Boilers - Home Heating Steam and Hot Water Systems - No Hot Water Steam Boiler Problem

Hi, Burnham boiler, domestic coil, oil fired, steam heat. Becket burner, honeywell primary & Carlin transformer. the problem started last week when the boiler would not fire and we noticed the red reset button in the up position. We put a new filter at the tank, blew air through the lines to the burner, installed a new nozzle, bleeded all the air out and varoom....we had hot water! Well, after only 2 days of running, the red re-set popped up again, so we reset it and all was well for another two days. Now today, the reset switch again is popped up and I came home to no hot water. Am I looking at needing a new primary? Or am I looking in the totally wrong direction. Thanks so much.

First choice would be ignition, second would be burner motor. You could try drawing an arc across the ignition terminals if you have an old tar filled transformer. The arc should be about 3/4" without fail. The voltage is high so make sure you use an insulated screwdriver. If you have a solid state ignitor the testing is different depending on brand.

Ken

When you reset the primary control, is there any smoke or rumbling when the burner lights? The next time it happens, AFTER the burner fires, open the flame observation port (peep hole) above the burner & watch the flame for a few minutes. If it starts out orange or a dull yellow & gets lighter in color & brighter, you have excess oil in the chamber & a probable ignition problem. If the flame color does not change, my first suspect would be the burner motor. There is a test procedure for the motor which requires an ohm meter capable of reading down to <10 ohms.

Hi Grady, indeed there is smoke on reset. very white smoke for a few cycles of burning. I did open the port to see the flame and it was dull orange or yellow. It did not look very hot to me. then the smoke does go away on its own after a while. So, do you think ignition. Does that mean changing the honeywell primary box? sorry if i am using the wrong terminology. the burner when I do reset it , goes thru a normal "purge" as i call it but will not ignite. I did open the cleanout door and used a shop vac. It was very wet in there with excess oil.

This fact alone eliminates the possibility of a bad burner motor. It now comes down to a weak ignition transformer; dirty, cracked, or malajusted electrodes; incorrect air adjustment; dirty or incorrect nozzle; some kind of problem with the burner end cone; etc, etc, etc. Particularly if it has been a while since the burner/boiler was professionally serviced, I would highly reccommend it. Most techs don't mind you watching & asking questions but it's a good idea to ask him/her first. When the tech is done, he/she should do a complete combustion analysis which includes: Draft, pump pressure & cutoff, ignition transformer check, saftey time check, smoke level (should be zero), CO2, stack temperature & combustion efficiency. Some also can check O2 & CO in the exhaust gases. Since this boiler is a steamer, the low water cutoff function should also be checked as well as the water feeder (if so equipped).
I generally don't refer people directly to a professional but something like this takes experience to troubleshoot. Hopefully the boiler will be off on safety when the tech arrives. Please post back with the results.

Thank you both Ken & Grady. the tech will come on Wed. am & I will post back. Have a great nite.

HI, where I purchase my oil from, they sent a technician to look at the burner. He replaced the intermittent ingnition box. It worked fine for 3 days. Then stopped kicking on, which was my original problem to start with. Now, if I go to the boiler and and just flip the power switch from "on (which it stays in the normal position) to "off" and then back "on" again, it will fire and make hot water for a couple more days, then I have to repeat the procedure. I called the oil co. back and they said this particular tech that came is on vacation and that I would be better off waiting for him. The oil company did give me a phone tech who asked for a brief description. When I told him, he replied. "sounds like a lazy transformer".
Am I getting good advice here or should I consider a change in companies.

thanks. :wall:

There are actually two transformers. Both take in line voltage. One drops the voltage to 24 volts (control voltage) & the other, the ignition transformer, steps the voltage up to 10,000 volts. I disagree with the lazy transformer diagnosis unless it is the transformer in the control circuit. My suspicion is either the control which sends power to the "Intermittent ignition box" or the box itself.
This box, which was replaced, is it the one with the reset button? Is it new or rebuilt? I've had bad luck with rebuilt controls.

Grady, it has a red reset button and it also has a button that you can "manual lock out" next to it. the first intermittent ignition did not have this other button.

On this "new" one he put it (it looks new") the red reset always stays in the down or operating position. Even when there is no firing it still stays down.

The control sounds like a Honeywell R8184G. To see if the 8184 might be the problem, the next time you have H/W trouble, rap the side of the 8184 firmly with a screwdriver handle. Don't wail on it, just a firm rap. If it is the trouble, the burner will probably come on. Personally I think the problem is in a control electricly upstream of the 8184. If the burner does not come on with the rap, follow the wires & rap on each control you come to. If you hit one & the burner fires, you've found the culprit. I know this sounds crude but believe me it often works & without you knowing the current path, it's about all you can do for now.

Thanks Grady, I got HW right now...but who knows tomorrow. I'm gonna use my Louisville Slugger if it's ok with you to do the tapping. I'll post back!

Thanks.

I understand your frustration but you don't want to tear up the new control you just paid for. Intermittent problems are the bane of every service person in the world & in this case, you are becoming the serviceperson. Once you find where the problem lies, you can tell the servicer & he/she can replace the part or it may be as simple as tightening a wire. These kinds of things can drive you nuts.