Beckett AF Oil Furnace Help

Cino

My grandmother has a Beckett that is not working. here is what I can tell you

1. It would light and after a few minutes the reset button would pop. She had some repair guy take a look and it was working after they left.
2. A few weeks later it would start but I could hear some combustion popping. then it would smooth out.
3. She called me today and it was not firing at all. I am handy but I am no hvac mechanic so I put a new nozzle on it, set the electrodes with guage to confirm they were set correctly changed the filter, and made sure the strainer was clean. it still wouldn't fire. The pump is working and my uneducated guess is the transformer is the problem.

what would cause the combustion popping I heard? I am assuming that is where the failure started. Could it be a bad transformer?

Tia

Dave Carpentier

When you hear the pump running, is it spraying oil ? Might find the tip wet or the electrodes. Dont keep spraying more and more oil into the chamber though.
Is the control box flashing lights or such before during or after a test ?

EdTheHeaterMan

You may be causing a problem that is dangerous so stop reseting the primary control

1. If the ignition transformer is not making a spark near the nozzle spray, that is the worst case. every time toy reset and the pump operates, oil is entering the combustion chamber. that oil does not go away. when the oil burner gets fixed and the first time it ignites, all that extra oil in the chamber will burn. if it is a lot of oil, you may need the fire department to extinguish the flames coming out of the heater in the furnace/boiler room.
2. If there is no oil entering the chamber, then you will not get a flame. But the longer you run the pump with no oil in it to lubricate the gears, the greater the chance you will damage the pump and it will need to be replaced.

There are several other reasons for you problem that are less problematic, BUT unless you know that it is not 1 or 2 above, you run the risk of expensive repairs.

BEST advise: Call the burner repair man that already fixed it and make him honor the repair you already paid for. If it is the ignition transformer, then agree top pay for the transformer repair, but deduct the payment you already made for the failed repair.

Let the boss handle the fallback of the callback.

Cino

It is getting oil to the nozzle. I don't think it's a fuel problem. I also thought that the amount of oil building in the chamber could be a problem. The controller is a Honeywell R18184G I did not see any lights on it. I also agree that getting the last guy out would be best but the problem is time. My uncle called a few places and they are all weeks out before they can come to diagnose it.

I think the problem is the transformer and may just replace it if it's not she will have a spare.
Can anyone point me to an article that tells me how to correctly make sure the chamber is clean and empty? I assume I can Vacuum pump out any excess fuel.
Is it possible to test the controller?

thanks for all the responses.

MaxMercy

Cino said:

I also thought that the amount of oil building in the chamber could be a problem.

Anytime you push the reset and it fires (even after an ignition delay or if it's rumbling) it means you're clearing out the oil. If you had say two lockouts that did not result in ignition but ended in the 15 second lockout period, you can probably get away with a third successful start (assuming a new trans will fix it) and letting it burn itself out. If it's an older controller with the 45 second lockout, I'd really be wary.

Three resets or more? I would pull the burner and clean it before attempting another start.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@Cino You could stuff some newspaper in the combustion chamber and light it. I would have a fire extinguisher handy. And the fire dept on speed dial.

You may or may not have any liquid in the chamber but don't let that fool you any fire brick or insulation will absorb the oil and there could be a substantial amount in there.

If in doubt don't attempt to light it.

STEVEusaPA

Just get a proper tech from a legitimate oil company. See if any are taking on new customers. The reason why techs are 'a few weeks out' is because you don't use an oil company that has a service department and/or you're a will-call customer shopping around for the cheapest price for oil. And this is the result.
No one in their right my should take on the responsibility of trying to tell you have to account for and fix any possible thing that could be wrong. Let alone watching unvetted YouTube videos.

HVACNUT

Cino said:

It is getting oil to the nozzle. Can anyone point me to an article that tells me how to correctly make sure the chamber is clean and empty? I assume I can Vacuum pump out any excess fuel. 

