WallStar oil boiler diagnosis

[Calvin]

Hi,

My WallStar oil boiler (through-the-wall but otherwise conventional, non-co ndensing, not "system") has developed a fault which I feel is probably easy to fix if someone can help me understand how it's meant to work...

It locks out at some point but then is quite happy to start again if I pres s the lockout button (inside the outer cover on the burner itself). I've b een "playing" and I get the feeling that it behaves itself better if the te mperature control is set lower, although at the moment that's just my impre ssion. I wondered if the flow rate might be compromised somehow (maybe pump going faulty) but I can't hear any kettling.

Any ideas or pointers anyone? Please.

[Michael Chare]

Dirty photcell? The jet should be changed regularly to avoid this (i.e. every 1 or 2 years)

Blocked filter in the oil supply. The filters also need to be changed regularly. Say ever 2 years.

Burner lockouts which you cancel by pressing a button on the burner itself are generally caused by the flame going out. This is not a water side problem.

Normally the boiler will stop when it gets to a specific temperature. If that thermostat does not work there is generally a 2nd thermostat which may have to be reset if it is tripped.

Do you have installation and maintenance manuals for the boiler and the burner? You may be able to download them if you don't

[Dave Liquorice]

I don't know that particular boiler but oil burners are generally bog simple. I doubt very much that temperature control is directly related to the lockout.

Lockouts occur when the control system in the burner thinks the flame has gone out and after trying to reingnite it for a few seconds thinks it hasn't succeeded. The flame detection uses a photocell and these can get sooted up, hence the use of the word "thinks" above. When was the burner last cleaned and serviced?

Of course you have checked that there is oil in the tank, that all valves are properly open (don't forget the fire valve), that filters/valves aren't blocked and that you have oil not oil/water at the burner.

Remember oil floats on water. So water sinks in oil, to collect at low points in the pipework. Has there been a frost? The water can freeze in the pipes blocking or at least obstructing it. Spent half a day getting the ice/slush out of our feed pipe a few winters back. not nice with a foot of snow on the ground. Then another half a day clearing all the gunge that had been dislodged out of the fire valve and filter ... Have now dewatered the tank and have a glass bowl filter to trap, and make visible, any water that does leave the tank before it enters the pipework.

[Calvin]

Thanks Michael and Dave,

From some reading around and standing outside listening to it I've pretty m uch convinced myself that it's not a waterside or thermostat problem.

I have to admit that it's some time (ahem!) since it was serviced so dirt/s oot on the photocell would be quite a possibility. It was installed about

17 years ago (doesn't time fly!) and I'm sensing that fuel starvation due t o the oil pump wearing out is quite a popular fault on these boilers after a much shorter time than that. That might fit with the runs-for-a-bit-then

-stops nature of the problem.

Having seen the dates on my old paperwork I think I owe it a service so I g uess I'll get someone in to repair and service it at the same time - and br ace myself for the inevitable list of other worn out bits to be taken into consideration!

[Michael Chare]

Alas, oil boilers do need regular servicing as you get a build up of dirt inside also the parts I have mentioned do need to be changed regularly - as I have found out!

[Dave Liquorice]

Could be but I wouldn't like to say that. Our burner (Rielo I think, there is less than a handful of burner makers) is of a similar vintage and seems fine.

As yours has not been serviced for "a while" it could just be a worn jet not atomising the oil well enough for a weak spark due to eroded electrodes not igniting it reliably and soot on the photocell not helping.

[MM]

Be prepared for some heavy reading, Calvin! I was exactly where you are a year ago. I'm digging our the Usenet links right now. It was a veritable litany of problems that persisted off and on for six weeks until the boiler was fixed. By the way, you don't state what model of Wallstar yours is. Mine is a Wallstar 55 and approximately 10 years old.

Watch this space!

MM

[MM]

Correction: My boiler is Wallstar 15/20.

MM

[MM]

Read the posts at the links below to uk.d-i-y.

In short, the problem turned out to be the pump. But read 'em anyway, because it should give you great insight into the boiler's various key components, any of which, if failed, will cause a major problem.

My boiler, once fixed with the new pump and fire valve, has been running now for a year (touch wood!) without any problem whatsoever.

Curious behaviour of my Wallstar boiler

$2055|sort:relevance/uk.d-i-y/afYgAiKfriE/Z2kMomaBMe0J

My ongoing, intermittent Wallstar oil boiler problem AGAIN!

$2055|sort:relevance/uk.d-i-y/1xhGMjcNRvE/tnbgdQZyMw0J

Fxed at last! My Wallstar 15/20 oil boiler is now working properly

$2055|sort:relevance/uk.d-i-y/dUtvuK75JhA/jjmZxMoWh7QJ

MM

[Michael Chare]

I have struggled to get google group searches to work.

What web page did you go to for the google groups search?

[Judith]

how many children do you have

when are you moving to germany

[MM]

groups.google.com

MM

[Michael Chare]

Thanks, for some reason it does not work properly with Mozilla Firefox.

[Bob Eager]

Works fine on Firefox for me.

[Michael Chare]

Thanks. It works on my laptop but not on my desktop. No obvious software difference!

[Michael Chare]

Resetting Firefox solved the problem. Thank you google.

[Calvin]

condensing, not "system") has developed a fault which I feel is probably ea sy to fix if someone can help me understand how it's meant to work...

ess the lockout button (inside the outer cover on the burner itself). I've been "playing" and I get the feeling that it behaves itself better if the temperature control is set lower, although at the moment that's just my imp ression.

g faulty) but I can't hear any kettling.

Well it's all sorted now, thanks to my boiler man. He diagnosed a dodgy so lenoid which was failing open circuit when it got hot, it sounded like a gu ess based on lots of experience and sure enough fitting a new one has fixed it.

The diagnosis was made on Friday but it wasn't until today that he was free to fix it and over the weekend I found that if the boiler temp was set to really low (like about 45 degrees) it just about kept going without locking out. That's probably not too good for a non-condensing boiler in the long term but I figured that it would be OK for a few days.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.

[123456colesdave]

Am looking for a insurances company to give me a cover plan do you know any body so I can insure it

Thanks dave