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Switching out oil to gas burner

ajs13
ajs13 Member Posts: 5
Hey,

New to the forum.

I have an MPO-IQ189-TL oil-fired boiler. I'm switching to gas and purchased the EZGasPro as a replacement to the current Beckett oil burner.

Long story short: My plumber couldn't get it to work and he does quite a bit of oil-to-gas conversion in the Hudson/Bergen County, NJ area. He cleaned it out, hooked it up, ran the tests, but it isn't working.

He told me the unit was defective, that's the only explanation. I purchased this thing months ago from Supply House so I don't even know if they'll do an exchange.

I have no heat since I ran out of oil. My tank said I had a 1/8th of a tank left but it wasn't accurate. The thing is empty. I waited because my contractor said it would be easier to have it removed from the basement if it is empty. Also, the oil company simply refused to come and remove the remaining oil.

I'm seriously pissed off at all parties involved. I was assured by my plumber this was easy and it has turned into a fiasco. Could this gas burner really have a defective module? I have tenants on the second floor and they understand the situation. I went out and purchased four space heaters for them just in case.

Any advice would be helpful.

Comments

  • Robert O'Brien
    Robert O'Brien Member Posts: 3,540
    Burnham specifically disallows gas conversion burners (paragraph 4) Every local AHJ follows I&O manual and does not permit conversion of any US Boiler brand.
    To learn more about this professional, click here to visit their ad in Find A Contractor.
  • Is this a hot water or steam boiler?
    What specifically are the problems with the burner, apart from the instructions from U S Boiler? Do you have adequate gas service into the building?
    Maybe you should go back to oil for this winter, and wait until summer to resolve this, (new gas boiler).—NBC
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,804
    Aside from the US Boiler disclaimer, it might be time to trade in your plumber for a heating pro.
    Can the Beckett be put back for now? Get 100 gallons and think about how you want to proceed.
    Is the Beckett the NX or AFG?
    Good stuff. I dont know why you want to switch. It will probably even go down some in combustion efficiency.

    As far as the gas conversion, the problem could be any number of things and you'll get responses to try this and check that, but you need a competent tech to address your issues live and in person.

    In the process of the conversion, did the plumber,
    Install a chimney liner?

    Repipe the flue for gas and wire in a spill switch?

    Clean the HX and chamber spotless?

    Not to mention gas codes.

    I'm assuming no permit was pulled.
    GBart
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    If the plumber was allowed to buy the burner then both him and the supply house he bought it from would have to back up the sale. You chose to by it yourself now you will have to deal with it. Your only paying the plumber for his time and a few parts so he is not going to be very interested in your problem. Most will not install customer purchased parts
    ajs13SuperTechJUGHNE
  • ajs13
    ajs13 Member Posts: 5

    Is this a hot water or steam boiler?
    What specifically are the problems with the burner, apart from the instructions from U S Boiler? Do you have adequate gas service into the building?
    Maybe you should go back to oil for this winter, and wait until summer to resolve this, (new gas boiler).—NBC

    This is a hot water boiler. We got permits from the town and ran an additional gas line from the town.
  • ajs13
    ajs13 Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2018
    HVACNUT said:

    Aside from the US Boiler disclaimer, it might be time to trade in your plumber for a heating pro.

    Can the Beckett be put back for now? Get 100 gallons and think about how you want to proceed.

    Is the Beckett the NX or AFG?

    Good stuff. I dont know why you want to switch. It will probably even go down some in combustion efficiency.



    As far as the gas conversion, the problem could be any number of things and you'll get responses to try this and check that, but you need a competent tech to address your issues live and in person.



    In the process of the conversion, did the plumber,

    Install a chimney liner?



    Repipe the flue for gas and wire in a spill switch?



    Clean the HX and chamber spotless?



    Not to mention gas codes.



    I'm assuming no permit was pulled.

    Permits were pulled.

    The oil company wants me to purchase a new oil tank from them. My current tank has been patched in the past, and although not leaking, they said they would no longer deliver my oil unless I installed a new tank.

    The chamber was the first thing he did. The spill switch seems to be the issue. It turns on then turns off after 20 seconds, although he didn't swap out the new

    I put in a new chimney liner two years ago and actually had the chimney rebuilt when I renovated. Also, my current boiler was purchased in 2012 by the previous owner and the flue is brand new.

    I have the boiler cleaned every year too.
  • bob eck
    bob eck Member Posts: 930
    Converting and Burnham boiler built by US Boiler switching and oil boiler that has only been tested and certified as an oil boiler to burning natural gas or LP gas voids any warranty left on the boiler.
    If you need an new oil tank then get an new oil tank or install an new cast iron gas boiler.
    Or you can take the chance to convert the oil boiler to burning gas.
    What ever you paid for the conversion gas burner and the installation you could have put that money towards an new cast iron boiler installation.
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506
    Your plumber did something wrong, and should put a properly working Beckett burner back in there, & refund your money.
    He's the expert and should've known what he was doing was wrong.
    On allowable conversions, Beckett, Carlin, & Riello test their gas burners into different units and publish the specs. Had anyone did some initial investigating, this whole problem could've been averted.

