Author Topic: Oil pressure regulator  (Read 28872 times)

ajparry89

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Oil pressure regulator
« on: February 18, 2019, 07:26:46 am »
Hey everybody, I have an old style Clean Burn waste oil heater, bolted onto an old old coal boiler - something i inherited with the purchase of a property.   anyways, I think i could use a new oil pressure regulator - for one thing, my gauge is not working at all, and plus, i constantly have to adjust the pressure, i think its cutting in and out.  so my question is, where should i shop for one?  im guessing i dont have to get it straight from clean burn, i feel like that might be an expensive route?  any aftermarket ones available?  sites to shop?  im relatively new to burning waste oil, this is only my second year, and I haven't purchased anything for it yet! haha.   

thanks for the help!

ShopSpecialties

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2019, 01:21:41 pm »
So last Fall when I recommended you do a burner rebuild and install a service kit did you do that ?

On these old style burners the oil solenoid is before the preheat block so as the oil gets warmer/cooler oil pressure will fluctuate. Also make sure you are not sucking any air and have a constant steady supply of oil to the burner.

ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #2 on: February 18, 2019, 04:42:25 pm »
No i did not do that yet.  I have all the information saved on my phone, though, for when i am ready.  I have not used it much this year at all, and didnt have the money in the start of the season.   well, still dont lol.   I actually thought about using my tax money and buying something totally different, like a heating oil boiler, for when i am away and not burning coal, which is why i did not invest the money in the waste oil burner, but now i am probably not making that investment right now.   

Ok, well the pressure regulator I am talking about, is external, right as the oil comes into the burner, and there is a knob to adjust it.  I was told by previous owner, that it should be set so the smoke coming out the chimney is clear (because the gauge doesnt work) so that is where i have kept it set.  but then there are times that it seems starving, or suddenly pouring oil, and the smoke is very black, and i need to adjust it.  sometimes it trips off, and i wonder if its cause of improper oil pressure, etc.   

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #3 on: February 18, 2019, 07:21:16 pm »
Oil gauges are cheap and easy to change.

Like I said in my previous post oil pressure will fluctuate on these old style burners due to the location of the oil solenoid. With cold oil you will have to turn up the pressure so it flows enough through the small holes in the oil solenoid. Then after that oil warms up it flows easy through the oil solenoid so your flame grows and you adjust your oil pressure down.

The more consistent temp you can keep your oil storage at the less the pressure will fluctuate. Also big changes in oil viscosity will have an effect on oil pressure.

ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2019, 06:49:08 am »
Ok.  I understand initially that the pressure will need adjusted as the oil heats up inside the block.  but then after that, mine still constantly needs adjusted.  or it just shuts off.   i use it when I am going to be away for a day or more.  I get it running fine well before I am leaving, like 12-24hrs before hand it works the whole time before i leave.  but then when i come back home i find it tripped off and the house is cold - thankfully no broken pipe situations yet haha.   when i come back home, i turn it back on, and usually it fires up fine - maybe a slight adjust of oil pressure initially, but it works fine.  So i am trying to find out why it keeps tripping off, so it can become something a little more reliable.   

You think it may be a viscosity issue?  My oil is stored inside, in the furnace room.  if its a viscosity issue, then i cant do anything about that.   

what about this filter, pictured?  I was told that as long as the gauge didnt get into the red then i didnt need to do anything.  but the gauge has never moved in two winters, so i wonder if that is even working.  should this filter be replaced?  cleaned?  removed? (I also have a large spin on filter in the line - are two filters necessary?)

Next question, last week I took the nozzle off to clean it, and i must have bumped the two points (whatever exactly they are called, im not sure, the two points where the spark arks across) because it wouldnt fire after that.  So i pushed them a little closer, and then they worked.    Is there a way to measure or know if they are set right?  or as long as its sparking and igniting the flame,  is that good enough? 

thanks for your help shopspecialties, and anybody else!

