CLEAN BURN CB1400

[MARKTB]

GOOD MORNING,
                         MY CLEAN BURN HAS BEEN RUNNING LIKE A CHARM SINCE 2004 WITH NORMAL PERIODIC MAINTENANCE.BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT.ALL OF A SUDDEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS HEATING SEASON,IT STARTED SPUTTERING,LIKE MAYBE SOMEONE HAD DONATED SOME NOT SO GOOD FUEL TO ME.THE OIL PRESSURE GUAGE WOULD FLUCTUATE TO 4 PSI AND THEN DROP TO ZERO AND THEN SHUT DOWN.IT WOULD TRY TO RESTART,BUT I WOULD HAVE TO GET UP THERE TO MESS WITH THE PRESSURE ADJUSTER UNTIL IT FIRED.ONCE IT GOT TO TEMPERATURE,IT WOULD SHUT DOWN ,AND NEVER STAY RUNNING ON A RESTART WHEN TEMP IN SHOP DROPPED TO CALL FOR HEAT.SO FAR ,IT HAS HAD COMPLETE FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM CLEANED STARTING WITH SCREEN ON TANK PIPE.I EVEN TOOK HEATER BLOCK ASSEMBLY OUT OF BURNER HOUSING,REMOVED ALL  PLUGS,SOAKED IN SOLVENT,RAN A LONG DRILL THROUGH ALL THE PORTS,REASSEMBLED,INSTALLED,AND I GAINED NO IMPROVEMENT.STILL GOING ON THE IDEA OF "BAD FUEL",I DISCONNECTED THE TANK FEED AND I NOW AM TRYING TO RUN THE BURNER FROM A TANK OF BRAND NEW #2 FUEL OIL.NO CHANGE IN PERFORMANCE!SO,THAT PRETTY  MUCH ELIMINATES  THE BAD FUEL THEORY.
           I PUT A NEW PRIMARY CONTROL ON IT BECAUSE THE RED RESET BUTTON HAD LOST PIECES,AND I FIGURED THAT SEEN AS HOW THIS FURNACE HAS BEENFLAWLESS,I DIDN'T MIND REPLACING IT.I INSTALLED A NEWER CARLIN PRIMARY WITH  A DIGITAL READOUT FOR FAULTS.IT'S ALSO PROGRAMMABLE,AND STORES FAULT CODE HISTORY.WHEN THE HEATER SHUTS DOWN,FIRST IT READS "VALVE",AND THEN "NO MOTOR LOAD".I ASSUME THIS IS BECAUSE IT HAS NO OIL PRESSURE BECAUSE OF PUMP MOTOR SHUTDOWN.IN TAKING THINGS APART NUMEROUS TIMES IT HAS GOTTEN A NEW CAD CELL AND WIRES,A NEW IGNITOR,NEW ELECTRODE BECAUSE TIPS WERE PRETTY BURNED AFTER 10 YEARS.IT ALSO GOT A NEW PROVING SWITCH ON THE HEATER BLOCK BECAUSE THE BASE BROKE OFF DISASSEMBLING THE BLOCK FOR CLEANING.I DON'T THINK I'VE MISSED A THING,BUT IT STILL WON'T STAY RUNNING MORE THAN A MINUTE(SOMETIMES 5 SECONDS,IT VARIES.)DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS?ALL RESPONSES GREATLY APPRECIATED.

[doug]

Does your clean burn have a typical fuel oil pump on it?

doug

[MARKTB]

YES DOUG,IT HAS A SUNTEC 1725 RPM PUMP.I CHECKED PRESSURE WITH A GUAGE AT IN LET PIPE.IT WAS 40 PSI.DOES NOT DROP OFF WHEN IT SHUTS DOWN(LIKE IF THE CHECK VALVE IN THE PUMP WAS STUCK)

[doug]

you have 40 psi going into the suntec pump?

[MARKTB]

SORRY,I DIDN'T SPECIFY THAT IT WAS 40 PSI OUTPUT PRESSEURE,WHIBCH IS WHAT MY PUMP IS RATED FOR ACCORDING TO SPECS.

[doug]

i was going to suggest cleaning the screen in the suntec pump, but that didn't seem the problem. have you disassembled and cleaned the nozzle or replace the nozzle?

[MARKTB]

OH YEAH,I HAVE HAD EVERY PIECE APART TO CLEAN IT,STARTING WITH TANK SCREEN.I EVEN REMOVED THE COMPLETE BLOCK HEATER ASSEMBLY AND CLEANED ALL THE CARBON OUT OF IT.ALL THE HEATER DOES IS FIRE UP FOR A SECOND(2 AT MOST),THEN SHUT DOWN.IT RECYCLES OVER AND OVER,DOING THE SAME THING EVERY TIME.WHEN IT DOES FIRE FOR THAT SHORT TIME,I OBSERVE A NICE FLAME THROUGH THE INSPECTION DOOR.I'M BEGINNING TO LEAN MORE TOWARDS AN IGNITION PROBLEM,BECAUSE I HAVE FUEL GETTING THROUGH THE NOZZLE.I THINK MAYBE IT'S NOT MAINTAINING SPARK ONCE IT FIRES,BUT I HAVE TRIED TO REPROGRAM THE PRIMARY A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS WITH THE SAME RESULT.THE ONLY PROBLEM THIS HEATER HAS EVER GIVEN ME A PROBLEM OVER THE YEARS WAS CAUSED BY BAD DONOR FUEL.NOW I GIVE IT SOME GOOD MAINTENANCE,AND IT WON'T STAY RUNNING!GO FIGURE.ANY OTHER THOUGHTS?

