Riello kerosene boiler firing up and stopping intermittently

Pat HQ

Registered User
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3
Hello all,

I am faced with a Riello kerosene boiler which

a) starts as it were of its own volition at odd moments, although I currently have it on constant mode,

b) when it does fire up, stops after five minutes (normal cycle is ca 20min),

and c) is sending zero hot water into the pipes. Normally the sound of water getting pumped in the radiator pipes is the first thing I hear, even before combustion starts in the boiler. In this case absolutely nothing.

There is something like 300 l. in the tank, the pipes from the tank to the burner are new.

Also worth noting, the button of the igniter box of the burner does not light up in red, and the button does not react for manual firing: I press it, nothing happens. In other words -- though this is clearly not where the issue is, since the boiler does fire up and work for several minutes -- I couldn't even bleed the system if I wanted to.

I am thinking maybe the water pumping system is out of order. In my reckoning this could be the reason why the burner stops short of a full cycle: no water coming through, so no heat dissipation through the water circulation, so the system stops itself to prevent overheating in the chamber, or something to that effect.

I would welcome any hint as to what I could do to get the system up and running.

Many thanks in advance.
Regards

Patrick
 
If you turn the thermostat up does it change the cycle lengths ? Sounds like the pump is gone . Replaced mine recently think it cost around 280 fitted
 
Hi Pat. I was trying to restart a burner at work after the tank had ran out and had been refilled.
I tried bleeding it first and pressing the restart button on the side of the burner but it didn't restart it as in previous attempts.
There was a white box nearby with what looked like a fuse holder coming out the side. I screwed off the cover and there was a small push button switch inside which i pressed and then everything started working again.
 
If you turn the thermostat up does it change the cycle lengths ? Sounds like the pump is gone . Replaced mine recently think it cost around 280 fitted
Thanks for the info on price. Always good to know. I do think it's the pump.
 
Hi Pat. I was trying to restart a burner at work after the tank had ran out and had been refilled.
I tried bleeding it first and pressing the restart button on the side of the burner but it didn't restart it as in previous attempts.
There was a white box nearby with what looked like a fuse holder coming out the side. I screwed off the cover and there was a small push button switch inside which i pressed and then everything started working again.
That's interesting, thanks. I don't think my boiler has the fuse box you mention, but I'll look again. So far it is starting up, though, the boiler is trying hard to get the cycle going. It seems to be that the water is not flowing, which is likely to require a more complicated repair.
 
It does sound like the pump is gone alright. The boiler is firing fine, but as soon as it heats the water in its tank ,the thermostat in the boiler cuts it out. This is borne out by the fact that the reset /igniter switch is fine as well. The switch will only trip if there is a problem with the oil firing, not the water temperature.
And the fact that you don't hear the pump/water circulating when it starts up (like you used to) is further evidence.

If you can see the pump (mine is around a foot away from the boiler in the boiler house), you can feel it to see if it is working. It should normally have a slight detectable vibration when operating. Also, you can check the heat of the pipes on either side of it. If the side away from the boiler is noticeably cooler, then it is further proof. Also check the heat of the outlet pipe from the (top of the ) boiler, that should be hot as the hot water is pushed out by the pump. You can also try when the boiler fires, you should feel the hotter water travelling along the outlet pipe on top of the boiler.
 
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