Oil furnace troubleshoot part 2 No flame

This one covers the oil burner that has no ignition. This video is part of the heating and cooling series of training videos made to accompany my websites: www.graycoolingman.com and www.grayfurnaceman.com to pass on what I have learned in many years of service and repair. If you have suggestions or comments they are welcome.
If you are a homeowner looking to repair your own appliance, understand that the voltages can be lethal, the fuels are highly flammable and high pressures are used. Know your limits.

[@alexjordan7672]

Sir you are a life saver ..my family and i will thank you for ever no teacher could show someone with absolutely no knowledge of this the way you do it..thanks to you our hero from my family ..now we are nice and warm thanks to your selflessness kindness to post this video

[@kaybreece8701]

Glad to see you're still answering these older ones. Used this video and a couple others to keep from freezing the last few years. Had several trips from a professional last winter and my furnace starts more often than not when I flip the breaker but sometimes it doesn't and after about 4-5 seconds I turn it off. If it starts on the next throw it burns a couple seconds then it starts to rumble and roar as if i had a whole lot of oil in there. Already spent over $850 with trips and parts I'm not sure it needed. It never did this before. Spent the rest of the winter in the 40s and 50s turning it on by hand and running it about 45 minutes and used only a quarter tank ( 250 tank I think). Debated on new unit but already spent that. Saw your video on the gun peeing. Hate to think it may have been doing this since spring. I have opened the little door since then a couple times but don't smell a lot of oil. THANK YOU FOR HELPING YOUR READERS !

[@rush4ever1]

Thank you so much. All I did was replace the nozzle and cleaned with some sand paper. Fired up. I do most everything myself and this was one thing I usually paid someone, but now I'll never pay labor for anything again! Wish I could pay you for this video series. Thanks

[@spencerfoy1]

rush4ever1 and thanks to people like you the industry is going to be shot

[@rags1734]

Thanks a million for this video! I was able to open it up and clean the entire igniter unit! I told my furnace guy I had a fault and I think it needed cleaning. They said if it was a fault it was a service not a cleaning. Service $140 just to show up and I’m not certain I would have not “needed parts” then it was going to be $200 for a cleaning. I had the whole operation opened and shut in 30 minutes. Fired instantly! And consistently! Thanks again I really appreciate you taking the time to make this. You made people’s lives better!!

[@smulligannj]

I love how you logically stepped through the troubleshooting steps. I had already been through the first half without success. After looking at the electrodes I saw they were too far apart and behind the face of the nozzle. After a little adjustment, it fired up right away. You even showed how there can be some initial smoke. This warning prevented me from going into panic mode. THANKS!!!♥♥♥

[@dufftime]

Thank you so much for these excellent troubleshooting videos. You explain everything so well, it made the diagnostics very easy. I narrowed down my issue to a clogged spray nozzle, probably caused by a lack of an oil filter in my system. I cleaned it out with some compressed air and it fired up!

[@billtux]

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this video. I followed your directions and figured out my problem...My problem was with my Carlin 41000 electronic ignitor attached to a Beckett AFG oil burner. I found a place that had it in stock locally for under $40. It took approximately 10 minutes and I was up and running again. A million thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad you got it going. GFM

[@davidjacobharder2902]

Thanks to your in-depth look at oil furnaces you saved me a hefty service fee and got out house nice and toasty this chilly November day. I also now know all the inner workings of my furnace. All the best.

[@grayfurnaceman]

+David Jacob Harder Welcome GFM

[@christopherayers3831]

-10 in Vermont right now and I got home at 11pm to a cold wife and kids. I was freaking out and getting ready to spend lots of $$$$ and then I saw this and gave it a whirl !!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Not only is it running great after a good clean but my house is warm. Your an awesome dude and I thank you man.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Its nice to be warm. GFM

[@deusexdeuce]

I would like to say Thank You! I just finished successfully doing pretty much everything in this video and I have a working furnace again. Not only that, I know my furnace much better now. Needless to say, it would have cost me a lot of money to have someone come out and diagnose/fix the issue. Thank you again!

[@pilidude1020]

Watched a few of these before I got someone who REALLY knew the likely problem and the "I really am trying to help" tutorial, thanks this helped a million

[@user-fx1mz7pm8q]

Thank you for this video! 11:15pm at night I hopelessly looked for a video on my boiler and came across this one. Took it apart looked everything over and cleaned anything I saw. Put it all back. Fired it up and works great!

[@adamedwards2435]

What did you clean it with?

