Any central heating epxerts on here - oil fired Riello burner

[RogerS]

..

Sometime you can chase these type of problems around for age's getting cold and frustrated, in the end it's cheaper to by a new burner unit, about £300.00, look on the Riello web site they have a comprehensive chart to show the replacement burner for most boilers: riello burner - Google Search

That's what my wife suggested!

 

[RogerS]

My money was on the control box. That was changed this morning. Lockout occurred about an hour after.

 

[MikeJhn]

Stop messing about, go here: RDB REPLACEMENT GUIDE | Riello Burners

But have you checked for water in the oil? Easy to check, take off the oil outlet pipe from the pump, put into a container and push lockout button, it will lock out again, but if the oil comes out frothy you have water in the oil, alternatively, take the bottom off your filter and pour the contents into a container, you should see the oil floating on top of the water.

https://spaldings.co.uk/products/sp...icants-accessories/tank-drying-absorbent-sock

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Stop messing about, go here: RDB REPLACEMENT GUIDE | Riello Burners

But have you checked for water in the oil? Easy to check, take off the oil outlet pipe from the pump, put into a container and push lockout button, it will lock out again, but if the oil comes out frothy you have water in the oil, alternatively, take the bottom off your filter and pour the contents into a container, you should see the oil floating on top of the water.

https://spaldings.co.uk/products/sp...icants-accessories/tank-drying-absorbent-sock

If it’s anything like my oil burner, lockouts can be unbelievably frustrate as mine has several sensors that can call a lockout, but only one error code (a red light). I had similar issues two years ago, and my servicing chap swapped out virtually everything, one at a time by way of testing, and no charge where they didn’t result in success. It took about a year in the end to nail it. There was apparently an almost invisible fault in an exhaust gasket which resulted in the air intake sucking in some exhaust. The usual exhaust readings were fine . A new gasket later it works fine.

 

[MikeJhn]

That would be a balanced flue burner which requirers the gas's to be checked at two different access points. I would question your service engineer as the only gasket that could cause that is the one between the burner and main burning chamber, only accessed during their servicing!!!

Reillo burners whether balanced or with a conventional flue are very reliable, I have been servicing mine for the last 30+ years and have always been able to keep it running at believe it or not over 80% efficiency, currently at 86%, this is from the printed read out from my professional Testo gas analyser.

 

[RogerS]

So my CH chap came this morning. We replaced the control box. Ran fine. He left. Hour later. Lockout. Reset OK but 20 minutes later….lockout.

He’s just left. He came back and we changed the control box back, replaced the photocell - nothing obviously wrong with it. No crud on the end. Replaced the solenoid because as they age they can be a bit ‘analog…y’ ie they gradually lose their strength and slowly drop and cutting off the fuel supply. Nothing wrong with the oil flow and no signs of water etc.

Fingers crossed.

I have my Nest cam pointing at it and called up on my phone so I can see if it locksout.

 

[Spectric]

Sounds like you have changed everything that could be changed without replacing the whole unit so fingers crossed. Another thought here, you say in the eternally wet north so is there any chance of water in the oil ?

 

[MikeJhn]

Replaced the solenoid because as they age they can be a bit ‘analog…y’ ie they gradually lose their strength and slowly drop and cutting off the fuel supply.

This is what he has told you, they either work or they don't, get in another engineer, they are running you around in circles and presumably charging you for every visit, add up the cost so far and put that against the cost of a new burner, sometime YOH could be right.

 

[MikeJhn]

Sounds like you have changed everything that could be changed without replacing the whole unit so fingers crossed. Another thought here, you say in the eternally wet north so is there any chance of water in the oil ?

There's an echo in here.

 

[RogerS]

Sounds like you have changed everything that could be changed without replacing the whole unit so fingers crossed. Another thought here, you say in the eternally wet north so is there any chance of water in the oil ?

Checked OK

 

[RogerS]

This is what he has told you, they either work or they don't, get in another engineer, they are running you around in circles and presumably charging you for every visit, add up the cost so far and put that against the cost of a new burner, sometime YOH could be right.

That's a very unfair comment. You know nothing about him nor how he does or more often than not does not charge. For example, we put the old control box back and he will take the new one back.

 

[MikeJhn]

Not unfair at all, solenoid's do not get weak, they either work or don't, do let us know when you have drained all the condensation water out of the tank it it starts working properly, of if you replace the Riello burner, I tried to be helpful, but I suggested three times to check the water content of your tank and you ignored my comments, but one comment from Spektric and you say it's checked I am obviously wasting my time posting, I'm out.

