Boiler question


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Old 03-07-07, 06:34 PM
R
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Boiler question

WE have an old Weil Mclane oil boiler. It seemed to be running really good until a week or so ago. The house is empty so we really don't know why/when it is acting up.
We would go to the house and the heater would be off. We would adjust the thermo stat and nothing would happen. If we hit the reset switch it fires up and heats to temp and runs fine. If a go back to the house that night or the next day it may be on or off. Very inconsistent

I know this may be hard to diagnose but any help would be appreciated.
 
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Old 03-07-07, 07:14 PM
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There are MANY possible problems and most of them require a tech to go check them out because it would be hard for me to explain them. But make sure you check the house everyday.

If you haven't had it tuned up within a year that would be your first step to solving the problem. Some people only service it when it breaks down, big mistake. It needs to be tuned up once a year by a qualified professional.
 
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Old 03-08-07, 07:56 AM
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Thank you Adam but I need to try some things myself($$$)

I went to the house today and the thermostat was set @ 60 and the temp in the house was 50. It is a summer winter hook up. I ran the hotwater and there wasn't any and the boiler did not kick on.
I hit the reset button and it fired right up. When the temp got to 160 the circ went on. When it hit 180 the heater went off but the circ continued to run. When it hit 160 again the heater kicked on. As it fired up it hesitated a millisecond, and a small flame and small puff of smoke came out near the burner. I think this is the issue.
Any ideas? Can I clean the ignitor and nozzle?

Thanx
 
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Old 03-08-07, 08:01 PM
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Its probably a problem with the nozzle, thats why it needs to be serviced EVERY year, once a year. Having the smoke when it fires on indicated that there is extra oil in the furnace which could mean:
-You have a bad nozzle, which could lead to a plugged up strainer and oil filter(which would have been changed during a annual servicing).
-You have a bad transformer
-The adjustments on the nozzle assembly are not correct
-The air adjustment is off
-There is a carbon buildup on the retention head
-Could be a clogged oil line
-Could be a plugged strainer or oil filter

Some people like to tackle those project on themselves, but heat technicians don't like you to. Not because you take work away, but if you mess it up you can create problems. Its a chance you take. It would be a different story during the summer because you can survive without heat.

I would start with changing the nozzle. Buy a new nozzle, don't reuse the old one. Make sure its the same size as the old one. If the nozzle filter is dirty then you shoudl change the strainer and the oil filter because those will both be clogged. If the nozzle filter isn't dirty, then you should still change the oil filter. Make sure you adjust the points on the nozzle correct or it probably won't fire right. They should be about 1/8' apart, 1/8" above the nozzle and about 3/8" away from the center off the nozzle if its a 80 degree nozzle. Move the points alittle closer to the nozzle if its a 70 or 60.
 
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Old 03-08-07, 08:35 PM
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Thank you Adam,
This is an investment property so I will call the tech. I really wanted a good understanding of what others thought it would be. Now I know so thank you.

I will post back the results
 
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Old 03-08-07, 08:37 PM
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Wink

Like said You dont know what you have there if you dont run a full service on the burner . Nozzle, filter, clean and reset everything ,check for draft, CO2
 
 

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