I reserved Saturday October 20, 2018 to do routine/preventative maintenance on our oil furnace. 

I am guessing the year 1978, when an outside cooling unit was installed, Johnny Hildreth added additional return duct work to the plenum, of which you can see on the upper left side of the furnace.  There are two large additional return vents in the hallway that leads into a chamber in one of the closets in a small bedroom that ties into the large round duct work in the above pix to provide adequate air return for the cooling system. 

We replaced the outside cooling unit a few years back with a larger Trane unit and you can see the addition to the plenum on the right side to accommodate the larger A coil.

The used Thermo Pride Beckett model EASR burner is still working pretty good.

I didn't do any picture taking of the recent preventative maintenance simply because fuel oil and cameras don't mix well and even with rubber gloves on, it is a fairly nasty job, whereas the colored diesel fuel oil is very smelly too. 

I raised the basement garage door to help get rid of any fuel oil smell while completing the maintenance.  You need plenty of rags or paper towels and containers to keep fuel contamination down to a minimum.  I use an old cake pan underneath the burner fuel pump to catch fuel oil that drips out from the fuel line from the fuel pump to the nozzle tube assembly.  The burner motor was oiled with light weight oil designated for such.  I changed an in line oil filter that goes into a General 1A-25 filter housing and the replacement filter is a 1A-30 filter.  I use a recycled stainless steel Bunomatic coffee maker water reservoir positioned below the fuel filter housing to catch fuel oil when changing the filter.  I have the filter assembly inside the basement about 10 feet from the oil burner assembly adjacent the back wall where the incoming fuel line is located.  There are cut-off valves on each fuel oil above ground tank and a cut-off value at the fuel pump intake on the burner.  The electrode assembly was removed from the burner and the nozzle was replaced with a Steinen .75H.  The electrodes were in excellent shape being replaced on 11-06-16 and buffed each electrode tip with 400 grit wet/dry aluminum oxide paper.  The ceramic electrode insulators along with the holder were cleaned and cleaned the lens of the cad cell that detects light from the burning flame which is a safety device and will cut the burner off within forty-five (45) seconds if it doesn't detect a flame.  This keeps fuel oil build up in the brick lined firebox inside the furnace in the event of non-ignition of the burner.   Newer model primary controllers will shut the burner down much faster which is a better safety device.

Everything was put back together and gave it a test run and bled the air from the fuel pump and fuel oil filter housing while the burner was operating.  Apparently many years ago, the wires going from the Honeywell furnace controller terminals TT to the thermostat control topside were skinned back a little to allow a jumper lead to be placed across them to start the burner.  If the cad cell does not sense flame, the primary control will shut the burner down.  When servicing the burner, sometimes you have to short out terminals FF on the primary control to keep it from timing out if it doesn't sense flame, but this allows fuel to be atomized into the fire box and should be avoided.

FURNACE MAINTENANCE 2016

Below are some archived pixs from 2016 where I replaced the fuel line tubing aka gun line from the fuel pump to the electrode assembly, of which a service man years ago had rounded the hex shaped brass nut using channellock pliers.  Any service person with a pair of channellock pliers and an adjustable wrench turning/tightening hex head bolts needs to be run off your premises for not using the proper tools.  Seems like those folks want to take all the short cuts and I realize time is money for them.

I can understand a plumber using a pair of channellock pliers on sink drains and traps, etc., but that is about my limit for their usage.  I definitely do not want to use a pair of channellock pliers on any hex nut that can be eventually destroyed over time, whereby you cannot use a socket or wrench on it.  I have and do use a large pair of channellock pliers on vehicle oil filters, but prefer the large "socket" type oil filter wrench using a ratchet.

I keep my furnace small spare parts in a separate "tool box".  I don't have a dedicated nozzle wrench, but use a 3/4 inch open end box wrench and a 5/8 inch socket to remove the nozzle from the nozzle tube assembly. 

The electrodes were replaced on 11-06-18 and don't think the nozzle was replaced since the unit was firing properly after the new electrodes were installed.

SPARE PARTS

I keep on hand a new spare ignition transformer, new spare blower motor, spare set of electrodes, spare nozzles, spare cad cells and have an older Thermo Pride/Beckett OEA burner assembly for spare parts usage as well.  I have a used spare Honeywell R8184K primary control (now obsolete) for the burner assembly and a spare new RMB Controls furnace transformer relay controller 175-100101-10.  I recently ordered a couple Suntec SSC109 strainers for the fuel pump and sure the strainer needs cleaning and/or replacing, but since I don't have a spare gasket, therefore I will leave as is for now.  The fuel pump gasket normally doesn't need replacing, but Murphy's law never sleeps.  I will change the strainer and/or gasket ASAP.

On 11-13-18, I ordered a spare Suntec fuel pump being a Suntec A1YA7912 which replaced the original fuel pump Suntec A1VA7112.  Hopefully, I should have enough spare parts on hand should anything wear out and/or malfunction needing to be replaced. 

