Beckett burner on Utica boiler cycles off then back on...

Timco

Almost every call. Light on zone controller lights up, boiler fires very smooth, then drops out after 2-3 seconds, fan stops and all. All call lights stay on and no error lights on ignition control on burner. Then it fires right back up and stays on every time without fail. I’ve never owned an oil boiler so I’m a bit lost. It did this before and after I cleaned the soot off the burner and cleaned the nozzle. It actually lights and fires much smoother after cleaning the soot off the swirl plate and cleaning the gel off the nozzle. It’s a 3 year old Beckett on a Utica triple pass boiler. I did not open up the chamber and clean the inside. Thanks.

Jamie Hall

Cedric did this at one point, but very erratically -- most calls, no problem. Some calls, fired up, shut down (Cedric had a prepurge so there was a time delay) then fired up perfectly. We never did really figure out what the problem was, though we suspect something marginal in the flame sensing.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Timco
I would check and clean the cad cell eye. Disconnect the cad cell leads and connect them to an ohm meter. Start the burner when the flame comes on the resistance should be around 800 ohms or less (lower=better). If your up around 1500 ohms your in lockout territory. Check all wiring connections.

If you can't find anything I would suspect the control

HVACNUT

What model Beckett? AFG or NX?

If you cleaned soot off the burner, There's something wrong!!! There should NEVER be soot. It's 2020. Oil burns clean.

Since you've never had an oil system before, are you aware that it needs an annual maintenance by a professional?

If the system is three years old and hasn't been checked yet, get it checked. With combustion, smoke, and draft tests.

SuperTech

If you had to clean a significant amount of soot from the flame retention head then you have a draft overfire problem. It would be wise to have the boiler professionally cleaned and serviced. A good service tech should be able to set the draft and tune the burner so it operates cleanly all year long with zero smoke or soot.

Timco

HVACNUT said:

What model Beckett? AFG or NX?



If you cleaned soot off the burner, There's something wrong!!! There should NEVER be soot. It's 2020. Oil burns clean.



Since you've never had an oil system before, are you aware that it needs an annual maintenance by a professional?



If the system is three years old and hasn't been checked yet, get it checked. With combustion, smoke, and draft tests.

NX on model number and RWB on the front. If my oil provider did the last service, should I find a better pro? I’m in Warren RI.

Timco

Jamie Hall

sounds like maybe, yeah. What, exactly, did the oil provider do on the last service you had? Do you know?

STEVEusaPA

That’s not an NX burner. It’s something electric-loose wire, control, component, etc.. You’re probably seeing soot due to the rapid short cycling.
Your service provider may be fine. I wonder why you didn’t call them first and instead try to fix it on your own. They (should) have the proper diagnostic skills and tools.

I spend a lot of time cleaning and perfectly tuning combustion on my customer's oil burners. I have no tolerance for a customer who starts monkeying with my work. I simply tell them “Only one person is going to work on this burner, you or me, not both”.
I also tell them to never press the reset button, not once. It's never fixed any burner, and can make it dangerously worse.
That’s their only warning. If it happens again, we part ways.

Timco

Jamie Hall said:

sounds like maybe, yeah. What, exactly, did the oil provider do on the last service you had? Do you know?

That was before we owned the home. Note says serviced about 2 years ago now. My plan was to learn oil burners and do this myself as I have a Bacharach analyzer but I’ve never done a smoke test nor adjusted an oil burner.

Timco

STEVEusaPA said:

That’s not an NX burner. It’s something electric-loose wire, control, component, etc.. You’re probably seeing soot due to the rapid short cycling.
Your service provider may be fine. I wonder why you didn’t call them first and instead try to fix it on your own. They (should) have the proper diagnostic skills and tools.

I spend a lot of time cleaning and perfectly tuning combustion on my customer's oil burners. I have no tolerance for a customer who starts monkeying with my work. I simply tell them “Only one person is going to work on this burner, you or me, not both”.
I also tell them to never press the reset button, not once. It's never fixed any burner, and can make it dangerously worse.
That’s their only warning. If it happens again, we part ways.

This has never needed to be reset. I get what you’re saying about homeowners. I’ve been doing hydronics for 15 years now, just never a oil burner. I’d like to get up to speed but I’ll have to do some reading and learn from whoever we call. All I did was pull the burner and clean the soot off the components. It’s much quieter and smoother now. We have BB so it can and does short cycle. I’m not happy with the L7224 / L7248 aquastat either. No option for DHW vs CH calls and it has to be set based on boiler HL not water temp. With water temp set back it takes forever for the water heater to make up.

SuperTech

If you have the L7224 aquastat it should be able to tell the difference between DHW and space heating calls. It's not set up right. I believe its the DUU setting, it's in the installation instructions. If you really want to run lower water temperatures buy the outdoor reset module and the DHW module and enjoy the energy savings.
If you have the combustion analyzer that's great, but you can't tune a burner for true zero smoke without a smoke tester. And setting the draft correctly is critical.

