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[hrc200x]

Sorry not a OWB question but its going to be a problem if I can't get heat back on. Woke up this morning to hear the normal roar from the flame in the boiler running intermittently, finally it must have timed out and the reset button on the intermittent ignition oil primary tripped. I pushed to reset it, boiler started and ran fine for maybe 3 mintues and started missing and cutting out like it did before. Temp is 10 degrees F, but this is warm compared to our last 5 days where high temps have been single digits and lows to -15. Wondering if I have gelled fuel or a plugged filter, but would that make the reset button pop?

I'm on this site hoping to get a OWB next year.

[hondaracer2oo4]

Well where is your fuel tank, inside or outside? If it is outside you could possibly have a gelling issue but its really not cold enough for that I don't  believe. If the boiler runs good an then starts to cut out you could be losing fuel pressure from either a clogged filter, pump screen or nozzle. I would crack the bleeder on the pump and hit the reset button to bleed the pump. See what comes out. If its nice clean looking fuel and at a steady fast rate it may be your igniters going bad. Check the fuel pressure first and see what you get.

[slimjim]

Is your oil stored inside, how long since the boiler had a new strainer, filter and nozzle, when was it last cleaned by a pro. Are you mechanically inclined because most service guys right now are extremely busy.

[hrc200x]

ok, I did try once more, runs smooth for a couple mintues then acts up. Oil tank is outside but like you said its pretty warm out compared to what its been, its probably only 2 feet of pipe thats exposed outside before it goes inside.

I am pretty mechanically inclined, I replaced the filter and nozzle at the beginning of winter. I also cleaned it with a brush on the end of a long flexible rod at the same time.

I don't belive I have a strainer, if so where would it be? I've got a spare nozzle and filter incase this happened.

[slimjim]

There should be 4   5/16 head machine screws on the left side of the pump, turn off the oil and remove those screws, remove the cover, pay attention to the gasket placement, the strainer is inside and probably plugged with crap, you will need a new one, install the new strainer and purge the air out by normal bleeding

[hondaracer2oo4]

Just what slim said, the strainer is the pump filter. A lot of times people don't know that there is one and that it needs to be replaced periodically just like the filter off of the tank. Slight possibility of a pump that is going bad as well. When you bleed it off make sure the flow is constant and steady once it purges the air and that it has some pressure behind it.

[hrc200x]

Thanks for the input, I started with shoveling the snow away from the filter outside, while doing this the boiler started up and ran fine and has done so a couple times, but for some reason the cut out temp is up around 200 F. It used to be 185 or so. possible aquastat relay going bad?

Another question is when the boiler shuts off I can hear a hissing/percolating noise for 5-10 seconds after shut down. Does this mean there is build up in the boiler?

[Sprinter]

It almost sounds like an over fire condition, how old is the unit and does it even have a burner limit? Not the same as the aqua stat for the water temp.
When boilers shut off at their limit the temp will still rise a bit. When its oversized or an over fire it will really overshoot. How's the water flow?

[hrc200x]

Guessing its from the early to mid 90s. Weil Mclain WGO 2. I've been watching the water temp and it does rise a bit after the burner shuts off as long as a zone isn't calling for heat. I turned the aqua stat down to about 182 ( it was set at 188) and the water temp when the burner shuts off at is about 195.

Water flow through the boiler to the baseboards? How do I check that?

[hrc200x]

Checked screen before pump and it was very clean, very little black stuff in the lower corner of it, took screen out of new pump and installed it in old pump. Everything has been fine all morning as far as the boiler burner running, the over shooting of temperature seems to still be happening just not up to 200 like before because I lowered the aquastat setting.

I also tried siphoning fuel out of the bottom of the tank to see if it was going to be all water, seems to be nothing but fuel.

The burner is a Beckett AFG how to I tell if it has a burner limit?

[hoardac]

I have used ethanol in the past and stirred it with a pvc pipe in the tank, the ran a quart or so out at the filter housing finished it by installing a new filter.

[Sprinter]

I would suggest calling someone out, would be your quickest fix. Since your asking about limits.