[@tonydemarco9315]

I wanted to thank you....you saved my wife and my Dog a very cold night on 15 Dec 2013.....i got it to fire up for the night....wanted to let you know your work and teaching were well worth it to me!!! Thanks GFM from a fellow Gray haired guy!!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad you are warm. GFM

[@jlo13800]

BJ Hill 460v 3 phase 60hz iron fireman proton accelerator, Saquan barkley has it on 30 amp

[@jlo13800]

Nick Chubb deuterium accelerator on 120/240v open why delta 3 phase super heats water for church dishwasher at 210 deg and is on 225 amp 208v phase fusion reactor!

[@lizozturk5615]

Adding my thanks to the long list of grateful commenters here. I had learned how to change the filter, strainer, nozzle and electrodes at the beginning of the heating season and it had been working fine. Woke up to a cold house this morning, pushed the reset twice with no luck. Found your video series and figured I may as well watch it while I waited for a call back from the service company, not noted for prompt customer service which is why I had learned to do my own maintenance. Took out the electrodes and they were a tiny bit off, reset them and reinstalled. Hit the button again and voila it started right up. Took me 3 hours to work thru everything and still no call back.. The only problem was that my furnace doesn't have a little door to tell if I have a spark so I don't know how to tell if I have fire. Thank you for posting your videos and helping me stay warm!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@markrich3271]

Thank you . This gave me enough info to troubleshoot and fix my oil burner heater . Dirty electrodes and the injector was caked up with oil residue. Nothing a wire wheel didn't fix.

[@Davy130]

I can't thank you enough, brother... Sitting here in NJ as a foot of snow is beginning to fall, and I notice it getting colder and colder in my house! No panic. A simple cleaning of the gun did the trick! You absolutely saved the day here for me (plus, my wife thinks I am super cool, and can fix anything). Thanks for taking the time to post this stuff! I can't emphasize enough, though, not to push that button too many times! Ask me how I know that one...

[@grayfurnaceman]

Sooo, how do you know? GFM

[@danielbergman354]

You're the man. This video was so helpful, I had crude up in there and now we're back again! Very clutch for February in Mass. Thumbs up on this video, you made it super clear and my wife is still proud of me for being handy man of the house.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Daniel Bergman Glad you got it going. GFM

[@RDeanOdell]

Whoa, glad I watched this video before I tried to fire my boiler after hitting the button an indeterminate number of times. I picked up the kit for the combustion chamber, about $200 and spent a few hours replacing that. Looked like it needed replacing anyway so no big deal. My basement filled up with smoke from about 5 buttons pushes while I was troubleshooting after the combustion chamber replacement but it cleared out after a few minutes. Thanks so much for making this series of videos.

[@zenbright9213]

I enjoyed this and it help mefix my oil furnace. The gun was gunked up with black tar, the previous owner who we bought the house never replaced or cleaned it

[@TylerPlunkett9]

Merry Christmas! Came home from working nightshift to a tripped heater safety. Help of your video and an hour of my time got it back up and running! Thanks for saving Christmas!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Merry Christmas GFM

[@kd2rdhlarry571]

Thanks so much for the time you spent making these videos. An hour of watching videos and ten minutes fixing. (Besides the time to run to the supply house for a new transformer and Lowe’s for a couple extra fire extinguishers just Incase) much appreciated.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@jimu57]

Great videos! My mom's furnace stopped running. Had to learn about Beckett burners online. Finally found your videos and it made my life so much easier and didnt blow up her house with me in it. Checked everything electrical and checked out ok. Then pulled the gun and it was gummed up very bad. Replaced the nozzle ($5) and it fired and was ok until yesterday. When I was replacing the nozzle, I noticed the electrode tips were at 1/4" apart. At that time I had not watched your video on setting the gap. Now I have to pull the gun again today and do that. Thanks for doing these videos. They are some of the DYI I have seen, period!

[@gpitcher690]

Its 830pm and 42 degrees out .....This video just saved me.....The parts that spark in the furnace were filthy. Cleaned and fired right up! Followed to a "T" testing each piece and found the issue. Thank You for great video!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@Shakeythemoil]

Went to start my Williamson furnace this morning. Nothing! Hit the reset button once...nothing! Watched your video and was prepared to give it a go. Turned the thermostat back to Heat mode and it fired up!!! I had hit the reset button after I had set the thermostat to off. doh! Very good info and definitely will bookmark this video! Thank You!

[@Madcracka]

You have the best videos by far. Every year I refer to them. I'm dealing with a 50-year-old oil furnace and trying to make it last.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad kit helps. GFM

[@Blushious1]

Thank you. I am a female and I was able to use your videos a couple of years ago to troubleshoot my furnace. It was the cad cell!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@jeffreybell9657]

I cant thank you enough. there are hundreds of videos out there. yours are hands down the best. I fixed my non firing issue with ease after your detailed video and saved hundreds. THANK YOU

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@davidborrelli7695]

Thank you so much for posting these videos. As a first time home owner I appreciate having access to knowledge such as this to repair and maintain my house. I am a master Automotive and Truck technician, but I get lost quickly when I am working on things without at least 4 wheels. :) Videos like this help me to adapt my knowledge of automotive systems to home systems so I can fix them. Thanks again!

