UselessMedic

It was actually just serviced as a bought the home 6 months ago. The entire system was going to be updated and gas was going to be put in but some issues came up with the type of loan I used so ultimately I couldn't get a new heating system this year but I had it all serviced. The boiler itself is from the 50s

HVACNUT

Maybe we didn't read your first post correctly? When you first pressed the reset button, nothing happened at all? It didn't even make a sound? How did you prime the pump with no power?

UselessMedic

Sorry, again I work on cars and bike not very much household stuff. So anyways. I was away over last weekend and my girl waited until I got home to tell me. So I ordered oil and put some diesel fuel in, just in order to prime it. When I went to prime it and opened the bleeder valve I had a half gallon of oil in a bucket and it never seemed like any air came out, hard to tell exactly because the bleeder valve is on the top.. I tried to get the boiler to kick on so it would actually bleed it out but it wouldnt. I tried to reset by holding for 5 seconds and nothing happened so I tried again. For 30 seconds and nothing happened. When the actual oil company came he tried to prime it too (he is not a tech only a driver) so he didn't know what was going on either. I looked over everything once more and flipped the breaker and it turned right on..

Sorry for the long post hopefully this is a better explanation

Jellis

if it shut down and you had a solid light indicating lockout than the issue was most certainly not your breaker, the burner was out on reset which only happens when the primary control senses one of the conditions that can trip the control.
Im guessing turning your breaker off and on simply reset the system. You could have dirty filters, a partially plugged nozzle, failing motor, pump, primary control, Cad cell ect . All of which can be tested by a competent tech with the proper tools.
Even if it is "working" id bet its not running well and some attention from a good tech would likely save you some money in fuel efficiency and emergency calls.

HVACNUT

@Jellis . Interrupting the line volt burner circuit will not reset an oil burner primary control.
If the circuit breaker was in fact tripped, the OP would have to turn it off before turning it back on. Could also be someone turned it off by mistake. It's happens all the time.

Jellis

@HVACNUT turning the circuit breaker off and on would reset a digital style primary control would it not?
OP indicated that after trying to reset the control he flipped the breaker, sounds like he had power at the control before "flipping" the breaker so i don't believe it was tripped.
My customers used to complain that they did not know how to reset the digital controls and they would flip the breaker to reset them.

STEVEusaPA

Some will reset on soft lockout, but not hard lockout.