Boiler Keeps needing to be reset??

[Utilitrack]

First season with pellet stove as primary heat source, have used boiler for both heat and hot water in the past. This season only using boiler for daily hot water. I have now had to reset the boiler three times in the last month. Is this normal or is this warning signs of a potential greater problem? Anybody with boiler experience would be appreciated to chime in. Good luck to those of you out there with no power...

Marc

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Might want to repost this in the boiler forum.

Eric

 

[RPK1]

First season with pellet stove as primary heat source, have used boiler for both heat and hot water in the past. This season only using boiler for daily hot water. I have now had to reset the boiler three times in the last month. Is this normal or is this warning signs of a potential greater problem? Anybody with boiler experience would be appreciated to chime in. Good luck to those of you out there with no power...

Marc

I am not a heating service guy but it sounds like there is an issue with the burner control or maybe the transformer on the burner. It won't make any difference to the oil boiler if it is running for heat, hot water or both. Better get it serviced now. These things tend to screw up when it is most expensive to fix.

RPK1

 

[drizler]

I don't do em for a living but have been doing my own for a long time pretty much. Unless its something burned out first check the usual suspects. Most likely it is dirty. When was the last time you had it cleaned? If you feel comfortable doing this stuff you can do the simplest of it yourself. Make sure the power is off at the breaker then double kill it at the safety switch. Once you know it's dead look at the transformer (big heavy square block on top of burner) if you have the usual Beckett style like most of us. There are 2 screws on one end opposite the hinged end. Remove them and swing it back. Wipe the little electric eye down you see in the middle. If its sooty it is likely your problem. Wipe off the springs and contact prongs and anything else you see in there with clean paper towels or rags. If you want to go a step further you can get a new nozzle open up the burner and replace the nozzle and clean the electrodes. You have to remove the fuel line at the base of the pump and bleed the pump at the bleeder when you are all finished with everything. Nozzle comes out with a deepwell 9/16 on everything I have ever owned. If you are having shut down problems this could be your problem if the old nozzle is all covered up with coke and gunk. Thats the time to change the filter and scrub out the boiler with a boiler brush brush but you probably won't want to get into all that so just call to get it serviced if you can afford it right now. Chances are though you either have a dirty electric eye, a slightly plugged up crappy nozzle or your filter in the canister in the fuel line is getting plugged.
I only use mine to heat our domestic hot water and as a backup since we got the pellet stove. We only use a couple hundred gallons or oil a year or less. Damned boiler acts just like a big-ass radiator just dumping all your expensive heat into the basement but it's still cheaper than electric around here. All that sounds more complicated than it really is but if you don't want to do the service thing at least open transformer up and wipe down that little electric eye flame sensor as it's been one of the chef causes of what you describe in my experience. Winter sucks, doesn't it?

 

[MCPO]

The simplest and first step in troubleshooting this situation (by a homeowner) is replacing the electric eye. It`s only a $4 item.

 

[Utilitrack]

Thanks for all of your responses. I will look into the "eye" of the beast. The boiler was serviced in October.

Marc