riello pump issue

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second new pump in 12 months on riello oil burner is binding. I can free it and then it turns easily by hand, but obviously it is going to bind again after I put it back on. Any idea what would lead to this? Some kind of misalignment perhaps? Riello have a good reputation so I am not disposed to believe the pumps are just a badly made component.
 
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Update: freed it up, put it back on and all now working. I did have a quick look inside and there didn't appear to be any corrosion. The pump strainer wasn't clogged up, which I would have expected it to be if some contaminant had got in. So I'm at a loss why it would jam up, but no so badly it can't be fairly easily freed up.
 
Change the drive dog and only tighten the holding screws sufficiently to stop the pump rotating, especially if only two screws are holding it in.
 
Change the drive dog and only tighten the holding screws sufficiently to stop the pump rotating, especially if only two screws are holding it in.

That sound you can't hear is the sound of a penny dropping. to be clear, you mean the screws that hold the pump itself in place after it has been coupled to the motor? There are three of them, and I do believe it is possible I have overtightened them. Thank you.
 
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Took the pump apart and cleaned in between the cogs with a pin and flushed. Got faint traces of debris on head of pin. Reassembled, now working again. Oil from tank is clean as a whistle too. See how long it lasts this time. I'd put in a tiger loop with a filter but there isn't enough room in the boiler housing.
 
Just for interest, in case it is useful to anyone else, another inspection after a lockout leads me to believe it is not grit or any other contaminant causing the pump to lock. I think it probably has to something to do with the crescent shaped component in the gear housing. I think that is moving out of alignment. Given the tolerances it only needs to be fractional movement to lock the gear cogs. I believe the gear cogs themselves to be centralised before hooking it up, since the pump shaft moves freely enough when all the nuts are tightened. Then again it is conceivable that I am missing something.
I did read on the net that Riello have had problems in the past with 'tight' pumps, and it could be that I am unlucky enough to have picked up a couple from a tight batch. No way of knowing, of course.
Anyhow, if your burner keeps locking out and you can't figure it out, here is an explanation you might not have considered.
 
The place for a Tiger loop is outside. There are internal ones but they either require vent kits to outside, or they are all metal and you can't see what's going on.
Can't recall any tight Riello pump reports of any significance. If you have had contamination previously then this can have lasting effects. As you have said, the internal components are fitted to a tight tolerance and are not really designed to be dismantled and reassembled on site.
 
The place for a Tiger loop is outside. There are internal ones but they either require vent kits to outside, or they are all metal and you can't see what's going on.
Can't recall any tight Riello pump reports of any significance. If you have had contamination previously then this can have lasting effects. As you have said, the internal components are fitted to a tight tolerance and are not really designed to be dismantled and reassembled on site.


Thanks for that. I've got the old pump to take to bits (it displayed exactly the same symptoms) to see if I can work out what is going on. It would surprise me if contamination were the problem, since oil samples I have drawn off are clear. If I hadn't already done so fairly recently I would order a new pump, but until I get to the bottom of the issue all I am likely to be doing is repeating the breakdown with a brand new pump. Thanks for taking the trouble to reply.
 

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