[@Bluntask]

Just wanted to thank you for taking time to make a vid. The electrode test was key, and then letting me realize I hadn’t done the maintenance to the adjustments at the nozzle in longer than I thought…was wondering why it took a bit to ignite and then cut to red light occasionally. 🤤 All good for now, just have to swap out the aquastat in the am so I can get the thermostat and un-rig the circulator :/ Anyway, nice quick info, thnx !

[@Musicmanzer]

I have an old furnace that runs on Kerosene ( my tank is outside ) due to the cold up here in Upstate NY, and my furnace has been sporadic in firing the past month or so. I followed your video and was able to fix it myself. It was the electrodes on the gun that the tips were melted back creating a huge gap. I replaced them as it fired right up. Thank you very much!

[@grayfurnaceman]

+Musicmanzer Welcome GFM

[@reginaldgeth9200]

Musicmanzer

[@user-squids]

VERY informative. Thank you for explaining things in a way for the novice (me) to understand. I can do mechanical work, I've never had to do burners. Thanks again.

[@johnfkeating]

I just wanted to say how grateful I am to you for making this!!!! The systematic troubleshooting steps were awesome. I work in technology where I have to troubleshoot every day. I was so happy to see this video. I live in nh it was so cold yesterday but even colder last night and today it's fixed thanks to you. I had fuel but no spark. I often love when I don't have a easy time with a particular issue at work. Most issues I have to follow all the way to the end. I am thankful in this case I only had to troubleshoot to the ignitor module and they had it at Home Depot!!! I also through this experience realized how to perform cleaning maintenance to the unit. Thank you again so much for taking the time to make this series!!!!! I hope you have a awesome day!!! John K from stoddard NH. Currently -5 without the windchill but 67 degrees in the house!!!!

[@CS-un4cl]

Sir although this is 4 years old THANK YOU. These videos just saved me money and im definitely more familiar with the furnace components and its processes! Furnace was down for 2 weeks...just got it working!

[@phillipparker5724]

Thanks a lot bro when I learn from your video today will help me a lot just to let you know my furnace is running right now we had to use backup heat last night so many things

[@MikeInNC100]

You're awesome! Thank you so much for these videos. You made the diagnostic and repair very easy. Testing the ignitor for spark is a bit unnerving....thanks again!

[@angelmiller7677]

I can't thank you enough this is the one that got me through and I got my furnace working again thank you so very much, pay attention people he knows what he's talking about

[@LAfoodies]

Thank you! I followed your directions and was able to restart my furnace, 1st try. I didn't see anything wrong, it had spark, the motor spun freely, tank ha plenty of oil, but I bled the fuel line just in case and bam! Started right up! Thanks again! 2nd time you've saved me from paying for a $100 service call.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@ybh1231]

Thought I ran out of oil or something. Took the electrodes out, and sure enough, the spacing is almost a quarter inch apart and the tips are burnt away. Adjusted the tips and started burning again. Thanks a lot!

[@charlespoissonnier5257]

This was actually very good as far as instruction is concerned im just starting out in this industry as far as the technical field ive been in a delivery truck for a while now just got my oil apprentice license and going to school end of next month for propane tank set and piping thank you

[@grayfurnaceman]

Charles Poissonnier Glad it helps. GFM

[@spanglerbuilt]

Thank you so much for doing these you have no idea how much money you have saved me this year in furnace repair

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad it helped. GFM

[@larsfischer862]

Great video, woke this AM to a non-firing burner, watched your video, removed the gun and just needed to clean off the end and furnace fired right up.....little flammage coming out the peep hole but I had extinguisher in hand just in case. Thanks again.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@wolf-o4t]

Thank you for taking the time to make these video. I watched the 3 part series. Ended up having gunk build up on the gun assembly. Now my boiler is working like a charm.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad it helped. GFM

[@Uziavenger]

My prongs were gapped at about 3/8", I adjusted the down to 1/8. Problem solved. Thank you Sir cause it's cold as balls outside

[@patcupolo9274]

Fog brings back bad memories, cust. pushed the reset , god only knows how many times. Could not remove chamber, lit the chamber with with flaming paper, but first got my fire extinguisher, burned for at least 6 hours, no damages, just time , glad the cust. had widows that opened until the chimney heated to exhaust the odors and smoke. Your thumb nut piece, good advice

[@grayfurnaceman]

That 6 hours has got to be a record. Had them run for 2 hours and turn the smoke pipe red, but never that long. GFM

[@rodconner9079]

Thanks -- Helped me out of a bind!!! --- Came home to 38 degrees inside after visiting trip @ Christmas. Greatly Appreciated!!!