    Find a different oil company. Unless it's a real logistically problem meaning the site conditions are a huge factor, that's a lot of money for an oil tank (and you should remove pricing from your post).

    If it's a duplex, 2 small, properly sized gas boilers vented thru the wall would be the way to go (if the units piping are already zoned).

    Save your gas line for when the boiler bites the dust, then you can separately meter each boiler and let the tenants pay their own heat.
    steve
    ajs13
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    What is your location?
    kcopp
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 15,455
    @SteveusaPA,
    I believe the owner purchase the burner online then hired his plumber to install it.
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,506

    @SteveusaPA,
    I believe the owner purchase the burner online then hired his plumber to install it.

    I agree. It's still the plumbers responsibility to be the expert.
    What if the house burned down, or the occupants died from CO poisoning (extreme examples, I know)?
    Would the plumber be off the hook because the HO purchased the burner?

    steve
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    When you say the EZ-Gas "didn't work", what exactly went wrong?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • Joseph_4
    Joseph_4 Member Posts: 271
    Has he gotten the ez gas to fire.. Has he installed the ez gas before. A little tweaking with the air band makes a huge difference.. The spill switch on the double swing barometric is tripping it off?
    ajs13
  • Joseph_4
    Joseph_4 Member Posts: 271
    supplyhouse is great with returns within a year.. but if the spill switch is tripping would be a blocked chimney. Carlin has excellent tech support- they will stay on the phone with you to get it to work. As long as you have someone willing to solve the problem
    ajs13
  • ajs13
    ajs13 Member Posts: 5
    Joseph_4 said:

    Has he gotten the ez gas to fire.. Has he installed the ez gas before. A little tweaking with the air band makes a huge difference.. The spill switch on the double swing barometric is tripping it off?

    It turns out it was an issue with the air band. It has been calibrated properly. Wow, what a difference that made.
    JohnNY
  • ajs13
    ajs13 Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2018

    Your plumber did something wrong, and should put a properly working Beckett burner back in there, & refund your money.
    He's the expert and should've known what he was doing was wrong.
    On allowable conversions, Beckett, Carlin, & Riello test their gas burners into different units and publish the specs. Had anyone did some initial investigating, this whole problem could've been averted.

    Find a different oil company. Unless it's a real logistically problem meaning the site conditions are a huge factor, that's a lot of money for an oil tank (and you should remove pricing from your post).

    If it's a duplex, 2 small, properly sized gas boilers vented thru the wall would be the way to go (if the units piping are already zoned).

    Save your gas line for when the boiler bites the dust, then you can separately meter each boiler and let the tenants pay their own heat.

    I acutally hired a master plumber who does

    Your plumber did something wrong, and should put a properly working Beckett burner back in there, & refund your money.
    He's the expert and should've known what he was doing was wrong.
    On allowable conversions, Beckett, Carlin, & Riello test their gas burners into different units and publish the specs. Had anyone did some initial investigating, this whole problem could've been averted.

    Find a different oil company. Unless it's a real logistically problem meaning the site conditions are a huge factor, that's a lot of money for an oil tank (and you should remove pricing from your post).

    If it's a duplex, 2 small, properly sized gas boilers vented thru the wall would be the way to go (if the units piping are already zoned).

    Save your gas line for when the boiler bites the dust, then you can separately meter each boiler and let the tenants pay their own heat.

    I hired someone else my cousin recommended. He's a master plumber and does heating. The guy I originally hired that did the conversion said my furnace was the reason it was making these loud sounds (the flue was vibrating). The new plumber suspected it was the air band and checked the Carlin specs. He fixed it within 10 minutes of being here.

    Question: the old plumber sent me a RIDICULOUS invoice for the install and he's been calling me incessantly since he found out I went with someone else (I told him so). Should I pay this guy? I want to only pay him the same amount as the second plumber charged me for an emergency service call. The audacity of this guy is unreal.
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,226
    Whether or not you should pay the first plumber is between you and him. But I'll tell you this. Do enough work in this business and eventually you'll come across something that doesn't go well. It's happened to me a handful of times in the past 25+ years and I've been paid for none of them.
    There are some things a service company has to add to their training budget, other times it gets added to the advertising budget, but when the service provided is so completely ineffective that the company walks away defeated, the company has to understand the predicament it puts the client in.
    JMHO.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,796
    Did anyone do a combustion test on this burner, and print the results?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
    GBart
  • GBart
    GBart Member Posts: 746
    Steamhead said:

    Did anyone do a combustion test on this burner, and print the results?

    apparently not, but he does a lot of gas conversions????

    honestly you need to get a hold of the building inspector and find out of this was OK'd, you don't just switch to gas, there are many factors that have to be considered and test that must be run and there's this thing called the installation manual