Energy Kinetics System 2000 hard lock out
I have a Energy Kinetics System 2000 with a Honeywell R7284U controller with a Becket 51171U Power Light igniter. The system ran fine for the first 2 yrs after we purchased the house. Last fall we came back from a trip and the controller was in Hard Lockout. Long story short, we had a repair technician come in and do all the maintenance on the system. Oil filter change, cleaned the nozzle, new igniter, new solenoid valve, everything. Left the controller the same. It ran for the winter then this spring it started doing the hard lockout again. I replaced the Honeywell controller with a new R7284U and it is still going into hard lockout, so I put the old controller back on.
First off the heat is off so we are only calling for heat for the water heater which is roughly once every 24hrs.
Energy Kinetics System 2000 Energy Manager Controls the call for heat
Honeywell R7284U is the controller
Becket 51171U Power Light igniter
For troubleshooting, here is what I am seeing. Sometimes the burner motor starts during the Valve On Delay,...sometimes it does not. It does start when it gets flame. I cannot tell from the HW manual for the controller if it should start every time during the valve on delay or not and therefore I don't know if this is part of the problem. I have read that the valve on delay is a purge step which would seem to me that it should run during the valve on delay.
It usually fails to ignite on the first try but will almost always ignite on the second try after the hard lock out.
I thought the controller was the issue but after changing it out i am getting the same symptoms, so I put the old on back on.
Having replaced everything but the burner motor, not sure what the problem is.
Comments
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@cjjeeper A burner lock out like you are having almost always can be rectified by a yearly tune up by a qualified service technician. Nozzle filter strainer is only the half of it. After these parts are replaced, the boiler should be cleaned and tuned up with a combustion analyzer. If your service provider needs any helpful tips have him give us a call and we can help him out.
One last thing, are you sure you have oil?
Robert W.
Energy Kinetics
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Of course it’s ridiculous that anyone changed parts without a proper diagnosis. The burner motor should always start first when receiving a call to run the burner.
Your lockout is probably from an incorrect burner setup, bad ignitor, and/or simply a bad prime that may be from a small vacuum leak.
It can also be a bad fuel pump.
Basically it can be any number of things but it wont get fixed by guessing, parts swapping or an inexperienced tech.
You need a qualified tech who knows how to properly check each component, with the proper tools and techniques, to arrive at a proper diagnosis.1 -
I had all the maintenance done last fall. The boiler combustion chamber was cleaned professionally, the exhaust fan cleaned, the filter replaced, the nozzle replaced, the valve replaced the igniter replaced, I'm probably forgetting things but it was all done.
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do you have a copy of the combustion analysis?
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"The burner motor should always start first when receiving a call to run the burner."
Why would it not start? Is there a diagnostic code for that? I mean sometimes the burner motor will wait and not start until the unit lights. It doesn't fault out for that.
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100% sure i have oil yes. like 300 gallons
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It is getting harder and harder to find a "qualified" oil tech. The "old" guy who cleaned out the burner chamber said they all retired. I live in Alaska so there's only so much talent here…
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Let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Unless you are talking about an inducer motor or power venter motor.
The burner motor must start first, or nothing happens. The motor is connected via a coupling to the fuel pump. If the motor doesn’t turn, the pump doesn’t turn, and it would be impossible to light. No diagnostic code for that, just the gift of sight.
As you are not the original owner, I would try to contact the original installer. If you can’t find that person, I would contact EK. If the boiler was registered, they can tell you the original installer. If not, they seem to have a pretty big presence in Alaska and should be able to put you in touch with a preferred technician.
The set up is just a little different from all other burner/boiler combos, and without knowing that small difference could be the problem.
What part of Alaska? They’re might be a Wallie nearby.
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You mentioned you think "you have 300 gallons of oil" Is this and outside underground tank? Or multiple indoor tanks" Is the burner hooked up 1 pipe or two pipe to the oil tank?
If the burner is not starting for the purge something else is wrong.
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What's the Energy Manager saying?
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"It is getting harder and harder to find a "qualified" oil tech. The "old" guy who cleaned out the burner chamber said they all retired. I live in Alaska so there's only so much talent here…"
Umm, I hope that wasn't me. I do however still do phone repairs for a few of my customers. 😀
I'm still a little confused as to what is happening. You say the burner motor will wait until it lights, which makes no sense. It can't light without the burner motor running. So, does the burner motor run, but then doesn't fire the burner, and then goes in to lockout, or does it run for a bit then shutoff on its own without a lockout? If it is the second case, sometimes it is just a bad timing thing, as the zone is just shutting down just after the burner starts to fire. Also, you never mentioned checking or changing the cad cell, which is what signals the burner to lockout if there is a problem.
If it runs but doesn't light, then the the best thing to do is have a pressure gauge to make sure the nozzle is getting fuel pressure. That test would tell you where to go next.
My wag is going to be fuel pump coupling slipping, or cad cell.
Rick
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I finally fixed it. See the schematic drawing.
There is a pressure switch that is a prover to start the burner motor. It has two silicon hoses, one of which goes to the exhaust fan output. There is a hose barb fitting threaded into the exhaust and that hose barb was completely plugged up. It looks like the installer put pipe thread sealant on it and got more in it than on the threads. I believe over time it collected particulate and closed up almost completely. I cleaned it out and it all works now. Thanks to Robert Wickersheim for his help.
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Good find !!!
(" Sometimes the burner motor starts during the Valve On Delay,...sometimes it does not. "). I would imagine that restriction made the fan proving just at the point of being intermittent.
Maybe that should be on the list of maintenance items to inspect.
Sad the " repair technician " could not find it.
How did you find it, Multi-meter, logic, visual inspection, all of the above, none of the above, other ?
National - U.S. Gas Boiler 45+ Years Old
Steam 300 SQ. FT. - EDR 347
One Pipe System1
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