HELP PLEASE--BOILER LOCKED OUT

[scrumpyjack]

My worcester oil boiler has locked out tonight--it was working and then a distinct chill was noticed.
There is loads of oil in the tank, ant oil down past the stop valve and past the fire valve.
I dont know how to go any further.
Can some one help me so me and her and the kids don't have to freeze all weekend.
How do I bleed it any further..pump etc?

 

[Burnerman]

What happens when you press the red lock out lamp on the boiler controller? Has it come back to life or gone in the huff?
Which boiler / burner is it?
John

 

[Boilerman2]

If you have not run out of oil,Why do think it needs Bleeding?? it is more likely to be a component failure, or a one off spurious event press the reset butrton and see what happens, it may not lock out again, if however it locks out again you should call an experienced oil engineer who will diagnose and correct the fault with no problem at all

 

[scrumpyjack]

What happens when you press the red lock out lamp on the boiler controller? Has it come back to life or gone in the huff?
Which boiler / burner is it?
John

Its a heatslave 12/18 and when I press the lockout reset it runs for a few seconds and clicks once then it stops and the lockout lamp comes on again.

 

[Burnerman]

Boilerman2 has forgotten more about these things than I'll ever know, but there is no need to bleed the system.....without a full inspection, I'd be considering either a photocell issue or maybe the boiler just needs a thorough clean. The lockout light tells you that a flame has not established, but that could be down to a nozzle squirting wrongly, low pump pressure or even the electrodes needing attention.
John

 

[scrumpyjack]

If you have not run out of oil,Why do think it needs Bleeding?? it is more likely to be a component failure, or a one off spurious event press the reset butrton and see what happens, it may not lock out again, if however it locks out again you should call an experienced oil engineer who will diagnose and correct the fault with no problem at all

I wonder about an airlock because this happened just after I had checked the oil level in the tank.--There is a valve with a red top where the oil comes through and I wondered if it was a stop valve and I had knocked it shut causing an air lock. I don't know how it works.
I had a similar fault early this year and the worcester man traced it to the fire valve.
This time I loosened the pipe on the boiler side of the firevalve and oil is flowing ok so it's not that this time.

I'm hoping to get some help here tonight--anyone?

 

[scrumpyjack]

Boilerman2 has forgotten more about these things than I'll ever know, but there is no need to bleed the system.....without a full inspection, I'd be considering either a photocell issue or maybe the boiler just needs a thorough clean. The lockout light tells you that a flame has not established, but that could be down to a nozzle squirting wrongly, low pump pressure or even the electrodes needing attention.
John

I understand what you mean but the boiler is only 18months old -surely it cant be breaking down yet??

 

[Burnerman]

No, not seriously breaking down, but its not burning so something has packed in...! If your oil is flowing then you can ignore tank valves, filters etc. I think, if it was mine, I'd remove the burner from the housing and check for carbon build up on the electrodes and nozzle area. If its significant, the boiler needs a clean and the burner needs a service which will include a pump pressure check and a flue gas analysis.
John

 

[handychick]

Ive been there. Its pants... these things always seem to break down on Fridays...grrr.

Have you got any way of removing the fuel feed at the burner unit itself. Thats what I had to do before and it eventually led me to find a blockage on a filter which was quite close to the burner.

Either way youll be able to have complete confidence in the fuel supply to the boiler if you know theres fuel all the way up to the burner.

Like you say if its a newish and serviced boiler, through the early failure period and bedded in then its not the first suspicion to look at the boiler for a fault but if you can prove you have fuel up to the last point before it hits the burner then you have proof positive that its a "hardware fault".

Next thing to look for after that would be trip switches inside the boiler. Thats what I have to do for mine in any case..

Just a few words of experience from someone else in the same boat

 

[scrumpyjack]

I found the problem and sorted it out temporary style. It was, as I suspected, to do with the tank tap. For some reason it wont stay open and keeps stopping the oil supply. I've posted another question about titan valves.
Glad it wasn't too cold last night and very pleased I didn't need to call a boiler man