HVACNUT

Go to school.

Timco

SuperTech said:

If you have the L7224 aquastat it should be able to tell the difference between DHW and space heating calls. It's not set up right. I believe its the DUU setting, it's in the installation instructions. If you really want to run lower water temperatures buy the outdoor reset module and the DHW module and enjoy the energy savings.

If you have the combustion analyzer that's great, but you can't tune a burner for true zero smoke without a smoke tester. And setting the draft correctly is critical.

PN for DHW module? I don’t have a DUU option in settings. Thanks!

STEVEusaPA

@Timco. Where are you located? Plenty of training to get you up to speed. A lot of it now online.
Maybe you can find a local guy you can shadow for a week, see some proper cleanings, tune ups, and proper combustion set up-draft, smoke, etc.
Actually if you know of such a person, have them come over for a full cleaning/service, set up and asks lots of questions.

SuperTech

> @Timco said:
> (Quote)
> PN for DHW module? I don’t have a DUU option in settings. Thanks!

W8735S1000 is the outdoor reset module for the L7224U aquastat, W8735S1008 is the domestic hot water module for using the outdoor reset module on a boiler with an indirect tank.

The ZR terminal is for your indirect tank, that's how you enable DHW priority. DUU needs to be set to on. All L7224 and L7248L aquastats use this function.

Timco

STEVEusaPA said:

@Timco. Where are you located? Plenty of training to get you up to speed. A lot of it now online.
Maybe you can find a local guy you can shadow for a week, see some proper cleanings, tune ups, and proper combustion set up-draft, smoke, etc.
Actually if you know of such a person, have them come over for a full cleaning/service, set up and asks lots of questions.

Warren RI.

Timco

Sorry to keep bumping this thread but my oil guy is 2 weeks out for service and now I have an oil drip right under the white body of the burner on the floor. Is this concerning? Easily identified? Thanks.

Jamie Hall

Yes it is. Oil leaks are not acceptable -- and if it's just recently started, something has failed or is failing.

Cheer up. Summer's coming...

Timco

Jamie Hall said:

Yes it is. Oil leaks are not acceptable -- and if it's just recently started, something has failed or is failing.

Cheer up. Summer's coming...

Still need my DHW lol....

HVACNUT

Well it could be a bad pump seal. It is a Clean Cut pump and they dont fail often.
Could be a loose nozzle line.
It's a welded air tube/burner flange so pitch shouldn't be an issue.
It's a P primary so it's got Post Purge.

Put a foil tray or something to catch the oil under the burner and wait for your oil guy.

Alan Welch

How and why did you pull the burner? Usually the only time you need to pull the burner is to replace the end cone. Did you check the Z dimension? I would check any fittings you loosened when you pulled it.

SuperTech

The burner probably needs a new nozzle and to have the retention head cleaned. Possibly it needs to have the boiler sections brushed and vacuumed. It definitely could be a bigger problem such as a bad oil pump. I'd call for emergency service, any oil service company should have emergency service available.

Timco

Alan Welch said:

How and why did you pull the burner? Usually the only time you need to pull the burner is to replace the end cone. Did you check the Z dimension? I would check any fittings you loosened when you pulled it.

Loosened 4 bolts twist and remove. I set it on a block not on the floor. Removed only the flat plate with vanes and replaced in exact same place to get soot off components. Very light but some buildup. I pulled it to check and clean the igniter and flame rod due to re-starts. This drip is new. I’ll call again about a service and start reading up on this burner. It can’t be that difficult. 15 years on boilers but never an oil burner is all. No fittings were loosened except the ones that clamp the shroud in place. Easy enough.

Timco

So....Replaced the jet line and a new nozzle. Combustion was set with an analyzer and shutter adjustment. We were scheduled for a cleaning and when I explained there was a drip they came out same day. Love the access door on top lol. Burner face was set just right already. (Z measurement?) Thanks for the help gents.

Jellis

@Timco anytime you find Gel and buildup on the nozzle and retention head it means that things are not running well.
If its been a year or more then I would perform a service on the boiler changing the tank filter, pump strainer and nozzle. During that time cleaning and inspecting all components.
a competent tech can test the fuel pump, motor, transformer and Cad cell for proper operation.

Timco

Jellis said:

@Timco anytime you find Gel and buildup on the nozzle and retention head it means that things are not running well.
If its been a year or more then I would perform a service on the boiler changing the tank filter, pump strainer and nozzle. During that time cleaning and inspecting all components.
a competent tech can test the fuel pump, motor, transformer and Cad cell for proper operation.

Thanks for that. What is the Cad cell? I’m familiar with the other parts you mentioned.

SuperTech

The cad cell is the sensor that is mounted under the igniter. It measures resistance based on the light created by the burners flame. If the flame retention head becomes really dirty or if the burner is creating smoke the resistance will be high and the primary control will shut down the burner for safety. Proper operation of the cad cell can be tested with an ohm meter. Typically any readings over a thousand ohms indicates a problem.