Question regarding boiler servicing - Pressuretrol and accessing front door

BroadwichCT

(1) When servicing a Crown oil boiler (circa 2007) does anything that needs to be cleaned require opening the front panel? 

(2) Should I expect the function of the Pressuretrol to be tested and the pigtail to be cleaned?

Thank you!

STEVEusaPA

Yes.
Yes.

EBEBRATT-Ed

If you mean should the boiler be opened up and brushed and vacuumed out. Yes, that is what a cleaning is. If the burner is adjusted properly this part of the cleaning may only need to be done every 3 years or so.

Same thing with the pigtail. If it cleaned and you check it the following year and it's ok then skip a year or two.

Most "clean ups" now are a nozzle and filter change.

List of what should be checked:

Operation of safety controls, low water, pressure, temp and safety lockout
check boiler & flue pipe for soot clean as necessary
If draft is suspect check chimney or call in a chimney sweep
check oil tank for leaks
change oil filter
change nozzle
check electrodes
check cad cell & ohm reading
Check for sloppy pump coupling
check fan and air inlet for dust and lint
check draft control operation
check for leaks
check combustion chamber for leaks and condition and check burner head if possible
Operate system and do combustion test
lube motors
Note any repairs needed

I probably forgot something it's been a while

pecmsg

BroadwichCT said:

(1) When servicing a Crown oil boiler (circa 2007) does anything that needs to be cleaned require opening the front panel? 

(2) Should I expect the function of the Pressuretrol to be tested and the pigtail to be cleaned?

Thank you!

Was this "Service" performed by your regular service provider?

BroadwichCT

@EBEBRATT-Ed
Thank you for the exhaustive list.  I searched on here prior to asking but didn't see a list like this. Thank you for taking the time to provide it.

I was wondering about the front door because the tech opened the top and cleaned that area but not the front. I was expecting the front to be opened but given my lack of knowledge in this area I didn't want to make an assumption.

I asked about testing the Pressuretrol but he basically said nope.

@pecmsg. We just purchased the house and so we didn't have a regular service provider. Unfortunately we are having a heck of a time finding tradespeople who are committed to doing a proper job or even showing up for that matter.

KC_Jones

Wait, he pulled the top and brushed it out? How did he remove the dirt that was broken loose without pulling the front? What type of boiler is this? Oil? Atmospheric gas?

And he flat out refused to check a safety device? That’s genuinely scary.

BroadwichCT

@KC_Jones.

Oil burner. Yeah, he opened the top and brushed it out but didn't open the front.  How did he remove the dirt that was broken loose?  That's why I thought I should come on here to ask.  It didn't seem right.

Yeah, that's what I thought about the Pressuretrol. 

I was watching the whole time to learn what was all involved with boiler servicing.

pecmsg

Where in Ct?
https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/

pecmsg

Good companies are hard to find, Good Techs are even harder.

When you find either, hang on to them.

KC_Jones

He most likely made things worse by dumping all that crud into the combustion chamber.
Honestly, if you haven't paid yet, I wouldn't and I'd be on the phone with the company.

He should have also serviced the burner, opened the front, cleaned it out, new nozzle, oil filter, then do a combustion analysis and tuned the burner, well you got the list above.

Why, why, why are these companies allowed to be almost completely useless and take peoples money?!

We should start emailing links to these threads to the companies in question. They need to either step up their game or go out of business.

Yes, this upsets me and is the primary reason I DIY everything, if I find a contractor I can trust I'd probably have a heart attack on the spot.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Unfortunately this is the way things are trending.

I think back 20 years or so and they predicted a shortage of qualified techs in all areas. HVAC, appliance, automotive etc.

I went to code update classes a few years back and they said the average age of plumbers, electricians hvac etc was mid fifties.

They closed a lot of the trade schools and closed the high school shop classes

It's only going to get worse.

Will the pendulem swing back? maybe but it will take a lot of changes

In the meantime a lot of shoddy work and higher prices to be paid for shoddy techs

After all, who want's to clean a sooty boiler when you can live in mom & dads basement and play video games

Erin Holohan Haskell

But then there's this from MA: https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/more-students-saying-no-college-choosing-vocational-education/R3IQHGOJBJDKBJ44K4M5OYGFJA/

"The high cost of tuition and an abundance of job openings in many trades is causing more young people to say no to a traditional college experience. Whether it’s learning to weld or how to wire a house, classes at Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington are packed these days..."

So we'll see. Opportunity is knocking for these kids.

BobC

I normally do all my own service work but the last time I brought someone in I was talking with his apprentice about career choices. I told him there were a lot of white collar workers pounding the bricks in the last recession and a lot of those jobs never came back. In the trades you may get dirty but they can't offshore your work - the older you get the more you appreciate steady work. i worked right through the last two recessions without skipping a beat.

Bob