Please stop. It's getting scarier than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 
Grandma needs an experienced oil tech, period. Nothing pertaining to the burner or combustion chamber is DIY, no matter what some video tells you.
Example; you replaced the nozzle. Did you know that there's a +/- 10% margin of error between what's stamped on the nozzle and what the actual firing rate is?
So a stamped 1.00 GPH nozzle @ 100 psi pump pressure could be 1.10 GPH or. 90 GPH. How does that effect combustion you ask? I don't know, because I'm not there with my analyzer, smoke tester, draft gauge, pump pressure and vacuum gauges, and coffee. 

EdTheHeaterMan

To put this in perspective, I came across a ThermoPride oil furnace. one of the old ones with a 2 piece fire brick chamber. It was saturated to the point where there was oil on the floor around the furnace. I knew enough to NOT try to light it. Gave the business owner the dirty details and replaced the primary control, removed the combustion chamber and set it in a trash can lid in the parking lot, and lit the chamber with a blow torch. Then I went back inside and put a full bag of oil dry inside the chamber compartment to absorb as much wet oil as I could. Every 15 minutes I went outside to check on the combustion chamber and it was a raging fire for over 1 hour. After swooshing the oil dry around the furnace, blower compartment and the burner compartment (Swooshing is a technical term) I was satisfied that the furnace was safe to operate.

But the fire brick chamber was still fully engulfed in flames 2 hours later. Not until 3 hours passed was the porous firebrick void of the saturation of fuel. At the end of 4 hours, I was able to reassemble the chamber inside the furnace and seal up all the doors with high temperature gasket material. I needed to spray the furnace with vinegar and odor gone spray for another hour after the furnace was lit.

So how can you tell how much oil is absorbed in the combustion chamber you have? Well it’s like a sponge. It can have 3 hours worth of fuel soaked in it or it can have 10 minutes worth soaked in it. Or it might have only a short rumble of fuel in it. Only you know how long the oil sprayed in there without burning. All that oil is still in there. Get a Pro to be safe.

Cino

I agree with everyones comments. The fact that it is Fire brick which of course I had no idea it was FB because I'm not a furnace tech increases my concern. thinking it would just be a puddle is silly, to say the least.
It is a bummer that getting a furnace serviced has to take 2 to 3 weeks or even a month. I called the place she had a service contract with for 10 years but had to cancel in the summer because of financial reasons and there was no love they were 6 weeks out. I guess the HVAC industry needs a lot more service technicians.
anyway thanks for the info and advice

yellowdog

@STEVEusaPA what you referenced above is what i call the high price of low cost fuel.

Dave Carpentier

An oil pressure test kit (not too expensive) would show you if the pump is allowing a proper pressure to the nozzle. The line to the nozzle is disconnected with that test, so you wouldnt be adding more fuel but it would show that the pump is okay. My kit was just a gauge, hose, and various adapters for the port connection.
It's possible to remove the transformer and bench test it. Keep in mind that, not only do you have to be wary of the 120v connections on the supply side, you also have 20,000v or so on the ignition pads/springs. Some people use an insulated screwdriver to draw an arc. Definitely danger involved.

EdTheHeaterMan

Being from a family oil heat business I know this, Most oil company delivery dealers are interested in keeping you happy. If you are not happy with them you have a choice to select another oil dealer. So they have a vested interested in keeping your oil burner operating. If it is not operating, then it is not burning fuel. If you don't burn fuel, then they can't sell you more fuel. So they want you to be happy and warm. Contact your oil supplier for the best chance at getting the oil burner up and running soon. A no heat call will get them out there faster than a "I need Maintenance" request. The "I Need Maintenance" request assumes that you have an operating oil burner. If they misunderstood your situation, "YOU HAVE NO HEAT" you may want to tell them that you have no heat. And saying that you just want maintenance will not get you a lower cost to fix the problem. Your problem is the same weather you say Maintenance or No heat. So it is going to cost the same to fix it.

Once the technician is at your home, that is when you ask for the maintenance. If he has time, then you will get the needed maintenance. If they are swamped with other no heat calls, then you will need to wait.

If your oil dealer is not interested in getting you an emergency service call to get the heat running, then it is time to select a different oil dealer.

EDIT:
PS. You may not have a fire brick chamber. It may be ceramic fiber, which is even more absorbent than FB. And if you try to remove it wet, it will not be able to go back in. You will need a replacement. An experienced Tech will know if it is safe to burn it off or if it is not.