Where's the capacitor?
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Comments
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Good luck finding one. I'd like to know how you determined the capacitor was bad if you couldn't check it (didn't know where it was to check it).
I can tell you since those motors first came out, I've never replaced a capacitor. Can't even remember replacing a psc burner motor in the last 8 years.
What problem are you having?
There was an error rendering this rich post.
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The burner trips out every 2-3 days. It seems like it takes longer to ignight. I read a weak capacitor could slow down the motor start up and make it trip out. A capacitor is a $10.00 item... doesn't hurt to try it?
I have since read, Beckett made a split phase blower motor that uses resistors to start the motor with out capacitors. The other motors are PSC (permanant split capacitors) which have the capacitor dome visible on the outside of motor. The split phase (non capacitor) motor has lower tourque at start up. Maybe this is the problem.... Anyone one here familliar with the different types of blower motors? Most new motors I see for sale online have the capacitor dome attached.0 -
There could be a lot of things which could cause a burner to trip out, some of which could also cause delayed ignition.
None of which have much to do with the blower motor...
Have you had anyone clean the boiler and check and adjust the burner using test instruments? That's where I'd start.Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
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No way is it the capacitor...save the $10 bucks and get a qualified tech over there to diagnose/fix the problem. If it were the capacitor, the motor wouldn't run. You have a different issue.
Your capacitor can be checked with a meter, so can the burner motor.
A split phase motor can be checked with a meter too-including the start switch.
Delayed ignition can be anything from an air adjustment, to a nozzle that needs to be replaced, dirty end cone, weak ignitor, loose wiring, etc.
What happens after the burner ignites after reset can offer you some additional troubleshooting ideas.There was an error rendering this rich post.
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Had three techs come in tbe span of 2 months last year. They did the regular clean out, change the nozzel, adjust the flame, etc. Still trips after a week or so.
I thought, if I change the capacitor and motor bearings, it would be close to a new motor. I found out not many people change the bearings on these, they just buy a new motor. Maybe after 15 years the bearings are worn and making the motor sluggish.
I am also doing this as future maintenance. Change parts now instead of calling an emergency service person at three in the morning.0 -
Ah the good old days when motor rebuilders (recondition actually) were ubiquitous.Doesn't pay to recondition anymore.
Here's a question I just thought of. Why PSC versus capacitor start only?1 -
You had the wrong techs.
It’s not the motor.
Also changing the motor requires a full combustion test when completed.There was an error rendering this rich post.
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You would have a better chance winning the lottery than fixing your problem with a new capacitor. Has any one of those techs checked the cad cell reading? If it takes longer to ignite, it could be bad electrode spacing, bad transformer, dirty nozzle, bad fuel solenoid, etc. But very highly unlikely is it to be the capacitor.
I would start with the easy stuff.
Rick3 -
3 tech's come out and all do the same thing? Logic would then dictate that at least the last two didn't know what to do since they simply repeated what the first did. The first didn't fix the problem and the last two simply repeated it.ctregan said:Had three techs come in tbe span of 2 months last year. They did the regular clean out, change the nozzel, adjust the flame, etc. Still trips after a week or so.
I thought, if I change the capacitor and motor bearings, it would be close to a new motor. I found out not many people change the bearings on these, they just buy a new motor. Maybe after 15 years the bearings are worn and making the motor sluggish.
I am also doing this as future maintenance. Change parts now instead of calling an emergency service person at three in the morning.
The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results!
"They adjusted the flame". How did they do this? By sight? Was a digital combustion analyzer used? Did they test the pump with gauges? Are there oil leaks any where? Was the pump screen cleaned? Electrodes checked and gap set?
Is there a Beckett "Clean Cut"pump with a solenoid on the burner?
You can attempt to rebuild the motor if you want, but you're probably wasting your time based upon an assumption and not a diagnosis.
I would recommend that you use the contractor locator above to find a competent tech.
Bob Boan
You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
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This. @ctregan , where are you located?Ironman said:I would recommend that you use the contractor locator above to find a competent tech.
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting0 -
@ctregan, on a list of burner ignition failures starting from highest to lowest probability the burner motor would be far down the list.
oil filter, oil strainer, nozzle, electrode settings, plugged oil line and ignition transformer would be the first things to rule out as well as combustion adjustments.
These would all come before motor issues3 -
Against everyone's advise here, I went ahead and got a new motor. I found a good deal for $58 and free shippingng. The old motor had been in there for 15 years so I figured it could be time for a change. The problem was always at start up. The motor sounded sick and you could smell oil in the house when it started. It made me think the fan was having problems? Anyway, I pulled the motor and fan. The fan was covered with dust. Spent a half hour with an old tooth brush and soap getting it clean. I'm sure that made a big difference. The new motor has a large capacitor dome on the side. I think these types of motors have better start up tourque then the resistor split phase type, (but I have no real knowledge, I just like big capacitors on single phase motors)
I put the clean fan on the new motor and fired up the furnace. It sounds quiet and smooth with no more oil smell. I hope this solves the problem. I'm having a tech come in and reset the combustion and do a cleaning. Thanks for the help!0 -
Hi guys, I know this is old here but I had he same issue with my burner. Same burner as well. I had service come out and they did the regular tuneup. Still trips out but runs for a good 1to 3 days. I checked the capacitor and it was bad. 16uf only read 5uf,I replaced it and it’s been running like new. A cheap $10.00 fix did the job. Never hurts to try the cheap fix first, especially if the motor struggles to start up
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it’s not the cap……..again!
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Where did you find the capacitor? Beckett doesn't sell the capacitor separately from the motor. I called them about this recently and their tech support guy acted like I was crazy for asking about it.
I have run into this problem where the burner motor capacitor was the culprit responsible for intermittent issues with the burner not firing. Like in your situation, the 16 MFD capacitor tested far out of normal range, 4-5 MFD. I installed a spare capacitor I salvaged from another burner motor and never had any more problems with the burner.
I check these capacitors on every burner maintenance I do, sometimes 4-5 burners a day and I often find the capacitors testing more than 10% out of range. Most capacitors will state on the label that +-5% is the normal range for testing, these don't show the range on the capacitor.
It would be great to be able to buy these capacitors and save my customers from needing to replace the entire burner motor and prevent problems when I find failing capacitors during maintenance. I found the 16MFD plastic capacitor for sale once online after searching dozens of pages. It would be great if Beckett, Carlin or someone had these available.
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Something like this: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/kemet/C276CC35160AA0J/5177258?
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Amazon has them for $10 to $20 range. Type 16 MFD capacitor in the search bar
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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is it a star or run cap? probably can get them from a motor shop. can definitely get then from someone like mouser or digikey but it has to be a run or start cap(however it is used in that motor) not just some random 16 mfd cap.
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Run cap- that's a PSC motor.
All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting1 -
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In a pinch you could just put any matching (16uf) cap on there.
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