[@jeremeysmelltoast7829]

Your videos are very well done . Easy to follow , pause n work along with . Or just watch n go . I had some knowledge but you've helped me confirm things I may have only been 75% on so thankyou very much . Working now on my neighbor furnace I think he pushed the button a few times . Fingers crossed . It gets fuel but doesn't light . Hopeful we fix it.. cheers to you sir . Thanks again

[@mrkeetz]

Just fixed my furnace following your guide. Fantastic information. Dirty igniters and the remnants of some unfortunate critter in front of the nozzle. Thanks you very much for a very helpful video guide Sir! And right before a nor'easter tonight. You saved the day.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad you got it going. RIP to the critter. GFM

[@jlo13800]

bradley chubb iron fireman proton accelerator on 460v 3 ph 60hz

[@pberrazueta5967]

We just had the coldest day of the year and our furnace gave out. Every local HVAC shop was busy and couldn't get to us until tomorrow. Luckily I found your videos and was able to fix it myself. Thank you very much!!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@willb5240]

You are a life saver. You have the best series that relates to my type of furnace that I have found anywhere. Thank you!

[@Dr.Meola1980]

Oh my God you are so right. I'm a general contractor but I also own a bunch of multi families in Massachusetts. The problem is people know you can press that red button and it does something and they have no clue what it does. Years ago I had a tenant. That pressed the buttons so many times there was a half a gallon of oil leaking out of the chamber. They had their kid keep pressing the button for almost two hours they thought if it just made noise would heat up the house.😊 Needless to say all my rental properties I open up the aquastat and remove the button. So that way tenants can't press it. So that way only me or a boiler guy knows you can pull the cover off and he can still press it without that button there.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Good idea. GFM

[@danielairey9783]

We have heat tonight because of your video. Wonderfully explained and easy to follow. Thank you very much!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@ChrisGrahamJewelers]

Thank you. This video has helped me restart my boiler several times. It really it quite simple just following your steps.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@I-Agreewithdisrepect]

So I just want to say that this man page needs to be Monetized

[@markirvin1713]

Thank you! Called my HVAC guy and no openings for 2 days. Googled my problem and found this video. Fixed it myself within 30 minutes and saved me $200+

[@electriccar3253]

Glad you got it going. GFM

[@Hbd2002]

What if you’ve already pushed the button a bunch of times before you watch this very intelligent video. Do you need to wait a week until the fuel can evaporate or?

[@grayfurnaceman]

There are 2 ways here. If you have repaired the cause of the failure, You can start the burner and shut it down immediately. It should remain burning the oil in the chamber. This can be dangerous, as the oil will continue to burn and could get out of control. A fire extinguisher readily available is a must. For this worst case scenario to happen, you must have pressed the button over 30 times. If so, you will need to remove and replace the combustion chamber. GFM

[@ИгорьМихеенко-я4э]

When I was little, I was repairing sewing machines, then Japanese cars Toyota, Nissan, and after I invented the boiler, I do it now. :-))

[@adamevans5915]

Thank you for this video. We had the same problem and we we did exactly as you said and got us going when needed most with temperatures below freezing. Very much appreciate this. May God Bless you!!!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Its nice to be warm. GFM

[@acooper7486]

Thank you very much ! I just finished fixing my heat myself . I watched a couple of your videos after replacing a filter . I turned the power back on and hit the reset button ,burner would not fire . I took the igniter out I had a spare jet laying around from a earlier repair . Sanded the electrodes a little and the points . Reinstalled everything and PRAYED I hadn't hit the reset button to many times . The heat is back on and working . Great how to video !

[@nferraro222]

Thanks for the videos. I started with fuel that had some weird hard particulates that got past the filter and clogged the jet, to a replacement jet with a bad thread that didn't tighten down and dumped some raw fuel into the combustion chamber, to an ignitor with a hell-hot spark, but just stopped igniting after 2 or 3 cycles. Anyway, I guess I'm on to the next videos about adjusting the spark gap and checking the spark rods:) **Warning for other newbies** He's not kidding about extra fuel in the chamber - when mine finally lit, it shook, roared, blew open the inspection port and shot out two feet of flame. Even after I shut it down, there was still flame in the chamber for about a minute.

[@mra9273]

N Ferraro how many times did you pressed the reset button? How did you get it fixed or did it went to normal after burning the oil that the chamber had?

