Oil Burner Repair Made Easy in Long Island
Learning how to bleed a burner pump is an essential part of oil burner repair. For example, if your burner pump has run out of oil, causing air to get into the fuel pump, this may cause it to malfunction. Refilling the oil tank is not going to make this problem go away. Initially, you may be provided with some heat but eventually your reset switch will kick in and turn the burner off. Now you are faced with having lots of fuel and still no heat. Thankfully, this is one problem that can be rectified quite easily.
The fuel pump is responsible for pushing oil throughout the oil burner to keep it running smoothly. Air entering the equation makes the fuel pump's job harder. If the air is not bled out properly, the fuel pump will cease to function.
The pump is usually found at the right side of the burner. It is an, approximately, three inch high black box. On the bottom right of that box is a small nipple like protrusion that you will need a wrench to open; turn it counterclockwise. Once it has been opened, place something under the box to catch the oil that will fall out and then press the reset button to bleed the air from the pump.
If this method fails to remove all the air from the pump the first time, you will have to do it again. Make sure to close the valve while you are waiting for the reset button to prime or face getting air sucked back into the pump again.
When performing your oil burner repair, you will know that you have finished when there is a steady stream of oil coming out of the bleeder valve. Once this occurs, close the valve and the burner should fire. If this doesn't happen, then there may be something else wrong with your unit. Another common problem that affects burners that run out of oil is getting clogged with sludge, which can lead to other issues.
It is important to note, while performing your oil burner repair, that it might take going through this process a few times before you get all the air out of your unit. However, if you follow the simple instructions above, everything should work out just fine. Domino Oil Burner Service performs a full range of oil burner services, boiler repair, furnace repair and heating system maintenance.
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When to Call Instead of Bleeding It Yourself
Call if the burner has locked out more than once, if you smell oil, if the tank ran dry and the filter is more than a year old, or if you are not sure which fitting is the bleed port. A technician bleeds the line, replaces the filter and strainer if they pulled sludge from the tank bottom, checks the nozzle and restarts the burner in one visit.
Keeping It From Happening Again
Order heating oil at a quarter tank, or set up automatic delivery with Domino Fuel so the tank is filled before it runs low. A tank that never runs dry never needs bleeding.