Oil boiler query

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Can anyone help?

This morning my heating never came on and I pushed the reset button a few times but no joy.

I then waited until daylight then bleed the boiler and after a few push of the reset button the boiler came on but did not stay on for long.

I have done this twice after and it has went off again.

Has anyone ever came across this before? Do you know what the problem is and how to fix it?

Thanks

 

[muggles]

Could be a whole host of things...run out of oil, muck in the filter, muck in the oil line, water in the oil line, dirty photocell, blocked nozzle, faulty control unit, faulty pump etc etc. You can at least check there's enough oil...

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Plenty of oil tank was filled 2 weeks ago!

Can I clean the filter, fuel nozzle myself?

Thanks

 

[Burnerman]

Certainly you can clean the tank filter yourself - its usually incorporated as part of the tank on / off valve and it has a bowl where water settles plus a gauze or paper filter above.
There is also a filter in the oil pump - either below a cover or as a gauze insert below an allen screw.
Burner nozzles aren't meant to be dismantled - although it is possible. Its best to fit a new one for around £6.
Its also worth cleaning the photocell - an electronic device that looks at the flame, but after that its a wee bit more specialised to go further!
John

 

[muggles]

Plenty of oil tank was filled 2 weeks ago!

Can I clean the filter, fuel nozzle myself?

Thanks

Have you actually been and physically looked? Oil theft is becoming more and more common...

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Yes the tank is full of oil checked.

Yesterday evening when I got home the programmer had kicked in for the 3 zones upstairs, downstairs and water. The upstairs heating was on and the water was heated but the downstairs radiators where freezing although the programmer was on for the downstairs.

The boiler thermostat is at 5 by the way and the thermostat upstairs is round to full 35 degrees approximate. When I turned the thermostat for downstairs to full the heating then began to heat the radiators downstairs??

The heating lasted for a hour r so then stopped again but the reset light was not lit on the boiler ?? The boiler had just stopped like before.

Would anyone have any idea what it could be?

Any help would be greatly approiciated.

 

[Burnerman]

If the red lock out lamp isn't lit on the burner, then the burner itself is ok.
So, your problems are either thermostats not calling for heat, or more likely a boiler overheat stat has tripped. Some reset automatically, some have to be manually reset. Check under the front panel for a button.
John

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

thanks for the reply.

Under the front panel of what? The boiler thermostat? Is the boiler thermostat the grey box on the front of the boiler that can be turned 1-5?

Can the inside thermostats be reset also?

 

[Burnerman]

I don't think we know what make the boiler is yet, but if the reset is manual, with the boiler door open its reachable under the front panel where the boiler stat is.
If the stat is an automatic reset it can be hidden inside as there is no need to be able to get to it in a hurry.
John

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Thanks John

The boiler is a warmflow 90/120 with a rellio burner. The thermostat on the boiler is grey and it ranges from 1-5 with wee screw thing on the front of it which when removed reveals a orange thing.

I got the boiler going again just now after taking the thermostat off the boiler switching it off at the plugs and putting it back together. The boiler has now heated downstairs and I have tried the thermostat on the boiler which switches the boiler off and back on when the dial is turned. The thermostat in the house downstairs does the same. Hopefully it will stay on for a while as I have someone coming to service it tomorrow night.

Any ideas?

 

[Burnerman]

Just scratching one's balding head - from memory, the Warmflow combi has a reset button on the bottom of its front panel, whereas the standard boiler has the reset below a cover below the thermostat knob.....?
Riello RDB burner, I think.
Either way, so long as your burner light remains off, don't set the boiler temperature too high and the boiler stat shouldn't trip.....maybe its something called a 'bypass' that needs adjusting on your system.
Be lucky and lets know what happens.
John

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Boiler went off again.

The red light was lit on the burner this time so would suggest it's something more than the thermostats??

A fella is coming out tomorrow evening so I think it beyond me now.

Will keep you posted anyway thanks for ur help with this.

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Heating did not come on again this morning

When I went out to the boiler the red light was lit on the burner. I has to press it 5-6 times before the boiler would fire up.

Any ideas?

A fella is coming to service it tonight maybe that's what it needs I don't know really.

 

[Burnerman]

Its really a bit difficult to do a distance diagnosis really - the fault could be oil starvation due to a pump filter restriction, oil valve solenoid sticking shut, electrode or nozzle fault.....the list goes on.
However the boiler internals need to be clean, likewise all of the flue ways before the burner can be accurately set up.
One of the first things your guy should do is to check the pump oil pressure with a gauge. Eventually he will do a flue gas analysis to set the CO2 level correctly.
Anyway, this is the sequence of burner starting:
Motor starts spinning (turning fan) to purge the flue for around 8 sec
Then, an ignition spark is produced at the electrodes
The fuel is then electrically turned on, and the thing should light up
A photo electric cell then looks at the flame and if it sees one, it keeps the fuel switched on.
Often you can hear these start up events once your ears get used to it!
Be lucky
John

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Thanks John

Will keep u posted on events.