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OIl Safety Valve Operation

BrooklynMike
BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31
in Oil Heating

I have a indoor 275 gallon oil tank with a bottom feed to a Carlin EZ PRO oil burner. There is a general filter and an oil safety valve under the tank. The carlin burner has an in line oil solenoid valve. All works fine ;however if I turn off the power to the burner, when i turn power back on after a few hours the burner goes through several cycles before the burner fires up. Burner keeps cycling until it fires. I do not have to press the reset button. Not sure if this is a problem ? I am thinking that the oil pump has to build up a vacuum to open the OSV and get oil to flow. Oil line is copper tube with flare fittings at each end. With gravity feed setup, losing prime should not be an issue. Any thoughts?

Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,061

    It's possible but unlikely that the osv is the problem unless you have a plugged filter or plugged oil line. I would be looking for another problem. Has it been serviced lately?

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    Thanks. Yes it was serviced in the fall of 2023. A new filter element, pump screen and nozzle were installed. The oil line might be clogged since it lays on the basement floor from the tank to the burner. All this was installed in 2010 . We bought the house in 2022. Any tips on cleaning out the line line with an air compressor without making a mess. I would disconnect the line from the tank and burner and blow it both ways. I do have a push-pull pump if that is better to use.

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,061

    Just disconnect the line on both ends and hook the compressor to one end. Stuff a bunch of rags in a tin can and put it over the other end and let her rip.

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,030

    Interrupting power to the burner has no direct effect on oil flow or the OSV valve. Power is interrupted to the burner every time it makes limit.

    What length of time from turning the power off and on? Hours? Days? Weeks?

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    HVACNUT,

    Thanks. This happens in hours after turning off the power to the burner. I like to turn off the burner when I have fuel delivered for a few hours to let the sediment in the tank settle. Yes, I agree that the power to the burner goes off when it hits the limit. Since it is the summer, I am only using the boiler for domestic hot water from the tankless coil so the burner runs intermittently to maintain temperature. Whenever I hear the boiler start, it fires up normally without cycling. This burner control keeps cycling until the burner fires. I thought there was a lockup after three cycles and then you press the reset button. Planning to blow out the oil line to see if that helps. Again, it's a simple bottom tank feed to the burner with 10' of tube on the basement floor with a filter and OSV at the tank.

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 5,099

    Are there wires going to this valve?

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    PECMSG,

    Thanks

    There are no wires to the OSV. I think it is a Webster valve. There are wires to the oil valve on the SUNTEC oil Pump on the Carlin oil burner. They OSV is in line with the standard General filter unit at the tank bottom.

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 5,099

    is this your OSV

    IMG_6640.jpeg

    that’s a firematic valve.
    shutting off power does nothing to it.

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    PECMSG. Thanks,

    No , that is not the OSV . The Firematic valve is at the oil burner. OSV just has an inlet from the tank and an outlet to the burner. My understanding is that the valve only opens to allow oil to flow when the oil burner pump runs and draws a vacuum. My issue is that it takes several cycles of the burner to get the oil flowing after having turned off the power to the burner. This operation is consistent and the burner then fires consistently. Don't know if this normal or a problem to be fixed Thanks

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,030

    What primary is on the burner? Carlin 60200 or similar? Is there a display? It sounds like it might be going into recycle, so something is up, but not enough to put it into safety. Do you have the OSV tool? It's hard to properly diagnose if you don't have the instruments to tell us what's happening. Is there a vacuum gauge near the burner? Do you know the running pump pressure, and if it's steady or fluctuates? Do you know the ohm reading on the cad cell while running? If you threw a dart, and it landed on "clean the oil line", then you might need more darts. You might not.. but you might.

    If you need to shut off the burner during deliveries, can we assume there's been sludge issues in the past?

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    HVACNUT, Thanks,

    We moved into this house in 2022 and the oil tank was installed in 2010. Don't know of a sludge problem but doubt if they added anything to prevent sludge. Had a similar tank arrangement in my old house and had a big sludge problem so I am being cautious. Don't know if the existing oil line was ever blown out or cleaned. It is the old style bare copper tube with no protective covering.

    The pump pressure was checked in October at 140 psi as spec'd by WM for this burner and the nozzle and spacer plate is correct 1 GPH. @ 140 PSI. Control is a 2010 vintage with no display other red LEDs. PN# 60200-02 with a PRE 10/TR15/POST10 time cycle identified an 2 LEDs.

    As a side note, the boiler was over fired when we moved in. There was a 1.1 GPH nozzle (100 PSI) and the pump was set for 140PSI. Boiler really rumbled a lot. I installed a .85 GPH (100 PSI) with the correct spacer plate and it ran much smother. Stack temp went from 500F to 400F

    This startup problem existed before I changed nozzles. Don't have an OSV tool. What is that. I have a vacuum gauge from an old spin on filter . How would and where would I connect it. Plan to use push pull pump to clean out oil line. Just got 200 Gallons today so the tank is almost full. Also, since we are chatting. I am thinking about installing a new boiler control like the Hydrolevel 3250 that WM uses now and maybe a new Carlin controller with smart display. And the fire chamber needs to be relined because of maybe the over firing. Previous owner was totally uninterested in mechanical systems

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    FYI<

    Carlin uses a set metal plates to control the insertion dimension of the nozzle assembly . The plates are stamped with the GPH of the nozzle . I had to buy a set so I could change the nozzle.

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,030
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1805478#Comment_1805478

    Do you have a combustion analyzer, and smoke tester, and draft gauge?

  • BrooklynMike
    BrooklynMike Member Posts: 31

    No. Never made the investment in that equipment. I am just a home owner who tries to do basic boiler/burner maintenance.

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