oil boiler seems clogged, no flow
1000 gallon oil tank (tank has plenty of oil), burnham boiler, beckett pump. After putting in new filter, tightening down but leaving the bleeder screw open, I opened the valve, waited a while and there was no oil coming out the bleeder. Removed the filter again and it was dry. I removed the line up to the valve, opened the valved and no flow. I snaked a piece of wire about 1 foot through the valve into the line and it was clear but not getting and oil from gravity. I shot compressed air through the open valve hoping to dislodge something but still no oil.
I put everything back together, opened the bleeder on the pump and turned on the boiler. Whatever was left in the pump came out but then nothing but air until it locked out.
Need some help here
Comments
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Where is the tank (elevation) relative to the filter on the pump?
How much oil is in the tank.
Is the tank a top feed (as I suspect)
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I use a push/pull hand pump in these situations. But if your tank is that badly contaminated it will probably become plugged up again. With a sludge problem this severe I would be concerned about the integrity of the oil tank.
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It's not a sludge problem.
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Tank is buried outside and gravity fed. I sticked the tank and have about 230 gallons in there. I have gone as low as 180 gallons in the past before filling. I pulled out a thick piece of sediment in the line right at the filter while changing the filter. I just snaked a piece of wire about 6 feet into the line and cant go any further. There are no fittings on the line near the wall either to open the line. I fear using compressed air may be trapping any contaminants tighter but not sure
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For the tank to be gravity fed under all conditions (including when you open it up at the filter), the tank must be bottom fed and the bottom of the tank must be ABOVE the burner.
With a top fed tank, the moment you opened both the valve and bleeder screw at the same time, air will be drawn into the system when all the oil in the vertical tube (within the tank) falls back to the level of fuel in the tank..
If this is the situation, you simply must bleed the pump for a few minutes. You do that by starting the burner and quickly put a jumper wire across the the terminals for the cad cell on the 7184. The burner will continue to run until you shut it down yourself. You open the bleeder screw on the pump and run some clear plastic tubing into a one gallon container. Watch the tubing and look for the air. If you still get nothing, after a minute or so…………..you DO have bigger issues, but I seriously doubt it.
Did you change the filter because the burner shut down or just preventative maintenance?
What did the filter look like? Black……….yes, I know. But did it have particulates in it that you can feel?
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I changed the filter because its been 8 months since last change and I have been hearing slight backfiring or a hiccup here and there. I figured the system was dirty or getting starved for fuel. These same symptoms started early last summer and I did cleaning/maintance on the boiler myself. Troublefree and smooth operation since last June. The filter I just removed did not have any hard deposits, just sludge. I did find a pea sized piece of hard sediment inside the filter inlet tube. It broke apart in my fingers when pressed.
Is this what you are referring to in regards to an extended prime cycle? I recall having to do this last June
"Pump Priming Cycle
To facilitate purging air from the oil lines and filters, the
R7184 can be placed in a purge routine by pressing and
releasing the reset button during the safety check,
delayed valve-on, ignition or carry-over periods. The
lockout timing will be extended to four minutes and the
ignition set in the intermittent mode for this cycle only.
The R7184 automatically reverts to its labeled interrupted
and safety switch timing states (as applicable). The pump
priming cycle can only be entered if there have been no
lockout occurrences since the last successful heat call.
To reset the device so that the pump priming cycle can
be entered, press and hold the reset button until the light
emitting diode (LED) flashes (approximately 30
seconds)."
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where are the analysis numbers?
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I just ran the 4 min priming cycle and nothing. Opened the filter afterwards and its still dry.
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I don't think I'm clear on whether this is a top feed tank or a bottom feed tank. If it's bottom feed, clearly oil should flow when the valve between the tank and the filter is opened. If it doesn't, then something is blocking the flow. I know that sounds obvious, but… It could be that the valve does not, in fact, open. It could be that sludge has managed to block the fuel line or, if there is an intake screen, that screen. It could be that there is less fuel in there than you think.
Can you blow air from the filter back into the tank? Won't take much pressure. Maybe 10 psig. If you can't, find the block. If you can easily, add oil to the tank and see what happens.
Don't fiddle with priming. If the filter is staying dry, once you've tried the air check and it passes, now take suction on the line — though it it's gravity, that shouldn't be needed.
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England0 -
Two questions:
- Did you connect a hose to the bleeder on the pump, crack the bleeder, and run it into a 1 gallon container while you did that extended 4 minute prime cycle?
2. Is the blue valve fully opened (counterclockwise) From this angle it doesn't appear so.
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I think that is a non-rising stem gate valve.
