Waste Oil Heater Forum - Your definitive source for burning waste oil for heat.

Interesting, I might have to give it a try again myself.  I have worn out at least 2 primarys, so that would certainly help keep the hours down on my current one.

As for the float tank, I dont have any good ideas to make it better.  Like you, I started out with a CL tank, but had many problems with it and finally built a metering pump.  It works great and I highly recommend it.  Here is the topic where I discuss what I did to build it:
https://wasteoilheaterforum.com/index.php?topic=293.0

I didn't use a float tank for very long and it was warm enough that I didn't need a heater so I don't have any good ideas to share.  After dealing with the troubles I had with my tank, I decided to build a metering pump.  An SSR is a solid state relay.  I would bet that they use the relay to turn the heating element on and off to keep the tank warm somehow.  Sorry I'm not more help with that.

Good to hear you got it to keep running.  You will have to post back and let us know how it works when turning off the spark. I tried it once but didnt have very good luck so mine is on all of the time while the burner is on.

In your case you don't have an air solenoid and you don't need one.  You would use a solenoid if you had a large compressor with an air tank.  That air tank would always have air in it and if you didn't have a solenoid, the air would continue to flow, even when the burner was shut off.  In your case, you are controlling the air flow by turning your vacuum pump on and off, eliminating the need for a solenoid.  So when CK says to connect your solenoid to the valve terminals, you could just connect your compressor there instead.  The question that I am unsure about is if the valve terminals supply 110V, and if they do, would they provide enough current to start and run your vacuum pump.  I will look at my setup tonight and see if my pump is powered directly from the primary control, or if I have some sort of relay installed, I cant remember.  But in the meantime you can certainly plug and unplug it as you need.  When you plug it in, it should be providing air to siphon the fuel.  And then if you have spark, you should have ignition.  Now, as to why it is shutting down shortly after it starts, it seems like a safety kicking in somewhere.  Do you have a display on your control that indicates what might be happening?

Greetings MGerdau.  Pretty quiet in these parts since other collaborative methods have come along, for example Facebook groups.  I cant help you out with your particular problem, but just wanted to say that I have had the same problem with water in oil from certain sources.  People dont really care about waste oil and often times comes contaminated.  Water can be a real bummer, but thankfully it separates easily.  Good luck with your project!

Good to see flame, but bummer to hear that it doesn't keep going.  If no air solenoid, how are you starting and stopping the air flow?  There is usually a flame sensor that will shut everything down if it doesnt see a flame to prevent fuel from going everywhere.  Is it possible the sensor is not seeing the flame or otherwise not working for some reason?

Intersting, I'll have to check those videos out.

The smallest one I have seen is a forced air propane furnace converted.  Its tough though be cause waste oil likes a deep chamber and any small stove is going to have a hard time with that.  I am thinking a pressure or siphon system.  Maybe a drip system would be able to be scaled down a little.  You could drip it into something small like a fish house stove.

Sounds good, so a form of a drip system?  You should be able to control the burn with the needle valve and keep temps in check.  Good luck with your project!