Hi! Forum newbie here. I have a beckett oil burner that just had the nozzle replaced for the 3rd time and after running for a month and a half to two months, it shut itself off. The other two times, instead of shutting off, it would end up filling the house with smoke and I had to turn off the thing myself. This time it shut off by itself. First time they came, it got all the cleaning done which included a nozzle. A month later, same problem. They came back, added in a filter about 2 feet from the tank and had what appears to be a new line running from that new filter to the burner itself. And now it has quit and I am wondering why that nozzle would keep on getting clogged if that is what is happening. The serviceman had said that was the case the last two times. It seems a little puzzling to me seeing how the furnace was working fine the year before, and all of a sudden this repeating problem. I wonder if he is using the wrong nozzle or it may not be aligned properly. Any advice from someone who has been through this or knows about these burners(Beckett AFG) Thank-you!
When the filter was installed, did the servicer replace the screen in the fuel pump? If your tank has sludge in it the pump screen was not replaced, the screen is probably full of sludge which is washing off plugging the nozzle.
Was a combustion analysis performed when the furnace was cleaned if so, what were the results?
If you can provide the make model of the furnace, I can probably tell you the correct nozzle for that heater.
I am not sure if they changed the screen or if an analysis was performed. Is the screen something that can be replaced without a whole lot of trouble? As for the make and model, it is a Liberty by Slant-Fin, and the Model number is L-30-P. About the filter, how often should that be replaced? Also what would be the normal life expectantcy of a nozzle?
(I really appreciate the reply! I stumbled onto this site from google and after reading various posts and posting myself, its really awesome that there are experts that take the time to answer the do-it-yourselfer's questions!)
According to Beckett's OEM spec book, the nozzle which should be used in that boiler is a 1.00 gph, 80є W, Delavan nozzle at 100# of fuel pump pressure. BTW, there is also supposed to be a solenoid valve on the pump discharge with a delay built in.
The pump screen (presuming a Suntec pump) is easily removed by taking out the four machine screws on the pump cover. You will need either a 5/16 wrench or a 5/32 allen depending upon the age of the pump. The screen gasket (usually packaged together) are readilly available online or at nearly any HVAC supply house.
Nozzle, filter, pump screen should be replaced with each annual boiler cleaning.
A tip-off as to if a combustion test was performed or not is to look for a hole (aprox. 1/4-3/8 in diameter) in the exhaust pipe between the boiler the barometric damper. NOTE: This hole may, should be, plugged or otherwise sealed with a metal plug, bolt, furnace cement, high temp silicone, or at least foil tape. If there is no such hole, there has never been a combustion analysis performed unless the pipe has been replaced.
Surprisingly they went to all the trouble to add a filter at the tank with a new fuel line. It would have been cheaper to clean the existing fuel filter and screen, if a Suntec as Grady said. I would also go and buy a quart of the sludge removal from Home depot the next time you get oil. You might have gotten a bad batch of oil. That really can screw up your filter, screen, nozzle, the works.
The tech should have bled your pump until all the foamy fuel cleared up. Air in the fuel can really mess with the nozzle pressure. He should have tested the pump pressure and combustion analysis. If the electrodes are pretty worn down, after years of use, you might need a new pair. It sounds like your losing fuel due to sludge or lack of proper setup. It takes some time to clean the system like replacing the fuel filter each month after a dose of the sludge removal.
Your tech tried to bypass the slow process of sludge removal with a new filter at the tank and fuel line. Most recently I added sludge removel and replaced my filter twice after I had issues with foamy fuel. It finally cleared up after my last filter swap and screen cleaning.
How many oil filters do you now have inline and do you have a one line or two line system?
Hey thanks for the suggestion on the sludge remover, I think I will probably pick some up so I'll have for the next fillup. Since it's been warming up here, I haven't needed to have the furnace running, but I do want to get all cleanup done like the nozzle, screen and filter like Grady suggested. Hopefully this weekend I will get a chance to check it all out, I am curious about the condition of the electrodes.
It appears that I still have one in-line filter, looks like new line from the filter to the burner. It is a one line system. Thanks for the insight hexonx!
I find it hard to believe a 1.00 nozzle would have fouled three times in such a short period. I suspect that the burner is either set up wrong, or the transformer is acting up.
I too have this boiler. A year after it was installed the oil company that installed it did an annual service. About one month after it was serviced the nozzle clogged. I do not know what nozzle size had been used. The oil company installed another nozzle (again I do not know what size) and attempted to charge me for that service call. When I protested the charge they rescinded it but tried to sell me on purchasing a new oil tank.
I changed oil companies instead and had not had another problem for years.
This summer the boiler quit again. I want to service it myself but have already run into a problem. When I tried to shut off the oil to replace the filter, the valve handle screwed off entirely. When I attempted to open the filter housing, the oil kept flowing out until my catch pan nearly overfilled. I quickly reversed my attempt to remove the cap of the filter housing. I have watched the servicemen replace that filter many times. My pan should not have filled more than halfway. Please advise me on what I may have done wrong.
Thank you,
Gerald Reiser
Originally Posted by WappRecycler
When I attempted to open the filter housing, the oil kept flowing out until my catch pan nearly overfilled. I quickly reversed my attempt to remove the cap of the filter housing. I have watched the servicemen replace that filter many times. My pan should not have filled more than halfway. Please advise me on what I may have done wrong.
The wheel on Firomatic shutoff valves will unscrew completely if you go too far. The spring loaded valves won't always close on their own when you unscrew the wheel. Sometimes you have to give them a gentle tap with the palm of your hand to make sure the valve springs into the closed position.
When we have a fuel customer with an oil related problem (not combustion related) we treat the oil with FuelRight, install a General 2A-700A or Mitco 265 primary filter with .50 Micron element and install a secondary .10 Micron spin-on filter. (Both at the tank) After that we eliminate downstream problems by either flushing or replacing the fuel line, replacing the pump strainer, flushing nozzle assembly and the high pressure line. We have very few return calls for oil related problems.
Tags: beckett, burner, nozzle, issues, filter housing, pump screen, should have, analysis performed, combustion analysis, fuel line