[doug]

here's a guy testing the transformer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qFTRItYGXw

you might try putting your old cad cell back in.

[doug]

here's the manual and the troubleshooting on page 10-3 or 10-4 sounds like your issue.

http://www.cleanburn.com/dealers/library/BOOK%20CB_1400.pdf

[ShopSpecialties]

Sounds like you are sucking air or possibly a set screw came loose on the pump coupler.

[MARKTB]

THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTION.I ACTUALLY TESTED THE PUMP PRESSURE WITH A GUAGE A FEW WEEKS AGO,AND I HAVE 40 PSI AT THE LINE ENTERING THE BURNER,AND IT DOESN'T FALL OFF AT ALL WHEN RESTING.I DID HAVE A PROBLEM LAST YEAR WITH A SET SCREW ON THE COUPLER,SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I CHECKED EARLY ON.I HAVE ADJUSTED THE PUMP PRESSURE JUST AS CLEAN BURN SUGGESTS IN OPERATORS MANUAL.
   I AM BEGINNING TO THINK I AM HAVING AN IGNITION FAILURE BECAUSE I ACTUALLY AM BUILDING A PUDDLE OF FUEL IN THE BOTTOM OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER.I PERIODICALLY LIGHT IT OFF WITH A PROPANE TORCH TO BURN OFF THE EXCESS.SO I KNOW IT GETS PLENTY OF FUEL.THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT FIRES INSTANTLY,BUT DOES NOT MAINTAIN THE FLAME.THE PRIMARY JUST RECYCLES OVER AND OVER WITH A TOTAL FLAME TIME OF 1-2 SECONDS.IT'S LIKE SOMEONE IS TURNING A LIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF OVER AND OVER.I THOUGHT  THE UPGRADE TO A DIGITAL READOUT PRIMARY CONTROL WOULD BE HELPFUL,BUT IT'S NOT SHOWING ANY FAULTS ON THE READOUT.IT SHOWS THE IGNITOR WORKING,THE CAD CELL SEES A FLAME,BUT IT JUST WON'T MAINTAIN A FLAME.

[ShopSpecialties]

I am a Clean Burn distributor here in Montana. You have posted earlier the oil pressure would drop, was that before the Primary locked it out ?
The oil pressure gauge on the burner needs to remain steady, if it is bouncing up and down you are sucking air, it keeps building pressure you have a restriction past the regulator.

The digital readout Primary is useless and regular old ones work great. You have spark so it is not the igniter.

When it does fire for those couple of seconds what does the flame look like ?

Clean Burn recommends burner rebuilds every year with a service kit installed. I recommend every 2-3 years with a service kit as long as you turn the power off in the Summer. I make sure the inside of the preheat block is shiny in every passage otherwise any carbon left behind will break loose and cause a restriction. This also includes the solenoid, regulator bodies and nozzle holder all need to scrubbed shiny on the inside.

9x out of 10 it is usually not a part failure but some little simple thing that causes a problem. 

[MARKTB]

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR REPLY! I HAVE HAD EVERY PART OFF AND HAVE CLEANED THEM THOROUGHLY(I REMOVE EVERY SET SCREW FROM THE BLOCK).I FELT THAT I HAD SUFFICIENTLY CLEANED ALL THE PATHS THAT OIL TRAVELS THROUGH,BUT MAYBE I MISSED SOME AND I'LL HAVE TO RECHECK ALL OVER.BUT,AS I STATED PREVIOUSLY,I DON'T THINK IT'S LACK OF FUEL,BECAUSE AFTER NUMEROUS TIMES OF TRYING TO FIRE,I HAVE FUEL LAYING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER THAT I HAVE TO IGNITE WITH A PROPANE TORCH TO LET IT BURN OFF.IN ANSWER TO YOU QUESTION OF "WHAT'S THE FLAME LOOK LIKE"?EVERY TIME IT FIRES,IT IS ANICELY SHAPED FLAME THAT EXTENDS ABOUT HALFWAY UP THE CHAMBER(NO LONGER THAN 1/2 EVER).WHEN YOU SAY THE CARLIN  DIGITAL READOUT IS USELESS,DID YOU MEAN THEY HAVE A HIGH FAILURE RATE,OR IT'S JUST OVERKILL FOR THIS APPLICATION?CARLIN SAYS IT'S A UNIVERSAL REPLACEMENT FOR THE ORIGINAL TYPE.

[ShopSpecialties]

That newer Carlin does not do anything more than the old style except cost more money. Simple is better.

It takes only a small amount of air to cause problems. 1 or 2 little spit/sputter the flame goes out then lock out.

When you jumper the cad cell and open the bleeder screw on the pump that oil flow needs to be smooth and steady. Just the smallest of burps will cause problems.

[MARKTB]

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.I'LL GO OUT AND RECHECK THAT.I'LL LET YOU KNOW HOW I MAKE OUT.