[@nferraro222]

@@mra9273 Three times, but I think the messed up thread on the jet kept me from tightening it all the way and it dumped some raw fuel when it shut down and right before it re-lit. That, or I pressed it 20 times and forgot about it, because it looked like a jet afterburner coming out of the inspection port.

[@jasonmitchell2368]

Well seems i pushed reset way to many times before watching this.

[@rabihbarakat6533]

me too

[@Matt-kf2iv]

How long did you have to wait before you lit the pilot?

[@johnjester5457]

Me too man what the hell

[@mp2bill]

Lol. Same here. What did you end up doing?

[@XxxXxx-br7eq]

I'll admit my ignorance with these things I know absolutely nothing about them in mind stopped working luckily I had a neighbor that you were only supposed to attempt at one or two times and then troubleshoot

[@jimrossmeissl2726]

Great info. Traced mine down to a weak spark. Replaced transformer from old burner. Good as new.

[@hvymetal86]

I can't thank you enough for this awesome video series! I was able to fix my oil burner issues for

[@grayfurnaceman]

hvymetal86 Good to be warm GFM

[@kennymaggic6004]

great, helped me with my issue, the connection things needed moved. (i did see a tech do it when he was out for a check up too). mine are metal strips that i can just push up some.

[@timdonaghy783]

Thanks...you saved me $100s tonight and my family is thankful to have heat!!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@scottamu7816]

Thank you for the great video series. I pulled the nozzle/electrode assembly on my 1978 HBSmith to find out what size nozzle to buy for replacement and had no fire after I had cleaned some carbon off and put it back together. I didn't think I disturbed anything at all… I was able to check spark systematically, and it turned out the electrodes were ⅜" above the nozzle and that must've been too close to the spray. As soon as I set them to ½" above, it fired back up on the first try. The advice on pushing the reset button too many times can't be stressed enough, either…

[@TerriInBC]

Thank you very much for making these videos and sharing them with us. I have fixed my furnace and it works great now, thanks to you! Your videos are excellent and very helpful. Peace!

[@grayfurnaceman]

+TerriInBC Welcome GFM

[@sageejumanjee]

thank you for your wisdom, I am a tech and love the wisdom of.the masters. the small things make a big difference. i.e. loosening both sides of the line.

[@grayfurnaceman]

+sageejumanjee Seems like a no brainer but commonly is not done. GFM

[@JustPlumDucky]

I missed this one. What was the "loosening both sides of the line" about?

[@grayfurnaceman]

When removing the gun assembly, loosen both fittings on the gun line so you are not bending the tubing of the gun line. GFM

[@snowguy822]

Best instructional video on oil furnace ignition problems I've found!!

[@JoseRodriguez-oy5up]

ryan Ke

[@patcupolo9274]

This may the strong video to bring this up, here goes. Beckett nozzle lines, they are sometimes over tighten by the former service man, when you snug it up, oil leak city. I got I the habit of checking the flare of the line, if questionable, cheap insurance to replace. Got in the habit of watching your videos when I get home from work, being in Florida no more oil burners for me.

[@lorenmason1]

Unfortunately Pat. A hole bunch of them around Tallahassee.

[@jerrycope1245]

Thank you. I watched all parts of your series and was able to repair. Turned out to be a dirty nozzle.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@Louie88]

I am so extremely grateful for this video. Very detailed and it helped me.

[@newglobalmediaproductions7355]

Thanks. You just help me fix our furnace. Junk( old oil?) build up on the firing pins.

[@jmrandom194]

Great video. My camp has an oil furnace. It stopped working a few weeks ago. I went to camp, pressed the reset button and it fired up and worked the next few days I was there. Then went home and with the thermostat down to 40F, about a week later, it's not working again. Had a furnace guy stop by when I was there a few weeks ago and he cleaned up some basic stuff and said a stink bug was blocking the "eye" and that might have been the issue. But don't know. But need to head up again this week before pipes freeze. Will use this video to see if I see anything. Also going to install a wifi app finger button to press the reset button remotely if I need to (but just once or twice as you warned about.). Frustrating....but this video is definitely helpful. Any ideas why it might be shutting off when the thermostat is down low? Wondering if it not running for a few days at a time might cause an issue when trying to restart. Furnace is a 24 year old Miller in a double wide trailer camp.