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Probably right…………..let him check it anyway.
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If you're trying to bleed the system by running the burner with a plugged strainer in the pump - you're wasting your time. Pull the pump off the burner and clean/replace the screen.
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It looks like you have Teflon tape hanging off the flare connection on the oil line at the pump? If that's the way the oil line connections have been made I would be concerned about a suction line air leak. Most of the underground tanks I have encountered are not gravity fed to the burner and require a leak free tight suction line.
Again, a push/pull hand pump could easily be used to figure out what is going on. As well as an oil pump pressure and vacuum gauge manifold.
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You have a two pipe system so I seriously don't think you tank is bottom feed. I think it is top feed.
Bottom feed tanks are illegal now and the only ones I ever saw were installed in the 20s & 30s. Unless someone installed them illegally.
You could have a check valve at the tank not allowing the air to be pushed through.
Can you here the air going in? If you can it should make the vent alarm whistle.
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I have the line completely open after the valve. Ive tried lots of compressed air but nothing is flowing out back out the line. There are two lines that exit through the wall to the tank. The line with the fitting on the wall goes to pump and its still connected at the fitting and the pump. The open line on the floor before the filter is what I am working on.
Even if the pump strainer was clogged, wouldnt oil be flowing from the line before the filter if unscrewed and open?
- Did you connect a hose to the bleeder on the pump, crack the bleeder, and run it into a 1 gallon container while you did that extended 4 minute prime cycle? Yes, and no oil came out. Maybe 3 drips from what was left in the pump
2. Is the blue valve fully opened (counterclockwise) From this angle it doesn't appear so. Yes
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The wife was outside near the fill pipe while I shot air in the line. She didnt hear anything, no whistling, no gurgling
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Yea there is teflon on most of the connections. Moved into this house about 7 years ago and never had a need to crack open the lines
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until now!
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Does the compressed air flow in to the line? Could be broken outside somewhere.
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Im in the process of putting together some fittings so I can pressurize the line instead of just shooting compressed air into the line
Strainer is clean
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the little rubber cone should be sufficient to seal it to see if the line is pressurized when you close the blowgun and remove it from the tube or if it is flowing out somewhere.
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Do you guys think this might work if I cut off the head so it's only 1/4"?
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I pushed that little rubber cone into the 3/8 pipe really snug and hit it with 150 psi and nothing
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Air did not come back out of the tube when you took the cone out or bubble out in to the tank?
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Don’t snake the line. Get a push/pull pump. You can feel if it’s clogged.
You really need pressure and vacuum gauges to check the fuel unit and associated piping. Absent of proper tools…It’s 2 pipe. Forget trying to bleed it with the bleeder.
You can hook up a small can of heating oil, a quart or two, right to the pump and see if it works.
You can also fill the filter bowl with clean oil. Sometimes this helps priming.If neither of those work, you should bring in a tech with the proper tools and skills. Especially if you changed the nozzle, to get a full combustion test.
It could also be as simple as a vacuum leak in the pump strainer or filter bowl.
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run a new line higher off the bottom.
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She's up and running. I rigged up these fittings and slowly increased to a steady 80 psi and then I started hearing hissing which I'm guessing wqs coming from the pipe right outside. But at the same time I also filled up the filter canister with oil so that could have been the problem as well
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Good job.
Well done!
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The next time you change the fuel filter do not use the bleeder to try and purge the oil lines. Do this, change the oil filter and rubber gasket. fill the canister with oil, if you don't have fuel oil you can use a cheap motor oil. turn on the burner and with a 2 pipe fuel system, it will self purge, but leave the bleeder closed. Motor oil works great since it thicker than fuel oil. I know that this works since I purged many fuel systems using motor oil.
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I would ask your fuel supplier who can come and filter your oil and at the same time break up the sludge in the tank and filter it out as well using the cleaned and filtered fuel to break up the sludge in the tank to filter it out.
Whoever does it will come with a 2 wheel filter cart that has an electric pump, 2 long hoses and 2 very large filters that will filter out the sludge and water from the oil in the tank and they will charge you on a per gallon basis to do it.
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From the look of the filter and the fact that you mentioned hesitation while firing (the reason you changed the filter) you have some water in that tank. You need to make sure you get rid it that. Time to think about replacing that tank. With a two pipe fuel system to an underground tank, I assume it's under ground, if that return line breaks your in for a giant issue.
Miss Hall's School service mechanic, greenhouse manager, teacher, dog walker and designated driver
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Agree with @retiredguy burner pumps love motor oil
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