 

[RogerS]

Not unfair at all, solenoid's do not get weak, they either work or don't, do let us know when you have drained all the condensation water out of the tank it it starts working properly, of if you replace the Riello burner, I tried to be helpful, but I suggested three times to check the water content of your tank and you ignored my comments, but one comment from Spektric and you say it's checked I am obviously wasting my time posting, I'm out.

Oooh....I do hope Teddy didn't hurt his head too much.

I am so, so sorry that I didn't acknowledge your suggestion of water in the fuel. Mea culpa.

You conveniently glossed over in my reply exactly why I thought your comment was unfair. So I will give you chapter and verse...

You said "get in another engineer, they are running you around in circles and presumably charging you for every visit,". Well, I think that if that is your attitue when dealing with the trades down where you live then I am not surprised that that is your experience. Up here we do things differently. Find a good tradesman and get to know them, treat them well and with respect. That's what we do. Then when you need a trade in a different skills area, you ask them for a recommendation. Simply because they have worked with most of them....our population density up here is refreshingly low and chances are most people know everyone else. They won't recommend a muppet.

I have known and worked with John and his son since we moved up here seven years ago They do NOT invoice me for every little washer or charge for every visit. You missed that bit. Neither do they charge for everything fitted because they in return have developed a good working relationship with the local suppliers and simply return it.

It's a good way of developing relationships. Try it sometime.

 

[MikeJhn]

 

[HamsterJam]

I would suggest either a sooted up flame sensing photocell or a knackered flame sensing flame sensor.
I cleaned mine and it worked but sooted up again....changed the jet and it ran OK for a couple of years again.
Of course it depends on the sensing system and model but try that first.

That makes sense. We have an oil fired Rayburn with pressure-jet burners (Ecoflam rather Reillo though). The jets are changed annually as part of the servicing which is per the manufacturer’s recommendation. I asked the service technician why this is necessary and he advised that heating oil (28 sec kerosene) is quite abrasive and the jets wear leading to poor combustion efficiency and sooting up of the optical flame sensors.

 

[Spectric]

is quite abrasive and the jets wear leading to poor combustion efficiency

That is no different to diesel injectors where any wear effects the spray pattern and atomisation of the fuel so makes sense to replace, but they could be made from a better material that would last longer.

 

[HamsterJam]

That is no different to diesel injectors

but they could be made from a better material that would last longer.

Agreed but they don’t so they have to be changed regularly. Not a huge cost fortunately. It also means it gets a safety check which keeps the house insured.

 

[mc281]

Oooh....I do hope Teddy didn't hurt his head too much.

I am so, so sorry that I didn't acknowledge your suggestion of water in the fuel. Mea culpa.

You conveniently glossed over in my reply exactly why I thought your comment was unfair. So I will give you chapter and verse...

You said "get in another engineer, they are running you around in circles and presumably charging you for every visit,". Well, I think that if that is your attitue when dealing with the trades down where you live then I am not surprised that that is your experience. Up here we do things differently. Find a good tradesman and get to know them, treat them well and with respect. That's what we do. Then when you need a trade in a different skills area, you ask them for a recommendation. Simply because they have worked with most of them....our population density up here is refreshingly low and chances are most people know everyone else. They won't recommend a muppet.

I have known and worked with John and his son since we moved up here seven years ago They do NOT invoice me for every little washer or charge for every visit. You missed that bit. Neither do they charge for everything fitted because they in return have developed a good working relationship with the local suppliers and simply return it.

It's a good way of developing relationships. Try it sometime.

Well said Roger!

 

[HOJ]

When I worked on oil boilers I always checked the oil pump pressure with a gauge, that would determine if the solenoid was operating and if the oil pump was possibly faulty, you fit the the gauge, fire it up and wait and watch to see if the firing sequence was happening. IIRC you should see about 110 psi. (pressure should be checked on a service anyway)

Oil pressure gauge along with one of these: Manifold

Trouble is the price of a replacement pump is getting on for £100.00.

There are other way's of testing an oil burner but I wont outline them on here as you do need to know what your doing.

 

[Spectric]

Trouble is the price of a replacement pump is getting on for £100.00.

Is that then time to just replace the whole unit, sods law says that fit new pump and something else will fail but a new unit resets everything to being the same age.