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Heating & Air Conditioning

Beckett Oil Burner Problem

12 years ago

Oil burner fails to ignite on occasion but starts right up when the reset on the primary control is pushed. Primary control, thermostat and motor ( used one ) have been replaced but problem still persists.

Problem seems to be related to the nozzle which gets replaced every year when annual maintenance is done. It appears that when a 75 80B nozzle is used the problem occurs but the burner performs well with an 85 80B nozzle.

Problem could also be related to the burner motor which is model#2456 . Beckett had problems with these motors developing "dead" spots and changed to a split phase capacitor motor several years ago .

Hope others who have had a similar problem have the solution to resolve it.

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

heatseeker
12 years ago
I'm just curios why you would change parts knowing that your nozzle gets changed out yearly. Why would you not start with the nozzle instead of motors ect. See this is why people who try to save money most of the time end up spending more in the long run.
Caymantoo
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for your message.The decision to swap out the thermostat, primary control and motor was made by the technician ..not me. At the time I didn't believe they were defective and still don't. I believe the tech should have started with the nozzle since it was he who recommended an 85 80 nozzle(which performed well) a couple of years ago but installed a 75 80 nozzle instead when he cleaned the furnace a couple of months ago. Based on what I've read in the last few days there are a number of simple things he could have done before swapping any parts other than the nozzle. Burners are not sophisticated machines but before I start doing any maintenance on mine I'll need to get some professional training . Despite your comment about trying to save money ,I think I could do a better job of managing routine maintenance tasks on my own burner and indeed save significant dollars on labor and parts.
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We replace fewer ignitors than outfits with a customer base a fraction the size of ours. We have a lot of parts-replacers and parts-replacing-troubleshooters in my region that return, toss or inventory "working" ignitors, transformers, oil pumps and primary controls. Years ago there was a big debate about whether or not to use ignitors on older oil burners with intermittent ignition (continuous duty). Some people believed that transformers would last longer on these units. I like high voltage ignitors, interrupted ignition, oil solenoid valves, pre-purge/post-purge etc. Keeps the porcelains and electrodes looking brand spanking new.
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There is, mark sure the air intake next to the fuel pump is clear of dust or in my case saw dust. There is an adjustment for air intake that you could open a bit ,trial an error. Could be the wrong nozzle used, because the tech didn't have the right one, did the tech clean the basket screen in the fuel pump.Call the service company and have them send a different tech. Do a little home work to find out the correct nozzle, flame pattern and the correct procedure for cleaning. Sit right there and watch, your paying him to fix it right.
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Good point baymee, I'll have to contemplate that one but also check to see if the draft is in fact adjusted correctly. Mark, thanx for that chart, thats really helpfull, I'm printing that as we speak. You work in a northern climate too as I recall. You probably see the same thing all the time too, people blocking off their combustion air vents because of the cold air coming in and the fear of freezing pipes. Thats why I think the "fan in a can" is such a good idea. We seemed to have comandeered this "Beckett burner won't stay running" post, but I believe we've all told him all he has to know to make a decision on what to do.
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Randy's explanation is most likely, but I will relate a similar situation I had. I was having issues sort of like you describe where if my oil-fired hot water heater was running and the furnace switched on, there was insufficient oil flow to feed both, so the furnace would kick off on safety, and I'd have to hit reset. This started happening 8 years after initial installation. Even after purging the oil lines multiple times and replacing filters, it was recurring. My oil tech told me it was probably because at some point in the past, I had gotten some bad oil, and there was junk in my tank. He replumbed the oil to draw from the top of the tank. No problems since.
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PRO
CJ Mechanical of North jersey llc.
12 years ago
most often its the nozzle,oil filter,pump strainer
snoringcow
12 years ago
If you have it .... check your furnace burner manual. Beckett had a a burner or two that upping or lowering the firing rate necessitated changing the spray pattern. There would be a cross reference in the manual.... often overlooked.
berlin
12 years ago
First if there is not a filter in the line JUST before the burner put one there (I don't care if there's one near the tank, add another one) moisture and acid cause the copper fuel line to flake internally and you need a filter within 12" or so of the pump to catch as much of that as you can. second if you're using a lower gph nozzle filtration as well as electrode placement become more sensitive. Lastly, make sure you're using the correct burner heat - should be a beckett F-3 for .75 gph. The wrong head for your firing rate on a beckett will give you no end to troubles with efficiency, sooting, and maintaining a proper stable flame.

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