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Considering replacing Beckett gun on 35 yr old Weil McClain boiler

ajbeckerhead
ajbeckerhead Member Posts: 10
in Oil Heating

Since many in my area are switching to heat pumps there is a lot of used equipment coming into the marketplace (Ebay,Facebook etc). I have an opportunity to purchase a Becket AF,AFG gun that is about 10 years old. Since my gun is original, I was considering purchasing a newer burner that has a cut pump, and I think the purge cycle? I can do all the mechanical work to swap it out, but I don't have the know-how on whether this is doable. The burners I am seeing are only a few hundred dollars and are relatively (compared to mine) new 8-10 yrs old.

Any advice is appreciated

Thanks in advance

Comments

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,828

    You can if you think it is worthwhile, but I think you will gain very little if you have a Beckett burner now.

    In any case you need an oil tech to set it up and do a combustion test and check safety controls.

  • ajbeckerhead
    ajbeckerhead Member Posts: 10

    HI Ed Thanks for reply. I failed to mention my boiler is 35 years old this past Sept. I was thinking of purchasing to have the parts on hand Primary control motor etc. I have seen one that is about 12 yrs old for sale for $200.

    As far as hiring a tech do the work, that is a joke around here. the only ones I know of are associated with fuel companies. I asked a few independents' and they wont even come my way to do the work!😒

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,264
    edited October 2

    $200.00 for the AFG oil burner on eBay is not such a great deal, considering that junk and scrap metal dealers seem to get hundreds of them for the price of the weight of the burner in mixed metals $$ per pound. Any plumber that installed gas heat will have access to those burners for free. Just hang around a plumbing company's shop at the end of the day and you may find someone unloading an old oil heater with burner that will cost you nothing. But that may be a hit or miss situation.

    What oil burner is currently on your heating system? Beckett made the AF burner over 45 years ago and the parts for the AFG burner fit that same housing from the 1980s. For the price of a Fuel Pump (less than $70 on eBay) or a solenoid valve you can get the positive cut off that any new oil burner has. You can replace your primary control to get the interrupted ignition and pre purge features to work on your existing oil burner.

    The only thing your older oil burner may not have that a new burner can offer is the flame retention design that makes the oil burn more efficiently. If your existing burner is not a flame retention design and is using the older 1725 RPM burner motor, then you may get better efficiency with a newer burner.

    So, knowing what your existing oil burner is will determine if the $200.00 eBay burner is worth the investment.

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    mattmia2
  • ajbeckerhead
    ajbeckerhead Member Posts: 10

    The boiler is a P-468 Weil McClain install 9/1990. I am only considering a newer burner unit for peace of mind. My controls are older but not original. The burner is flame retention unit. I thought having the purge and fuel cut setup might keep the unit a bit cleaner. I understand it won't be any more efficient or fuel saving.

    I wouldnt want to go to a scrap yard for any oil burner parts. If it comes to it I would feel more at ease with new parts.

    Thanks very much for reply!

    EdTheHeaterMan
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,264

    Knowing that you have the P-468 from WM indicates that you have what is equivalent to the WGO oil fired boiler available today from WM. The only big difference is the door to access the combustion chamber is on a hinge. It is still a pin type heat exchanger that is difficult to brush clean when needed. The combustion efficiency may have gone form 82% to 85% over the years as a result of the clean cut pump and some other burner tweaking. So grabbing that burner from eBay may be a nice to have on hand since the seller is verifying that the unit is only 10 years old. You would than have all the regular parts that could fail over the next 10 years or so. You will gain no fuel savings with a new piece of cast iron. So, wait until the old girl starts to leak before considering a complete boiler.

    The electronic primary control and the clean cut pump would be the first two things I would replace if you purchase the eBay burner. That will give you some benefits. If the eBay burner does not come with the electronic Primary control, then the burner is really not worth the price. You can purchase the primary control and the solenoid valve new from SupplyHouse.com for about $200.00, so that is what I would do in your situation.

    Mr. Ed

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    mattmia2
  • ajbeckerhead
    ajbeckerhead Member Posts: 10

    Thanks again Mr Ed. I don't know if you realize it but you helped me with a heat relay setup for my a/c air handler heat pump setup. It is working wonderfully! I changed my thermostat to a different brand. It also works very well. I haven't turned it to HEAT mode yet, but it has been working lovely with the A/C so far. I don't have phantom blower activations like I had with the Braeburn stat.

    Anyway, my sincerest appreciation for all you do and have done! Andrew Becker

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