Just had Oil burner/furnace cleaned and it keeps stalling

[stejus]

I just had the entire system cleaned/serviced last week. Not sure stalling is the right word, but in the past week the burner is not coming on to keep the tankless water heater up to temp. I have to go down to the burner (Beckett oil fired) and hit the red button to fire up the burner. Once I do that, everything is fine for a couple of days and then it happens again. Is it coincidence that this starting happening right after the system was cleaned?

I am calling the oil tech who cleaned it but I would like to hear some of your opinions so I know this tech fixes the problem.

Thanks!

 

[flyingcow]

Could be a couple of things, but do as planned. Call the guy back, and tell him to fix it. I wouldn't touch it until he corrects the problem. Don't give 'em any excuses .

 

[daveswoodhauler]

I just had the entire system cleaned/serviced last week. Not sure stalling is the right word, but in the past week the burner is not coming on to keep the tankless water heater up to temp. I have to go down to the burner (Beckett oil fired) and hit the red button to fire up the burner. Once I do that, everything is fine for a couple of days and then it happens again. Is it coincidence that this starting happening right after the system was cleaned?

I am calling the oil tech who cleaned it but I would like to hear some of your opinions so I know this tech fixes the problem.

Thanks!

Same thing happens to me every time I have mine serviced....like 4 times in a row....something about the nozzle they use that sprays the oil into the burner....some don't match up correctly to the burner/furnace...a few techs will most likely chime in on this one

 

[sandman59]

Could be the cad cell since the unit fires right up when reset. The tech could had bumped it out position or it could have collected some soot from the cleaning process and now is on the edge as far as the OHM readings.

 

[stejus]

Ok, the oil burner tech came onsite and replaced the transformer on the burner. He told my wife this is what makes the burner trigger when heat is required.

He said he'll hold the old transformer just incase this doesn't fix the problem. The burner is 17 years old. Did I get a useful life out of the transformer on the burner?

It just seems too coincidental to have started having problems as soon as it was cleaned last week.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Funny, one year I skipped a year for the oil burner service....had them come out the following year, and then again had the same problem...it wouldn't ignite. They would up replacing the transformer (about 7 years old) and it worked fine....just odd that it only seems to have problems after the tech leaves....makes me wonder if my service vendor is one of those shops that should be on Dateline

 

[sandman59]

The ignition transformer is basically a dumb component that sends spark to the electrodes during the ignition sequence when the ignition controller receives a call for heat. I would definately hold on to the old one. Normally if a transformer goes bad, the oil will not light and if it is going bad or getting weak, you may see delayed ignition with some rumbling.

 

[mikeyny]

A closed or restricted vent line could also cause those symptoms. I once had a tank with no vent so the oil guy left the cap loose and put a coffe can over the top so it could vent. With out the vent a vacume will build up in the tank (especially when it is full) and actually suck the oil from the line back into the tank, leaving air in the line. Slowly the vacume leaks off and the burner will fire again but only for a while.

 

[stejus]

So far, so good with new transformer. However, it is noticably louder upon startup and running than it was before he changed out the transformer. What causes a burner to sound louder?

 

[sandman59]

Besides the noise of the oil burning and the burner's combustion motor, the one thing that influences the sound of an oil burner is the adjustment of the combustion air through the burner. If the tech opened up the air adjustment band, the burner noise would increase.

 

[LeonMSPT]

I just had the entire system cleaned/serviced last week. Not sure stalling is the right word, but in the past week the burner is not coming on to keep the tankless water heater up to temp. I have to go down to the burner (Beckett oil fired) and hit the red button to fire up the burner. Once I do that, everything is fine for a couple of days and then it happens again. Is it coincidence that this starting happening right after the system was cleaned?

I am calling the oil tech who cleaned it but I would like to hear some of your opinions so I know this tech fixes the problem.

Thanks!

Sounds like a bad CAD cell... not seeing the fire and going off on safety. That's why you have to go down and reset it... might be dirty with soot and dust, or just on the edge and not working very well anymore... bad transformer, like the man said, just doesn't work.