Comments on: How To Troubleshoot A Beckett Oil Burner

By: G Gill

G Gill — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:35:34 +0000

Thanks, I’ll inspect/change the coupler this week. I’ve also noticed when the burner comes on it normally runs for 3 minutes. During the burn time at 2 minutes 40 seconds it stops burning for a second (there’s a little puff back) then continues to burn for the rest of the 3 minutes. It does this pretty much every time the burner starts. The oil line from the tank to the burner is approxamately 20 feet. Does it take 2 min. 40 sec. for the oil to go from the tank to the boiler? Water from the tank? But the burner only hic cups for a sec? Remember I’ve changes out the filter, oil pump screen filter, nozzle, tranformer, honeywell control box, and cleaned the boiler. Thanks for your help. Gerry

By: Ken H

Ken H — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:58:08 +0000

Greg I dont know what kind of furnace you have but most oil furnaces burn a bright orange . The only kind ive seen burn blue is a gas furnace. It has been a cold winter so depending on were you set your thermostat it could have burned that much

By: Charlie G.

Charlie G. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:36:53 +0000

Ken H., thanks for your response. After replacing the nozzle and electrodes I also just replaced the transformer, but still same problem it gets hot and trips the reset buttons on the primary and motor. After replacing nozzle I tried to put assembly back how it came out,the measuring plate has 5 notches on it and is currently set on the middle notch. Do you know the specs on the distance of the nozzle in the burner tube.Also I hear different ideas about what color the furnace flame should be. Blue or bright yellow? Thanks again.

By: Charlie G.

Charlie G. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:12:54 +0000

Jay, thanks for the timely response to my question about the overheating burner. A licensed repairman told me that it could be the transformer going bad. However, I replaced the transformer, nozzle and electrodes and it is still running very hot and will trip the reset buttons on the motor and primary. Thanks for past and future response.

By: greg

greg — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:09:13 +0000

My burner has been running all winter. i just filled with oil last month and i checked the other day and half tank already. after further inspection i noticed a orange flame. I was told it should be blue. how do i adjust this and is this affecting the oil consumption? need help……

By: ken.H

ken.H — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:14:56 +0000

Also a incorrect gap in the electrodes can cause the transformer to over heat , if the gap is too wide.

By: ken.H

ken.H — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:11:16 +0000

If you replaced the nozzle and didnt get it back in the burner tube the right distance it will not swirl the flame like it should close to the flame retenttion ring, this could cause the oil to burn off in the burner tube closer to the transformer therefore making it over heat.

By: ken.H

ken.H — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:28:25 +0000

I have a furnace I have cleaned the flue pipe replaced the nozzle and oil filter, checked the pump pressure checked for water in the oil,have got to burn clean for days then in about a week it will start smoking heavily from the chimney. I have set to specs . any suggestions ?

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:27:34 +0000

If it is a regular iron core transformer it shouldn’t be hot. Also the motor shouldn’t really be hot to the touch as well just warm. This is typically a sign that your boiler has a tremendous amount of back pressure due to being dirty. Also it could be that the motor is burning up and heating up the whole chassis of the burner. Also another issue could be if you have an ignitor, certain brands are known to over heat and will intermittently fail.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:24:32 +0000

Check your pump coupling for worn ends or the center section being stripped out. Very inexpensive part and is not hard to replace, just make sure it’s the right length or it’ll burn up your motor. Also could be your fuel pump becoming frozen.