Riello issue

dm1075k

I have a Riello 40 F5 that has not given my any trouble in 20 years. I have stayed on the maintenance regularly. A few weeks back it shut down and on refiring it would just hum. By turning the fan by hand, which had more resistance than it should, it " loosened up" and fired without issue for a day or two and then had the same problem. The Tech came and said it was the motor, which he changed but had the same issue a week later. He came back and replaced the oil pump, and has run for a week with no problems and now I am back to the same issue. When I want heat I turn the fan by hand to "loosen it" then it will fire no problem for a few cycles the will bind and not fire till I turn it by hand. Not sure what is going on here. It's a two pipe system if that makes any difference. At this point I probably will get a new burner after this season is over. Love to hear some more educated thoughts on this then I have at the moment. Thanks in advance

STEVEusaPA

Tell your tech to keep changing parts…almost got them all.
Was incoming voltage checked and confirmed?
Wiring connections OK?
Capacitor checked?
Key between motor/pump good, installed correctly?

dm1075k

yes, juice is all good, do not know about the capacitor but would I still get difficulty turning the shaft from the fan with electric off? How would the capacitor effect that with electric off? You make a great point about the key between pump and motor, that I will take a look at…..thanks Steve for the quick response!

EdTheHeaterMan

I have a Riello 40 F5 that has not given my any trouble in 20 years. I have stayed on the maintenance regularly. A few weeks back it shut down and on refiring it would just hum. 

The reason the burner just Hummms… is because it forgot the words. Put the sheet music in front of the burner and see if the Hummm stops

Big Ed_4

You freed up the pump , if the oil supply is clean . I would replace the pump .

20 years you had a good run . I would recommend, replace the Riello and get another 20.

EdTheHeaterMan

But really, The Pump is new and the Motor is new. You felt some resistance when you moved the fan by hand then the resistance was gone. What is the chance that there is something inside the fan or the fan housing that is causing the fan to stick. Did he clean the fan blades, and the fan housing?

Steamhead

Is there a fiilter in the oil line before the burner? Has it been changed recently? Has water gotten into the tank?

HVACNUT

So what was the reading on the cap? It should be 12.5 uF. +- 6%.

I don't think the "spin by hand" test is reliable because you can't use your hand.

There's very little play in the fan housing so if the fan wasn't aligned properly, you'd hear it rubbing.

It's pretty hard to not put it together correctly. The drive key could be damaged but you'd think that would've been noticed during the motor replacement, then the pump replacement. BTW, was the pump pressure adjusted for your boiler and firing rate. It almost certainly isn't set out of the box. Was a combustion test done because the firing rate has changed?

Was the bypass plug installed on the new pump?

dm1075k

thanks for everyone's input. Going to massage the burner to get me through the heating season( few more weeks here on Long Island). Then tear it down to see what's going on. If I can find same burner new, I will buy it and use the old one for parts. Thanks again.

SuperTech

Before you waste time and money on a burner I would try a replacement capacitor. It's standard practice to always replace a capacitor when replacing a PSC motor. The description of your problem sounds like what happens when a capacitor fails or doesn't have enough capacitance to start the motor.

Big Ed_4

Either your oil supply is sucking up sand or you have a bad return line .

Two pumps , grit and teflon tape can jam the pump gears . When they jam the pump lock up the motor . If the return line is blocked the pump will also lock up , if the seal holds out ..

Either way ,I would Run an new single supply line to the tank if possable and instal a filtered tigerloop .

dm1075k

thanks big Ed and super tech, will take a look at both!