[@loraljohnson]

grayfurnaceman - First, thanks for taking your time to instruct others on fixing our furnaces. Some people need help because they may not financially be able, and others, just getting someone to come out after a cold spell like we're experiencing on the East Coast now, we can't wait days for an appointment. And in others, you just can't trust your service techs. 3 years ago, I had 6 service calls in one week, only because the techs my oil provider was sending was just replacing all parts hoping to fix the problem. We finally went to their office and complained, and after the 3rd call, I was teaching their techs, and the final guy did what I learned online and fixed the problem. We had no problems in those 3 years.Well, last night I awoke to 60 degrees, and knew there was a problem. I went down into my crawl space and opened the front of the furnace. First thing I see is LOTS of soot. I'm guessing there was a blow back or something. I reset the tripped button, but nothing happened. I have a Beckett assembly, and I know from my last encounter, the igniter was bad and my problem then. I tested for spark as you show in a few videos. None. I went to a HVAC supply house, and bought the 51771U. I came home and replaced the unit, except I still don't have spark. I have plenty of fuel. I tested the motor by spinning the cage, and it had proper resistance, but not too tight. The CAD cell is clean, and was clean when I flipped up the housing. I thought maybe soot got on it, but all looks clean. Is there some advice or a video I'm missing to troubleshoot from here?

[@grayfurnaceman]

The soot could be from a partially plugged nozzle or the wrong adjustment of primary air. At this point, you need to deal with the soot. The heat exchanger is probably plugged and probably the smoke pipe and chimney. Big time cleaning job. Once that is done, you will have to address the failure if there is one. Let me know how you do. GFM

[@loraljohnson]

I wish you weren't retired, and lived in Delaware.... LOL You seem like a guy I can hand a blank check to and never worry.I assumed the soot came from when it did spark and had a big POOF. I did let it run a bit longer, but as you advised, to not let it shoot the vaporized fuel too long, but still nothing. My wife finally called a new company today for fear I was going to get blown up. Still waiting for them to show up. Baking pies to keep some heat in the house. Great time for family from Florida to visit. Thanks again. You're the best. I'll post what this guy comes up with.

[@depsqu]

You saved me a service call I got it working . Thank you so much

[@kierankirkland5002]

You fixed my furnace via youtube, well played sir. Thank you for the helpful guide.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@azekman8736]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It helped me fix my burner myself.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@petesstuff2191]

Thank you for posting this! Thanks to your video I was able to get my furnace up and running on a cold night! Thanks again!

[@asappestcontrol1250]

Same here. Did save some some money replacing the$20 oil filter and $4 nozzle.

[@michaelscott8654]

Thank you so much for these videos! My gun wasnt creating a spark. Cleaned it up and fire right back on!!!! Liked and subscribed!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad it helped. GFM

[@basspig]

I've a Bock 32E oil fired hot water heater that has been giving me trouble periodically for the past 3-4 years after many years of trouble-free operation. The first real problem was an elevated hydrocarbon odor when the burner was operating. This was traced to the Turbo Flue being sooted up. I cleaned it out, put a new nozzle on the burner, adjusted the electrodes and it was fine for a few months until the same thing repeated. Cleaned out the Turbo Flue again, replaced another nozzle ( .75GPH 80A) and it was fine for about a year. This month, I noticed hydrocarbon odors again, so I opened up the air vent on the burner some more. The next morning, we woke to no hot water. I took apart the burner, replaced nozzle, replaced the oil filter (which was pretty clean) and cleaned the electrodes. It started up immediately when I turned the power on and it was fine for three days. Then this morning it had tripped the safety again, so I took it apart, having determined no spark. Turned out the electrodes were way out of adjustment, so I cleaned them again and adjusted to Beckett specifications. Put it all back together and it fired right up immediately when I turned the power on. However, from a cold start, it should normally run at least 15 minutes to get to cutoff temperature, but it shut down about 7-8 minutes into the heating cycle and did so with a fairly unusual "pop" sound. What's strange about this is that the safety did not pop. Nor is it apparent that the motor overload popped. It just shut down abruptly for no apparent reason and none of the safety cutoffs had tripped. Is there a third safety cutoff device that I am not aware of? I cannot get the burner to power on. I'm wondering if the controller just happened to fail in a manner that would cut power to the electrodes and the motor simultaneously. In 55 years of living with this house and various oil burners over the years, I have never heard one shut down with a loud pop and all of the safety trips are not tripped. Baffling.

[@grayfurnaceman]

My thoughts here are the controller has failed. This appears to be unrelated to the sooting problems you have described. You probably have the air too far open. You really need combustion tools to set the air. A smoke tester and draft gauge at the least. GFM

[@basspig]

@@grayfurnaceman I made another discovery after really looking over the entire system: the Field Controls Oil Vent Damper was in the closed position. It has to be open before the burner will start. For some reason, it closed while the burner was running about 8 minutes into heating. I took the motor assembly off the flue damper and disassembled it. There's a circuit board inside and several of the traces had burned up. I repaired those with jumper wires, tested the motor itself (it works) and put it back together and reinstalled it. When I turned on the switch, the damper opened and the burner lit off nicely. Odd coincidence that the damper control failed while I was focused on problems with the burner, but I guess it was just a coincidence!

