Help !!! How Do I Bleed A Firebird Olympic Boiler?

[SarahHill]

Help!!!

My Tank Ran Out Of Oil, I've Had A Delivery Of Oil But Now The Boiler Will Not Fire Up. The Orange Light Is On But The Green Light Stays Off.

The Boiler Looks Very Old, The model is B/C/F OYLMPIC 50 /65. It Looks Like The White One In The Picture In The Link Below.

Any Help Will Be Really Appreciated,

Thanks
Sarah
http://www.firebirduk.co.uk/showimage.php?imagefile=/uploadimages/standard1.jpg&size=500

 

[Agile]

The delivery driver can usually do that on his visit ( and likes a nice tip too ).

There is usually a point on the burner assembly often operated by a hex key to bleed it.

Repeatedly trying to restart every 5-10 minutes might eventually get it going but could also soak it with unburnt oil too so even that is not necessarily going to work.

Do you have a good set of tools including hex keys etc?

Maybe someone on here can give you specific advice for your model but the first place to look would be the service manual which you should have!

You may end up having to call someone!

Tony

 

[oilman]

I assume it is a single pipe system.
Turn off the oil at the boiler.
Remove the plastic cover from the burner.
There is a brass hex tube that sticks out from the oil pump.
Remove the 4mm head allen screw from the brass bit.
Arrange something to catch the oil.
Turn on the oil.
Wait for a minute or two until no bubbles come out of the tube.
Turn off the oil.
Replace the screw.
Turn on the oil.
Attempt a restart.


Mods, I have written similar to this so many times, why isn't in the stickies?

 

[SarahHill]

Hi Oilman,

Thanks for your reply, I've tried bleeding by using the screw with an allen key.

There were no bubbles/hissing or oil that came from from it. I've restarted/reseted it twice but with no luck.

Not sure what else to try?

Can you help?

Sarah

 

[Agile]

If you let your tank run dry and fresh oil was pumped into it then it may well have stired up all the black sludge in the bottom of the tank and that may have blocked up the outlet or feed pipe.

See what oilman says you should do about it. I would be inclined to apply air pressure back up the oil pipe from the boiler end but maybe he has an easier solution.

If you climb into the tank to clean out the old sludge then make sure you wear an old dress as its quite thick, black and messy !

Tony

 

[kevplumb]

1 make sure the valves are open

2 check the filter

 

[oilman]

Take care with this one, press the reset button and undo the allen screw a turn. After 15 seconds the solenoid will operate, and bubbles may come out of the pipe. You can undo it another turn, but remember there is 100psi behind it, so don't go too far.

Another approach is to turn the oil off.
Turn off the boiler power.
Undo the burner retaining nut.
Withdraw the burner.
Turn it so you can get access to the flexy pipe into the oil pump.
Undo the pipe.
Stick the end in a pot.
Turn on the oil and wait till oil flows from the pipe.
Put things back together, and check there is no leak at the flexy joint.
Press reset button when you have done up all nuts and turned on the power and oil.

If the oil doesn't flow, either the tank is lower than the end of the pipe, or the filters are blocked.

Check there are no oil leaks where you have been fiddling after about an hour.

 

[SarahHill]

Hi OilMan,

Thanks for your help, I've tried your first tip but no luck still. Can you tell me how to remove the bottom burner. There is a bolt holding it onto a plate and a bolt holding the plate onto the boiler which part do i undo to get it out?

The oil is flowing out of the oil filter near the tank.

Many Thanks
Sarah

 

[oilman]

There is a nut next to the plastic cover which holds the burner onto the mounting plate. Take the nut off and the burner pulls out.

 

[SarahHill]

There is a nut next to the plastic cover which holds the burner onto the mounting plate. Take the nut off and the burner pulls out.

THANK YOU OILMAN, I could Kiss You

Many thanks to all those who gave advice, boiler seems to be working fine now, although its only been up and running for 5mins so i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I couldn't and wouldn't have tried to fix it without all your help!!!!!

Thank You
Sarah

 

[Agile]

THANK YOU OILMAN, I could Kiss You

Thank You
Sarah

You might not say that when you see him!

Its still not clear what you did that finally made it work!

Hopefully you will refill the tank BEFORE its empty next time, next time, next time.....

See you here next October/November?

Tony

 

[SarahHill]

THANK YOU OILMAN, I could Kiss You

Thank You
Sarah

You might not say that when you see him!

Its still not clear what you did that finally made it work!

Hopefully you will refill the tank BEFORE its empty next time, next time, next time.....

See you here next October/November?

Tony

Hi Tony,

I'm pretty sure i'd still give him a smacker, the situation was driving me bonkers.

I took the flexi fuel hose off and blew into it a couple of times to clear the trapped air, when the oil started flowing freely i put it back together and it started straight away.

Can you tell me if the pressure is too low,its 0.5 at the mo but a friend thinks it should be around 2 bar as this is what her's is set at. I don't want to mess things up but i'm feeling dead chuffed with myself for fixing the trapped air problem and 2 of the furthest radiators from the boiler don't get hot. I've tried bleeding these but the water flows freely from them?

This forum has been brilliant !!!!

Kindest Regards
Sarah

 

[Agile]

I dont see how blowing into the oil line could clear it! Sucking would be another matter!

The oil is pretty nasty stuff to smell of or to have in or around your mouth. I doubt he would want to be kissed by an oily mouth ( heating oil that is. Baby oil OK ).

I assume you are asking about your heating system water pressure. Thats best at about 1.0 to 1.5 Bar cold.

If you must bleed anything then always top up afterwards.

Turn down the hottest rads at the lockshield. Ideally close and open just one turn. Eventually the cooler ones should hot up.

Or see balancing topic in the FAQ on this site!

Tony

 

[oilman]

There are two steps to set the system pressure.

The requirement is to have enough pressure in the system to push air out of the top radiator. For two storey houses this means 0.5 bar is enough. The problem with this is the system needs more checking than if the pressure was a bit higher, say 1 bar.

Step 1 is to reduce the pressure to zero using the Pressure Relief Valve. Usually twist anti-clockwise. Then use a tyre pressure gauge to check the air pressure in the expansion vessel. Pump this up if necessary to 1 bar. If the valve points downwards, it is a good idea to bleed air out of it first incase there is any water in the air side.

Step 2 is to refill the water side to give a reading of 1 bar when the system is cold.

When you run the system the pressure should not rise above 1.5 bar. If it does, you need a bigger expansion space. If needed, you can fit an external expansion vessel.

For radiator valve settings I would close them down and then open them 1/4 turn and see how things go. Open the cooler ones 1/4 turn at a time.