Oil heating service

By G&S Mechanical Services Of Maryland.

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    We are familiar with most brands of oil burners R.W Beckett, Wayne home equipment, Carlin or Arco. There are other brands of equipment but they are so rare that there are few left compared to R.W Beckett and Wayne Home Equipment.

Image of R.W. Beckett AF SERIES With nozzle assembly removed Showing Sunstrand fuel pump on the left. The bleeder screw is behind the nozzle assembly but is not visible in this photo.

    We find that the majority of problems with oil burners is that they need to be cleaned regularly and have the fuel filters changed. We find that many problems can be solved by converting systems that are one pipe to two pipes. This picks up dirt and crud that normally settles in the bottom of the tank and sucks it into the filter where you can dispose of it. Most filters for residential use are made by General Filter of Novi Michigan model 1A or 25A (red top with black can). You can get filter cartridges and replacement housings at most hardware stores.

    Nozzles are cheap to replace and can cause lots of problems especially the lower flow nozzles under 1.0 GPH. They can clog with dirt even though they have a bronze screen. Higher flow nozzles are less likely to clog and need replacing.

    Problems with the ignition transformer are not as common as problems with the electrodes getting covered with soot and shorting out the spark, causing the oil not to light. Cleaning the electrodes with alcohol or solvent will help restore the porcelain. Cracked electrodes should be replaced. Be careful messing with the ignition transformer, the 10,000 volts can shock you into next year.

    If you run out of oil on a one pipe system you will have to purge the air out of the lines. This is done by connecting a 3/8" id tube to the bleeder screw on the burner oil pump and the other end into a container while opening the valve with the motor running to pump all the air out of the lines. Once the line runs clear you should be able to close the line and the burner should fire. You will have to hit the reset several times to get the lines cleared.

    If you have a two pipe system you will only have to hit the reset button a few times until the lines are purged (see below).

• Don't hesitate to replace a nozzle even though they have bronze screens on them they will still crud up.
• Clean the flame retention ring (the thing that look like a fan) this device locks the flame onto the head of the burner and helps determine the air pattern.
• If the flame retention ring should fall off (a problem on R.W. Beckett) you will have one god awful mess so be sure to check to make sure it has not fallen off if you are having sooting problems.
• Clean any soot or carbon off the porcelain insulators so the spark can't run down the insulator and kill the spark.
• Don't bother trying to clean the electrodes. at 10,000 volts a few microns of crud won't stop the spark.
• Caution the ignition transformer puts out 10,000 volts at substantial current and will shock the shit out of you. Please close the transformer before energizing the burner.
• Check the pump pressure by attaching a gauge to the pressure port. It is 1/8 inch pipe thread and with the right extensions you can leave it attached. It should read 100 psi (some commercial burners are set to 140 psi). Please use a glycerin filled gauge because vibrations from the pump will wear out a conventional gauge and spray oil everywhere.
• If you have problems with crud and sludge in your tank and you only have one pipe feeding the burner consider going to a two pipe system. This will constantly circulate the oil so it will have a chance to filter out all the junk that is on the bottom of the tank. To do this you must remove a plug from the bottom of the pump and install a hex head pipe plug (Available from the pump manufactures or supply houses). This will force the oil to re circulate back to the tank instead of inside the pump. This will end the days of opening the bleeder screw after running out of oil. If you are comfortable working on cars you can make this modification.
• Do not keep hitting the "reset button" if you have oil pressure you are just filling the furnace with oil so when it finally does ignite it will make one hell of a fire in the combustion chamber and scare you half to death. Follow the tips above, the furnace should fire within seconds of getting pressure.
• Setting the electrodes can be tricky the burner manufactures recommend different settings but here are some guide lines that usually work fine. Set the electrodes flush with the plane of the nozzle (the air from the combustion blower will blow the arc plasma into the oil), Set the gap from 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch (two pennies), The height of the electrodes will usually take care of it self, but if not try to set it between the top of the nozzle and the flame retention ring. The spark must not jump to the ring.
• Setting the position of the nozzle assembly (also known as the "gun") in relation to the flame retention ring should be referred to the factory specifications. When you take apart the burner you will notice an adjustment where the oil line attaches. Try to mark that position and place the line in the same place again.
• If the fuel pump goes bad be sure to replace it with one of the same RPM and direction. Most modern burners are 3400 rpm and clockwise (SHAFT END) if the pump is on the left. Be sure to replace the coupler too at this time.
• If your system does not have a filter please add one. They can be bought at the local hardware store sold under the brand name General. The model 1-25A will work fine for most installations, connections are made by 3/8 inch flare connections and 3/8 inch OD. tubing. If possible locate the filter outside so when you change it the mess stays outside. Try to change your filter at least once a season (more if you have a dirty tank).
• There are two types of protection controls (called the "primary") . The older ones measure the stack temperature and expect to have hot flue gasses with in a certain time period. Most modern burners use a photocell to detect light from the flame. These devices rarely give any problems but if they do you can replace the photocell (White Rodgers and Honeywell cells are interchangeable). If you have an old stack type system that is giving you problems consider retrofitting it to a photo-cell system.
• Keep in mind that sometimes you get one that just won't cooperate no matter how hard you try.
• Finally if you are unsure of your abilities please leave the job to someone experienced with oil burners or mechanics and expect to get dirty.

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    If you have air conditioning or a forced air furnace consider adding a heat pump also known as a fossil fuel kit to save you money if oil prices get high this winter (the same goes for natural gas). Sold mainly on Rheem and Ruud. but can be used on other brands of heaters.

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                 This text written by: Scott Meenen * G & S Mechanical