Help! - oil fired outside boiler packed up

[Ashtara]

Woke up to a cold house this morning, the boiler had switched off. Managed to get it going by clicking the restart button (so the timeout light went off) but and really worried going to end up with no heating on Christmas Day.
We had this happen a couple of years ago at exactly the same time and slowly the length of time it would stay on it got less until yes you guessed it Christmas Day it gave up completely.
Eventually got someone out who said the flue had got blocked up. Is it likely this will have happened again?

 

[Tipper]

Could be icing of the condensation that builds up in the tank outlet filter bowl stopping the flow of oil.

Happens when we have a period of colder weather and the service engineer (?) hasn't cleaned out the bowl!

Try cleaning it out and wrapping it in a blanket.

 

[Ashtara]

Silly question I guess but where is the tank outlet filter bowl?

 

[muggles]

It's the small bowl-shaped thing on the outlet of your oil tank

 

[Burnerman]

If your burner isn't set up just right, the internal baffles inside the boiler can certainly soot up after two years....even less.
John

 

[Ashtara]

Here we are again another Christmas and boiler went off. Got it on temporarily and boiler man came round three weeks ago and changed nozzle.

Worked fine but then started playing up again yesterday - keeps going to lockout.

Was serviced in October 2011

For the record it has now been 4 Christmases on the trot

 

[Burnerman]

When oil burners go to lockout, everyone assumes its the nozzle at fault.....absolute nonsense - they are remarkably reliable.
Lots more info needed here, including the make of burner but I'd be inclined to find another 'engineer' who will set the thing up properly which would include a thorough clean followed by a flue gas analysis.
John

 

[Ashtara]

It's a thermacon 50/80 it's working fine at the moment although the hot water seems very hot.

Thing is when I get anyone else out they just look at it and say well it's hard to find the fault if it's working now

 

[Ashtara]

Ok so boiler man came round and I watched him check the flue and stick that thing in to check co2 emmissions and other stuff -all correct.

I asked him about the solenoid and the photocel;l and he said as it is running fine now it can't be either of those.

We stood watching it for at least 20 mins and it ran fine.

An hour after he left, it locked out again when it tried to come on with the water. Working fine again now but this is driving me mad. What can it be?

 

[Ashtara]

Ok so boiler man came round and I watched him check the flue and stick that thing in to check co2 emmissions and other stuff -all correct.

I asked him about the solenoid and the photocel;l and he said as it is running fine now it can't be either of those.

We stood watching it for at least 20 mins and it ran fine.

An hour after he left, it locked out again when it tried to come on with the water. Working fine again now but this is driving me mad. What can it be?

 

[Boilerman2]

I'm a Thermecon approved service agent
covering Essex send me a PM if I can be of help

 

[Ashtara]

Err how do I PM? can't find the button anywhere or am I being dumb?

 

[Boilerman2]

I have replied to your PM, please let me know if you wish to contact me regarding your problems, which i an sure are due to a fuel line fault

 

[Ashtara]

Ok so boilerman been round again and cleaned the photocell (apparently it had a slight film on it).

Boiler is working now but my worry is it was serviced in October when the photocell was cleaned, what would cause it to get a slight film on it so quickly or is this normal?

Would just a slight film cause lockouts?

I don't want to spend the next few months worrying that it is going to breakdown again anytime soon

Any responses eternallly grateful

 

[Boilerman2]

The photocell in normal circumstances should not get dirty, it is usually associated with poor start up causing soot to be blown back into the burner, a "slight film" should not be enough to cause a lock out though, so maybe the photocell is getting weak? they don't cost much when compared to a call-out fee, so it may have been wise to replace it while he was there? of course it is impossible to judge another's work approach and it would not be appropriate to comment I hope that this has now sorted your problem, but cleaning the photocell is treating the symptoms not the cause.

You have my company's Contact number if we can help please call!