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Heating & Air Conditioning

Priming oil burner with top feed oil tank?

13 years ago

Is there any difference in priming an oil burner where the supply line comes out of the top of the tank (Roth double-wall 275g tank) compared to one that feeds out the bottom?

It looks like the priming process is pretty easy, but coming out of the top, gravity doesn't help you. I'm thinking the oil pump should suck the oil out of the tank with no problem though.

I also have a Tigerloop...would that make any difference in the priming process. I read the Tigerloop is self priming though.

thanks

Bruce

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Comments (3)

pelican
13 years ago
It depends on your pump, and the level of your tank, as compared to your burner. Once, with a Roth tank, I had to put a vacuum on the oil line near the oil pump, and put another vacuum on "blow", at the oil tank, just to get the oil in the line and down to the burner. If you do this, make sure you are aware of how much air you are putting in the tank, so you don't do any damage.
bas157
Original Author
13 years ago
The tank is being filled today (or already was filled). The burner is maybe 18" off the floor of the basement and the tank is maybe 10 feet away on the same floor.
The pump is a Beckett Clean Cut pump that is ~4 years old.

IÂm planning on opening the bleeder, turning the boiler back on then once I see no signs of air coming out the bleeder IÂll close the bleeder and then I should be all set. Hopefully the pump should have no problem pulling oil through the supply line coming out the top of the tank.
If the burner shuts down, I can just hit the reset button again and if it locks out, I can hold the reset button for ~40 seconds to unlock it. Sound right?
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bas157
Original Author
13 years ago
Got it primed and running like I described above. Was very easy and only took a few minutes. thanks

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