[@jcardwell3rd]

You sir are awesome for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.

[@sunnydeification]

Thank you sir for taking the time making this video. I followed these steps and the furnace fired right up

[@grayfurnaceman]

Glad you got it going. GFM

[@joshuadavidson2859]

Thanks to this and another of your videos (and another guy's, too) I was able to overcome a failed control unit to get the furnace running enough for the long July 4 weekend. New controller being installed Tuesday. Thanks so much for the help!

[@jlo13800]

Farrah Fawcetts beckett oil burner fuses 2 protons form hydrogen into carbon and super heats water into a steam Hotsey steamcleaner making nitrogen and gamma rays! she runs on on 208v single phase 60 hz 32 amp singles phase, Bradley Chubb upgraded to 460v 3 phase 60hz for more fusion Iron Fireman proton accelerator and totally eliminate #2 fuel oil?

[@jlo13800]

Nick Chubb runs an Iron Fireman proton accelerator of 120/240v open wye delta with 2 50kva transformers!

[@jlo13800]

Carl Nassib and Baker mayfield 208v powered Beckett proton accelerator heats our church hot water better to 210 deg f better than oil/gas anyday!

[@jlo13800]

kentavius Street says the burner proton accelerator runs on 460v 3 phase 60HZ with 30 amp breaker

[@SeeMooreVids]

I found the air ports completely closed. Flame was sparkling. I moved air adjust to what appears to be marks left from the original setting. Set it there, sparkles gone and instead of the burner running for up to ten seconds at times for a flame, it seems it is firing right away. Thank you. SMV

[@Adam-f8r4h]

Awesome videos, learned so much. I must have mashed that button 10 times before finding this video. Gonna go try it again wish me luck booooooiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis

[@RehcamretsneF]

Ive got oil hot water& heat. I just had my furnace serviced due to the lack of fire starting on the 20th. Dude took it all apart, did everything exactly as you describe in the video, put it back together and it fired right up all squeaky clean. He mentioned that it seemed i didnt have a strong spark and i saw it myself, but it started up first time and i was okay with that. On the 24th, again, no fire. Confused as all hell, i set up a space heater in my basement and went off to work without a shower. throughout the day, i was trying to think of reasons why it wouldnt light, and it dawned on me that my rigged up house has at least one outlet on the first floor on the same circuit as my furnace in the basement. That outlet had an Edenpure plugged into it, running. I came home took the Edenpure off that outlet, and hadnt had a problem with the furnace for the rest of the week. Sweet. Made sense to me that the draw on the circuit was dropping my voltage in the furnace. Till 30 minutes ago. I realized it hadnt fired up in a number of hours, and went and turned up my thermo. no response. UGH. Current thinking: Due to oil prices and inefficiency of my hot water heat, I had 2 space heaters on opposite sides of the house running all day to minimize my furnace having to run. It was a brilliant 2 degrees this morning, so i put in a third space heater elsewhere. The only possible conclusion I'm at is that with 3 space heaters churning in my house, I'm dropping the voltage in my furnace no matter what circuit breaker i'm plugged into. And i fly out to Greenland in 4 hours, and will be back in 2 weeks...... So hopefully my girlfriend can follow my instructions of having minimal space heaters running to ensure proper fire ignition.

[@grayfurnaceman]

I know it seems logical that space heaters could reduce voltage, but unless you have a seriously undersized electric panel they will not. You probably have a problem with the burner. I would call the service tech back. GFM

[@18vickram]

you are the best teacher....god bless you.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Thanks for the support. GFM

[@joeleblanc4543]

Well prepared video..it helped me to get a better understanding of how a furnace works. Thanks!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Welcome GFM

[@KirkwoodTim]

Thank you so much for these videos. My fuel oil furnace is a bit different but this helped enough to get me going on this 8* morning!

[@billbilliton7952]

Thank you! I was able to fix the furnace and save the day. 100 times thank you

[@jasonrcrx1]

Thank you cleaned the system working fine now.

[@TJ_HVAC_heating_cooling]

Great teacher. I learned a lot from you thank you

[@Carlos-r5n2b]

Some really detailed info. God bless you😊

[@darkofist3372]

Thank you man, you helped me get my furnace going again, middle of the night, Friday, big thumbs up.