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2019, 09:10:46 am »
When the power is on the preheat block is always maintaining temp as determined by the adjustable block thermostat. The oil solenoid is BEFORE the preheat block so with this burner you will always have some fluctuation in oil pressure.

Your suction side plumbing is a mess with way to many connections where you could suck air. The spin-on filter is not necessary. Plumb it the way I showed you to ensure you are not sucking air and make cleaning the filters easy.

Yes, electrodes need to be adjusted properly.


ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2019, 01:48:51 pm »
Awesome, thank you for the information shopspecialties! 

Ok so are you saying, that it is normal that i continually 'manually' adjust the oil pressure by turning the external knob?  I get it that the oil pressure will fluctuate.  but i feel like it fluctuates to the point that causes it to trip off.  is that normal?  or do i just need to be standing by all the time to correct it?  I guess what im asking is, if this was running ok, should it run all by itself for days without needing tweaked? 

Ok, I will work on the plumbing, and eliminate that spin filter, and redo the lines, and adjust the electrodes.   

does the other filter look right?   is there something else that you would recommend? 

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2019, 07:38:40 pm »
Lets start off by getting a working oil gauge to help diagnose what exactly is going on. Then you can watch the gauge to see if it is a slow fluctuate or a sucking air bouncing up/down.

The Lenz filter is good and is there a 3/4" check valve and pickup screen ?

Obviously a burner rebuild would be high on that list also.

Start getting all these little things right then see if we can find a happy medium with the settings so it runs all the time with just small occasional touch ups. 

ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2019, 07:04:27 am »
I do not see a check valve or a pick-up screen.   is the pick-up screen separate from that filter?  would the check valve be in the line somewhere? - if so, then i dont see one.    just copper tubing into that filter, then into the motor, then into the spin filter, then over to the furnace.   


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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #9 on: February 20, 2019, 08:50:04 am »
The pickup screen goes in the tank to stop the big chunks and the check valve screws onto it to keep the oil from draining back after the burner shuts off.

ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2019, 01:22:16 pm »
Ok, that I do not know, I have not pulled the line out, but I am pretty sure no, because it is just copper tubing going down into the tank.   where should i get one of those?

question, does the oil furnace itself actually suck the oil, or is it just the pump doing the work of sucking out of the tank/pumping to the furnace? 

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #11 on: February 20, 2019, 06:23:24 pm »
Your Clean Burn dist should have these parts, #32061 screen $16.90 and #32021 check valve $22.90

The pump delivers the oil to the burner.

ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #12 on: February 21, 2019, 07:25:07 am »
Great, thanks for the help!

Ok, so the only place for it to be sucking air would be between the pump and the tank, correct?

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #13 on: February 21, 2019, 07:40:41 pm »
The pump itself can suck air and at every fitting from it to whatever is at the end of the line. That is why I always keep the suction side short and simple with as few fittings as possible.

ajparry89

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Re: Oil pressure regulator
« Reply #14 on: September 14, 2019, 10:20:06 am »
Ok time to bring this back!  I have purchased my rebuild kit, part number 70158 for my old style clean burn burner.  I also have a new screen and check valve for inside the tank, a new oil pressure gauge, and a new external regulator that mounts right outside of my burner.  The plan is to redo all my plumbing, i am going to move my pump to the top of my tank, with the cartridge filter right before it (should that be opened up and cleaned?  any special method to cleaning that?)  and then plumb it over to the burner.  it is Ok for the oil line to go up to the ceiling and then back down to the burner?  because it has to cross my walk way in the room. 

next question..any special process, or tips, for rebuilding this?  I am very mechanically inclined, in fact, I am a mechanic...that doesnt mean i know everything about a waste oil burner, but I am very capable of taking something apart and putting it back together with common sense, but I also have to common sense to ask first if there are details that I should know, things i should touch, etc, or if there is even a write up about how to rebuild it step by step.   I do have the diagram for the spacing of the electrodes, but that is all I have

just as a refresher, I have also included a couple pictures of my kit, and my burner, etc.

thanks for all the help guys!