Bled boiler but now cant get rid of kerosene smell in house.

L

Lambchops

Registered User
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96
Hi,

I got 1000L of home heating oil (kerosene) delivered last week. I had to bleed the boiler (as it was airlocked) but all went okay.

The only problem now is that I can't get rid of the smell of kerosene fom the house - anyone got any ideas?

Thx :)
 
Are you sure after bleeding the burner that you haven't left a leak?

How much oil did you spill when bleeding?

cat litter is good for soaking up spills, as for the smell, it may linger if it
soaked into the floor, all you could do is mask it
 
be careful of these fumes especially if you have young kids in the house, open windows and keep the door of the room closed.
 
Thanks guys. I have no kids or pets so it's only me who will die from the fumes :D

No the oil was bled into a little cup so none spilt onto the floor...it is just lingering in the air and you can smell it from the hall now :( suppose Im never there during the day so the place isn't getting a good airing - maybe that's all it needs?
 
If you still have a strong smell of oil, you definitely have a weap of oil somewhere. Remove the burner cover, check in detail around the underside of the oil pump (on the left hand side of pump if its a Riello burner) and also check the point where you have bled the oil from, make sure it is tight. Feel everywhere with your hand or a dry tissue and see if wettens. Even a slight drip will gather over time, especially since this is only happening since you bled the burner.
 
Also look at where the pipe enters the house, where the outer plastic coating stops, as you just had a fill of fuel, possibly the delivery driver disturbed the tank fitting, it can leak and run the whole length of the pipe between the pipe and coating and end up inside the house.

As Shane suggests, check everywhere at your burner and pipework for any wetness, the smell from you initial bleed should be long gone by now, the fact you can now smell it in you hall suggests a small leak somewhere

If in doubt, get someone out to check it for you, as oil can damage your house, and be exspensive to repair
 
Also check when the burner is running. It might not show a leak under gravity fed pressure but when pump pressure is activated, the leak may show itself.
 
or if a reillo g3 series burner with hydraulic air jack, check that for leaks (operate the shutter a few times) its on the rhs of the burner
 
Hey guys sorry I'm a girl so have no clue what sort of boiler etc..lol. I've just emailed a specialist plumber to try and call out tomorrow or tues evening to look at it...waiting to hear back now. Just had another look and there's defo a leak as the concrete is v wet and has leaked since I moped it up earlier :( smell is right throughout house now too. I have turned heating off at wall thermostat as afraid to put it on now! Leak seems to be coming from cable coming out at end of boiler..
 
If you are not using the system until it is fixed, turn off the oil supply at the oil tank. It's the lever usually beside the outlet from the bottom of the oil tank.

Just remember to tell the technician that you have turned off the oil at the tank.
 
Hi, you may have bled the boiler at the wrong point. Some boilers have an adjustable screw (pressure regulator) which people mistakenly use when bleeding boiler. If closed fully after bleeding, you will get a really bad smell from the boiler. The correct drain point nut is located directly below this adjustable screw. Good call to get a plumber out.
 
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