problems with rayburn royal 1979 with original oil burner

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Dumfriesshire
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United Kingdom
7 years ago we installed a rayburn. it run perfectly for 4 years, then we bought a new controller box ( former one started to smell ) and installed it outside, about 1 meter away from rayburn. it run perfectly again or 2 years. then the problems started.
first of all it was hard to light, then it would go out after a few weeks again and again. it was impossible to use the 1-5 heat settings. it would either be too hot or too cold.
needless to say, it always gets serviced, everything is clean, drip-test is performed and filters cleaned. has anybody any ideas ?
 
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Control box outside? If it the one with the electric head it shouldn't be outside. Float valves don't generally smell .If drip test ok could be to do with levels of valve to pot also oil has less sulphur in it now and am finding Ryaburns or Aga's that ran all year are having to be serviced more often, 6 to 9 months.
 
Suspect fault in oil float control, like sticking float valve needle or partial blockage in calibration needle slot. Also check that lever on thermostat pushes pin down when set to 5.
 
thanks, yes we had the needle out, blew it out to clean it, thermo. does push it up and down when turned.
the one thing worth mentioning is that the float chamber does not fill to the required depth. about 5 mm under it actually. we checked tank status and it is quarter full and well above, so it is not lack of kerosine.
can float chamber depth be ajusted ? and why should it have changed ?
 
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Control box outside? If it the one with the electric head it shouldn't be outside. Float valves don't generally smell .If drip test ok could be to do with levels of valve to pot also oil has less sulphur in it now and am finding Ryaburns or Aga's that ran all year are having to be serviced more often, 6 to 9 months.
thanks, i have no electric head
once it goes out completely i can check and i guess, i can see build up of deposits in centre of pan ?
is servicing the only way or can anything be added to compensate for lack of sulphur ?
 
spraggo";p="2239826 said:
Yes, the float can be adjusted by a screw sealed with red wax under the control cover, depending on which control box you have, but this does not indicate that this is the fault. Have you made sure that there is no water in the oil and have you made sure that the feed pipe to the burner is clear, can you blow through it? If not you need to remove the burner and clean it by unscrewing the f&e nuckle bend under the burner, which should be resealed with areldite etc. Dont forget to check the oil depth in the burner afterwards.
 
Yes, the float can be adjusted by a screw sealed with red wax under the control cover, depending on which control box you have, but this does not indicate that this is the fault. Have you made sure that there is no water in the oil and have you made sure that the feed pipe to the burner is clear, can you blow through it? If not you need to remove the burner and clean it by unscrewing the f&e nuckle bend under the burner, which should be resealed with areldite etc.
when lighting we usually pump in the fuel with a syringe ( also quick and no time waiting for pan to fill ), this also makes sure there are no air bubbles. so i can say pipe (s) clean.
haven't resealed
f&e nuckle bend with sealant last time when cleaning..... could this introduce air into the system ?
 
There is a level indicator on the side of the float valve, this should be just above the centre base plate on the pot, about 1/8 of an inch when oil levels across. If there is not enough oil in the pot it will burn to low and coke up and reduce flow even more so stopping heating up and going out. If the float valve was attached to the cooker it is easy enough to check level across and adjust but if its a meter away outside that can certainly be more difficult.
 
There is a level indicator on the side of the float valve, this should be just above the centre base plate on the pot, about 1/8 of an inch when oil levels across. If there is not enough oil in the pot it will burn to low and coke up and reduce flow even more so stopping heating up and going out. If the float valve was attached to the cooker it is easy enough to check level across and adjust but if its a meter away outside that can certainly be more difficult.

thanks again, yes, found it and it is below the indicator. is there a way to fill it more ? e.g. change something in order for the float to allow more fuel inside the chamber ? i made sure it is not touching the wall and there are no obstructions for the float to move.
 
it has gone too dark now to work outside but i will try and ajust the float in order to allow more fuel into the chamber tomorrow.
will post result.
thanks for all the valuable advice.
I BOUGHT THE RAYBURN BECAUSE I ASSUMED A GRAVITY FEED SYSTEM, NON DEPENDANT ON ELECTRICITY WAS RELIABLE AND SIMPLE.
little did i know, what i was letting myself in for :(
 
DO NOT MESS WITH THE FLOAT!!!!

You have to have the burner not lit, take the bits out so you can see the oil level in the burner. Then adjust the jacking screws on the control valve so you lift it up. You need to make sure it is level in both planes as you do it. To check the depth of oil, use a hacksaw blade. The level is right when the oil reaches the bottom of the hole in the blade. We are not allowed to use hacksaw blades nowadays as it does not have a NPL reference for the measurement :rolleyes:

You say it gets serviced, who does it? You are right, it is reliable, it is simple.
 
DO NOT MESS WITH THE FLOAT!!!!

You have to have the burner not lit, take the bits out so you can see the oil level in the burner. Then adjust the jacking screws on the control valve so you lift it up. You need to make sure it is level in both planes as you do it. To check the depth of oil, use a hacksaw blade. The level is right when the oil reaches the bottom of the hole in the blade. We are not allowed to use hacksaw blades nowadays as it does not have a NPL reference for the measurement :rolleyes:

You say it gets serviced, who does it? You are right, it is reliable, it is simple.

meanwhile it has gone out. thanks for the advice about hacksaw-blade.... sounds good. the person who comes to service it was trained by rayburn at the time. we will probably solve this problem.
can you remind me, how many drops per minute it should feed, say on setting 5 ?
 
Echo oilman's thoughts, they are simple, do the simple things right!
The only probem generally with float controls is the screwdriver in the calibration screws.
Moving the unit outside is a mistake as in cold weather the oil can thicken sufficiently to cause problems in the feed pipe from the unit to the burner especially when it has to overcome the extra resistance to flow causedby lengthening the run with only a 6mm head. 'Going out' is a classic symptom of too low a fuel delivery. Have you checked the pipe from the tank to the float control? Isolate the tank, disconnect the pipe from the float control and turn the fuel back on. Let a good 2 - 3 litres of fuel through to ensure there is no blockage. If the flow slows noticably, that is where your problem lies. Artificially filling the burner to start it should not be necessary. There should be sufficient level in the burner after 10-15 mins to light the burner.
 
I got called out years ago to an oil fired Esse cooker where someone had changed lots of parts without fixing the problem. It was a blocked oil filter on the tank outlet.
 

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