Water in heating oil. Short term pump damage?

[moomaloo]

Hi all. Just a quick one - at the weekend I inadvertently managed to put about 150 litres of rain water into my kerosene tank (don't ask..!). Needless to say, my external Worcester Bosch central heating boiler stopped working almost immediately as it was being fed a lovely kerosene/water sludge.

I've pumped the water out of the bottom of the tank and the feed is now pure heating oil as it should be.

However, my plumber tells me I need a whole new boiler pump and I just wondered if this was a normal consequence? I presume this may be because the pump is a sealed unit and any jets, nozzles and filters are contained within it and therefore not easily cleaned/replaced..?

Just checking...

 

[Burnerman]

For sure these oil pumps are manufactured to high tolerances, and a watery diet isn't the best.....however, if its still working well I'd leave it.
The pump will have its own filter (easily accessed) but the nozzle isn't part of that. The nozzle has a very fine filter too.
So personally, I'd clean the pump and nozzle filter, see that the working pressure is being maintained and then leave it.
John

 

[moomaloo]

Thanks John. No, the pump is no longer working and you have confirmed that the information I have been given is correct. It just seems a severe consequence of a quickly noticed mistake...!

 

[Burnerman]

Hey ho - win some, lose some I guess.
The pump (likely a BFP one) will be priced somewhere between £50 and £80. Fitting time (plus pressure setting) say one hour - but a flue gas analysis will really need to be done afterwards.
John

 

[Boilerman2]

Simple answer - oil pumps are not designed to pump WATER!!
expect around £200 repair bill for a new pump fitting and setting up!
it isbest to keep the lid of your oil tank firmly closed!

 

[Danoil]

Don't forget to clean out the pressure pipe and nozzle holder either else you may be in for more trouble. Replace the nozzle.

 

[leakydave]

So moomaloo, the dust has settled... how did you put 150 litres of water into your oil tank?

 

[moomaloo]

A very good question...! I've not long moved into the house and I'm not used to this sort of CH system. The previous owner had a standard bundled oil tank plus one of those 1000 litre pallet tanks as a reserve, full of kerosene. - turns out the lid of the pallet tank wasn't closed properly when we last topped up the main tank from it and, in the meantime, it had partially filled with rainwater (which we get an awful lot of here in Scotland...). Given the different densities involved I didn't realise that my topping up of the main tank was actually water from the bottom of the pallet tank.

I am now fully acquainted with water finding paste and a long stick..!