oil leaking inside burner housing

Bill_47

I have oil inside my burner housing that is dripping onto the blower fan and getting flicked everywhere inside the burner. The transformer foam and CAD cell is saturated with oil. I've had this problem a few times in the past at servicing time and have taken the burner apart and cleaned it up and it was clean for a year or so each time. The last time the technician was here he replaced the transformer and I haven't seen the problem in about a year, but today I noticed that the new transformer has oil on it (you can see the oil at the hinge and saturating the foam under the transformer) and that there is oil inside the burner. The burner is a 10 to 12 year old Beckett AFG-F3. When it does leak it happens quickly - the transformer foam, Cad cell, etc. will go from clean to saturated with oil in a few seconds - it's not a slow leak, from what I've seen over last two or three years. I suspect that there may be a pinhole leak in the nozzle line inside the burner and that every now and then the pressure must get high enough that it leaks out. Could it possibly be leaking from where the connector tube assembly attaches to the nozzle line? Does anyone know what's causing the leak? What's best to clean off the oil with, especially that's safe for the Cad cell and transformer foam?

This leads me to another related question (should I normally put this in another thread?). When the technician changed the transformer it went from a Becket 10kV transformer to a Carlin 14kV transformer which has worked fine, but now when the burner is on we can not listen to AM radio (which we do most of the day when we're home) due to the interference. I don't remember any noticeable interference before. I'm not sure if the interference is coming through the air waves or through the AC line or both. Is there a way to filter out the interference? Do other people have this problem?

Thanks for the help. This site is wonderful, even the book list. Bill

Weezbo

sounds like the supply line to the gun is not tight,

eleft_4

Beckett oil leak

1st. The solid state igniter should be set up for interrupted ignition.
2nd. the burner control must be changed to do this (the Igniter should run for 15 seconds and then the power to it switched off, the flame should be retained by the retension head as designed)
3rd. The tech should replace the nozzle line assembly

An open questions to all oil burner techs:

Why are you still using intermittent ignition controls on residential flame retention head burners ?
This can allow a poorly set up burner to not cut off on safety.

How can you control the CO on start up or shut down with out an oil valve?

Why not upgrade the burner to a Pre/Post purge burner control, solid state igniter, an oil valve or clean cut pump and a PSC motor?

Why not pull the burner and set all the dimensions to oem specs?

al

lchmb

agree but

Elect I agree with you that changing this unit over will solve his problems. And that he probably need's a new nozzle line. I would however also check the nozzle and drawer assembly to make sure there are no problems' there. As to switching every burner over to interupted ignition with pre and post purge, most of my customer's would refuse. They wouldn't spend the money if it's not broken. I agree it would make it better but I have just recently seen a burner with everything you suggest run two day's with no squirrel cage in it (had broken apart and driven itself down the blast tube). It was saturated with oil and plugged solid.

ed wallace

oil leak

also might be a bad nozzle as for the 14,000 volt transformer it needs a ground wire and should be set up as interuppted ignition with post and pre purge control

eleft_4

agree but ??

How could there be a flame detected without a flame (no air)

Apples and Oranges... NO?

As for the customer, if you show there will be a benefit from the upgrade they just might say yes...ASSUME NOTHING!

al

Firedragon_4

The ignitor (se.transformer) must

have a good ground and that means the burner too! It must be checked thoroughly. I'm currently doing some experiments with a megohmmeter and the results are amazing to say the least.

Possibilities for oil in housing: 1. Burner is pitched wrong, should be slightly down towards appliance. 2. Loose fitting inside burner or messed up nozzle adapter, see below. 3.Loose fitting at pump or loose or cracked high pressure fitting at burner (high pressure vapor leak). 4. Low pressure leak on pump or fittings, also check gasket. 5. Pump seal, pump seal test must be done.

How to fix a messed up adapter:
http://www.firedragonent.com/Nozzle Tool.htm

Weezbo

yup. *~/:)

You Got iT ! *~/:)fricked up nozzel adaptors pitch and the pump seal by the number:) the drive is going to go by e bye next if it doesnt melt the rans former potting first or worse.