trio boiler and Beckett burner

irisasailor

I have a Pure ProTrio boiler 105k BTU with a Beckett AFG Burner. When it fires up after the purge it makes a loud boom and roars for twenty seconds then settles down. Ive had the burner set to specs twice. Ive tried various nozzles and pump pressures. No change. It has 5 feet of pipe into clean lined chimney. Ive talked to Beckett and they have no ideas. Im ready to trash this thing as its directly under the bedroom and when it fires you can feel it through the floor. Beckett told me that it keeps the ignitor on for twenty seconds. That correlates with the sound decreasing after the ignitor stops. Why would the ignitor being activated cause the loud roar? Ive checked the fuel shut off solenoid with a gauge and it works as it should. any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you

STEVEusaPA

Well we can agree something is off. Maybe too much air for combustion, maybe left over oil, maybe not a clean light off.
All of these phrases are ambiguous and subject to possible interpretation, or augmentation by a better tech:
--"Ive had the burner set to specs twice."
--"Ive tried various nozzles and pump pressures."
--"Ive checked the fuel shut off solenoid with a gauge and it works as it should."
And the worse, "Im ready to trash this thing..." And do what?

My best guess without being there is your draft is too high, especially over fire draft, pulling in too much combustion air and you're not getting a clean light off. Second guess is a leak or vacuum leak in the fuel line.
But a competent tech with tools, vacuum/pressure gauge, multimeter, and combustion equipment can properly check/diagnose your system.

EdTheHeaterMan

I agree with @STEVEusaPA. Let's say that you do the last thing on your list and you put in a Wayne or Carlin burner and it does the same thing. What will you check next?

In all your statements you were not telling us the ignition voltage, the gap on the electrode settings, are the porcelain insulators cracked, what was the pump vacuum, what is the draft, what is the O2 or CO2, are you using Biofuel, what burner head is on the burner, what condition is the combustion chamber in, is the pump coupling worn, is the primary control properly connected to the oil valve and ignition transformer, how long is the pre purge on the primary control, what primary control is on the burner, and that is just the first thirteen that come off the top of my head. You don't just need a professional, You need a seasoned professional in order to answer these questions. I know this because that burner in my heater works very quietly and starts smoothly.

But I’m a seasoned professional that retired 3 years ago.

Mr.Ed

If I was still working I would come prepared with this information to see if they packaged the correct burner with the boiler. Supply house personnel have made mistakes in the past. You could have the incorrect burner or the burner wiring may be incorrect from the factory.

yellowdog

what does fw webb say? they should be able to send the rep there to sort it out.

SuperTech

I think that's a fantastic boiler, I service several of them and I don't run into any problems. The issue that you are dealing with has nothing to do with the boiler or Beckett burner and everything to do with the way it was installed, commissioned and serviced. 

You need a better technician. Start with going back to the original burner nozzle and oil pump pressure. Where are you located? 

irisasailor

Im in Northern Vt and the problem is that I cant find a seasoned tech here. Long drive from major towns. Most are schooled in setup and that's all. All of the parameters were tested and set supposedly to specs. Even talked to beckett. They said try a Delvon nozzle which helped a little. The strange thing is it only roars for the time the ignition is on. Beckett told me the ignition is firing for twenty seconds then shuts off. Is this true? Pre purge is working as is post purge. Head is L2. Ive pulled the burner after waiting twenty minutes after shutdown and no leaking is noticed. Pressure gauge stays up after shutdown also. During run pressure gauge stays steady. New igniter coil didn't help. Electrodes are in excellent shape. Boiler cleaned not much soot at all. Im sure someone with experience could figure it out but they are just not available here. I have over $500 in set up from local tech and really don't want to buy a new burner unless I'm sure that's the issue. I know the basics here but I'm past my knowledge level.Thanks for everyones help.

EdTheHeaterMan

Who do you get your oil from? That company should have access to a seasoned oil burner professional!
Does the problem happen on every start up or is it intermittent?
Has the FW Webb tech support person experienced the problem?
As mentioned, there is clearly a problem, Now FW Webb needs to know about that problem daily until you are satisfied that problem is solved. Sometimes a certified letter to a company official will get results. Be the squeaky wheel. You will get more attention that way.

I would write a certified letter to Jeff Pope Owner and President, Bob Mucciarone Chief Operating Officer, Art Osborn Director of Residential and Light Commercial HVAC Sales, and Nick Snell Director of Plumbing Sales. The corporate address: F.W. Webb Company, 160 Middlesex Tpke, Bedford, MA 01730. Also send a copy to the installing contractor. When it is in writing, and the paper trail leads to no resolution, then you end up with an attorney with documentation of the manufacturer’s and the installer's inability to perform. Corporate does not want to get attorneys involved so they will make it happen. When the boss says get this fixed, the company WILL get this fixed.

The person that knows how to fix this doesn't know about it yet. These lettres will let him know.

Mr. Ed

STEVEusaPA

EdTheHeaterMan said:

I agree with @STEVEusaPA...

Oh no, there goes my reputation...lol

Kickstand55

I've heard startup noise issues in some cold chambered boilers, (sitting idle) in the past.
Those boilers are Top Notch, but when dealing with cold, oil fired systems don't like it.
I've installed ceramic fiber blanket liners on the base chamber floor. It muffles sound and heats quickly.
Often times I increase pump pressure to 175 psi, reduce the nozzle size to match firing rate at that pressure. this provides finer atomization of oil and easier, quieter light offs.
Also, set primary control to 45 second pre-purge to get air flowing and post-purge to at least 30 seconds, possibly more to expel spent gasses.
Be sure draft is set for overfire per spec., probably slightly positive pressure in this case.
Maybe add an automatic draft damper that closes after firing. This will retain some heat in the boiler.
Perform a combustion test with electronic instruments.
If you have this done, there's a good chance the noise will subside.
Let us know how it goes.