[@grayfurnaceman]

Merry Christmas GFM

[@SilverbulletX24]

Thanks for this tutorial! Today was the second time I've used it to diagnose and fix a problem with my furnace not igniting (gummed up gap between nozzle and electrodes). I will add that when pulling out the gun to clean those parts, remember that there is still oil in there, so place a rag over the gun intake to keep it from splattering on your floor. Also, is it a problem with a small gap (less than 1/4 in.) between the electrode and the nozzle that contributed to this build-up of gunk? After cleaning I used the 1/8, 1/8, 1/2" spacing that you described in another vid. Again, thank you from my now-warm house in December!

[@jimmcintyre8132]

GrayfurnaceMan, First thing for me to establish in this post, is for me to say that you are a top notch technician by ways of your demeanor and in your methods of instruction. I enjoy them very much! I do have two questions. Q1. (Scenario) If a homeowner has a problem with their oil burner heating unit and has pressed the red reset button twice and the unit STARTS but it FAILS TO continue and restart after running for only 45 seconds before timing out OR it continues to fire for 30 minutes or longer. (3) is it excessively dangerous to push the red button again? Q2. There is often a rattle of something inside the nozzle flume apparatus that makes a noise when you take it out when it is normally shaken (sounds like loose change) in a cleaning effort. But sometimes the noise or rattling stops giving the impression that something has gotten stuck because the noise does not resume unless the apparatus is lightly tapped. What causes or could cause this noise and is it normal or is a problem signal of something that could affect fuel flow? Thanks, Jim

[@grayfurnaceman]

Q1 if the flame was on when the burner stopped, there is no problem. You do need to find the problem though. Sounds like an oil supply problem. Oil filter clean, line plugged, pump screen plugged, oil tank outlet plugged. You could also have a failing pump. Q2 if you mean the gun assembly has a rattling sound, that does not sound normal. I would remove the nozzle to check inside. GFM

[@kendang2458]

my oil heater sometime it runs good I could hear the oil coming in the furnace but when it didn't work I didn't hear any oil coming in and no heat at all so I was wondering what happens to the oil heater? thanks

[@grayfurnaceman]

Where do I start? Does the burner just not start? Do you have oil in the tank? GFM

[@jimmcintyre8132]

When the nozzle is removed, the only thing found is the lower foundation and oil in-port hole. However, the noise seems to be in the tube just before this and the nozzle connect. Could it be a check valve of sort that is intended to prevent the fuel from going backwards?

[@grayfurnaceman]

The only check valve I have seen is in the pressure regulator. GFM

[@electriciandallastx9182]

Thanks for the suggestions you have discussed here.

[@Silverado1st]

I had a problem with my old mobile home heater, did what checks I felt comfortable with, usually its just been a simple fix, bleed the air out of the fuel line. I did that a few times till I had a steady stream and the pump was making its normal noise. Well I had no ignition, I checked and had a great arc between the contact springs, then figured it was the electric eye, replaced that and still no ignition. At that point I wasn't comfortable replacing the electrodes or injector nozzle just yet so I called a professional. When he lit off the burner, flames shot out like that scene from the Wizard of Oz and he backed off real quick lol. I forewarned him that I cycled it a few times and there might be some kerosene left in the chamber. Well the heater was working just fine until it reached the shut off temp and wouldn't ignite the next cycle. After being frustrated with it, I let it sit and went to the electric heaters for a time. Then I got up enough courage to replace the electrodes. Still didn't ignite. Now I'm wondering if the nozzle is clogged, but it was working fine after he got it to fire up. Other than that I'm at a loss of what it could be. I'll order a new nozzle for the heck of it and pull the assembly out and bench test the electrodes to see what there doing. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[@KijijiBeaverdam]

Very good video have a new furnace and would like to check the draft. Can you tell me where I can find one of the old style gauge. Thanks

[@patrickmullin4435]

Thank you so much for this video series! I am troubleshooting an intermittent problem with the ignition sequence in my oil furnace. Furnace starts great, runs for a few hours including cycling on and off, but then I find the ignition relay tripped out. I have replaced the ignition relay, the transformer, and the cad cell - this seems to have improved the performance (fewer lockouts per day) but I am still seeing the intermittent relay lockout - about once a day now, sometimes less frequent. The performance of the cad cell is right on target at about 600 ohms while running with flame and near infinite when off. The two next best places to look seem to be either the thermostats or the Honeywell controller. Have you seen this issue before? Again, thank you so much for this video series!

[@grayfurnaceman]

Patrick Mullin Lockouts are almost always a fuel supply problem or a venting problem. If the filter is clean, I would flush the lines by removing the gun line and starting the unit to see ig there is good flow. Hope this helps. GFM

[@patrickmullin4435]

grayfurnaceman Thanks for the heads up, I will focus there next. Can you expand on what you mean by venting problem? ... Patrick

[@grayfurnaceman]

Patrick Mullin Blocked smoke pipe or chimney. GFM