Beckett oil burner

[Mike in Ohio]

Fuel oil furnace is acting up, it works fine for a cycle then it doesn't try to light. It brings the house temp up to the setting and shuts off normally, when it is time to start again it doesn't even try to start and the blower motor comes on immediately. If I kill the power to it for 30-45 minutes, it starts right up normally and runs a normal cycle, then won't start again. Any help with a place to start troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated, the manual that came with it is no help.

Very few guys around here will work on oil furnaces and they seem to be too busy to return a phone call.
Thanks

 

[finn]

Flame detector is where I would start. I previously had an oil boiler in the shop and that was the number one issue.

Ditched it and went propane because all the old guys that worked on oil were rapidly retiring and there was hardly anyone left willing to work on the oil burners.

 

[Wrench97]

Since it does not even try to start the igniter is where I would start, check the flame sensor only if it's igniting and than shutting down

 

[Mike in Ohio]

It seems like when I kill the power something resets. When I say doesn't try to start I mean it is like the burner is not being told to. no pump running, no lights on the burner, just the blower at the other end starting, it isn't supposed to come on till the burner has light for 30 seconds. When I turn the power on the pump starts immediately and it lights a few seconds later and runs normally. I will check the things mentioned though.

Thanks

 

[Wrench97]

Does your unit have any error lights?

 

[zendriver]

When was the last time it was serviced? Nozzle replacement, igniters adjusted replaced. air inlet cleaned adjusted. etc.

i have one they don't run on autopilot forever. ( I tried)

Maybe something is getting too hot.

 

[Firebrick43]

Running some times well and others not, have you checked if your chimney needs cleaned? I have seen a chimney cleaning more than once save an old fuel oil furnace from replacement.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

have not checked the chimney, the furnace was serviced early last summer I think.

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Sounds like the high limit switch maybe is acting up because it will start the burner after a 30-45 minute cool down…….. IMHO the burner is not the problem.
A professional burner service is highly recommended…….. New oil filter, clean the cad cell, check draft along with servicing the chimney and test for efficiency.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Flame detector is where I would start. I previously had an oil boiler in the shop and that was the number one issue.

Winner!

The flame detector was "seeing" a flame that wasn't there. Killing the power apparently reset it. Put a new nozzle in while it was apart.

Thanks for all the help

 

[PoorUB]

That is odd. Usually the cad cell never sees flame when they fail. I suspect you had another issue that you accidentally fixed when you had it a part.

Years ago I worked on a lot of oil. I was the "oil guy" at our shop.

 

[Dagny]

Me too. First thing I always did was new nozzle. Then yo can check all the measurements on the electrodes and wipe off the cad cell.

Oil can be finnicky and if it's old it probably needs to be cleaned. Depending on model and age this is one of those jobs americans won't do.

Your vacuum cleaner will never be the same and you will be very dirty. I made several adapter hoses so I could run 3/4 and 1 in. greenfield down into the second part of the heat exchanger and rattle it around for a couple hours.

 

[fitter30]

No power was cycled, burner motor doesn't run but furnace blower runs. Correct? Furnace compleate model #, brand and picture of the wiring diagram if you have one. Check on back side of blower door. Have a volt meter?

 

[PCustoms]

No power was cycled, burner motor doesn't run but furnace blower runs. Correct? Furnace compleate model #, brand and picture of the wiring diagram if you have one. Check on back side of blower door. Have a volt meter?

Read post #10

 

[fitter30]

Read post #10

Never seen a oil burner control with a auto reset for flame failure. The reason just the trail dumps raw fuel into the combustion chamber. Have 3-4 resets when its finally fires it's scary when they huff and puff and want to walk across the floor lasts a few minutes till the pool of oil is burnt .

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Let me try to explain better, I am not an hvac guy so bear with me. The cad cell kept "seeing" the flame after it had shut off. There is a little green light on the controller that comes on when it sees the flame ignite. That light did not go out when the flame shut off. Reset was probably the wrong word to use. But killing the power allowed it to quit "seeing" the old flame and "see" the new one.

 

[PoorUB]

Let me try to explain better, I am not an hvac guy so bear with me. The cad cell kept "seeing" the flame after it had shut off. There is a little green light on the controller that comes on when it sees the flame ignite. That light did not go out when the flame shut off. Reset was probably the wrong word to use. But killing the power allowed it to quit "seeing" the old flame and "see" the new one.

Ok, seems reasonable when the burner control says so. I can't say I have ever seen a cad cell fail that way.