NOTE:  I replaced the fuel pump strainer on 11-13-18 and it was very, very dirty, therefore put a new nozzle in the firing gun tube assembly and set the electrodes to specifications.  I didn't replace the fuel pump strainer gasket which was in good shape.

I also ordered a Firomatic shutoff valve with a long stem that screws directly into the 1/4 inch NPT fuel pump upper intake and accommodates a standard 3/8 inch flare input fitting for the copper fuel line.  I will elevate the fuel line off the floor and secure the copper fuel line to a wall stud adjacent the furnace and get the fuel line in a position that does not present a safety hazard.

I also keep my spare chain saw parts in the same tool box, of which I need to purchase another tool box just for my chain saw parts and accessories.

I need to replace the jury rig coupling between the fuel cut-off valve to the intake of the fuel pump.  It was put on there many years ago by a service man who didn't have the proper fitting is my best guess.  I believe I stepped onto or bumped into the fuel line and there was later a slow leak.  I had to clean up the mess and tightened the couplings about as tight as I could in order to get the slow leak stopped. 

When the Firomatic shutoff valve arrives, I will install it and will have to add an additional piece of 3/8 inch copper tubing in order to secure the fuel line off the floor onto one of the wall stud members which should get the fuel line out of the way as far as stepping on it, etc.  When Johnny Hildreth and myself installed a new fuel line to the above ground tanks install, we didn't have much extra tubing on hand if my memory is correct; although enough to get the job completed.  I might hold off on the installation of the Firomatic shutoff valve until the end of the heating season, unless there has to be maintenance done on the furnace.  The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"....grin if you must!

I plan to check the pump pressure and if it is not holding or too low, will replace the pump at the same time I install the Firomatic shutoff valve.

The furnace air filters are ok.  I have two filters in the system that are aluminum framed and able to wash and dry them with air pressure, etc.  They remove a lot of dust from the air, however they do restrict the air flow some and replace them with the 30 day disposable type during the cooling season to get more air flow.

Hopefully, this old fuel oil system will last another heating season!

FURNACE HISTORY

When we purchased our home in 1989, the furnace used an underground oil tank, however when the fuel level got down to about 12 inches from the bottom of the tank, the system would loose its prime due to a single line supply versus the two line supply which has the return line to the tank from the fuel pump which automatically primes itself.  The tank depth in the ground was the problem being about level with the basement floor where the furnace is located.  I noticed there was a fill tube (priming tube) installed in the fuel line that came through the basement wall, but that definitely was a temporary fix to re-prime the system.  Later, I installed a check valve, but that didn't help out as far as the burner loosing its prime.

I later installed two 260 gallon above ground tanks in tandem which gives plenty of gravity flow pressure and that eliminated the burner loosing its prime with a single supply line to the fuel pump on the burner.   I had the original burner motor rewound by Roger Funderburke of Marshville, NC (now deceased) and a heating system will normally fail at the coldest time of the year.....grin if you must!   We had to use an auxiliary heat source (Kerosene heaters) and it was still very cold being only able to heat a couple rooms at the most.  Later, the phenolic adapter fitting that went from the burner motor shaft to the fuel pump broke and it was so outdated, I could not find a replacement part and the burner assembly was changed out by Johnny Hildreth, Allen Hildreth and myself on 01-10-98 which is detailed below.

The original furnace Crane Sunnyland heat exchanger is still going and this is the third burner assembly installed on the furnace.  Our neighbor and friend Johnny Hildreth and his son Allen replaced the original burner with a used Thermo Pride Beckett model OEA that I purchased around 1995 from Grover Tarlton (now deceased) for spare parts.  Johnny replaced the burner on 01-10-98 and it definitely was cold for sure.  We had to modify the mounting holes for the air tube flange that secured the burner to the furnace mounting bracket.

The stack relay thermal switch controls were removed from the flu not being needed with the first Thermo Pride Beckett replacement burner install on 01-10-98 which used the cad cell technology for safety.  The old stack control unit used a thermo couple to detect heat and shut the burner down in case the fuel did not ignite.

The last burner was replaced by Marvin Goodwin of Lilesville, NC and myself in 2012 was a Thermo Pride Beckett model EASR that was used and it was recycled from the furnace removed from The Mt. Beulah Baptist Church of which the heat exchanger was bad.  I believe Marvin took the old OEA burner with him if I am not mistaken.  I did have some trouble very soon after the install with the cad cell not sensing the flame because the burner electrodes and gun tube were dirty and not reflecting enough light back to the cad cell of which the cad cell was working fine and would shut the burner down.  The burner that came from The Mt. Beulah Baptist Church was set up for a two line in ground fuel system and the by-pass plug was not initially removed from the fuel pump causing the burner to soot up when we fired it up.  It was making a terrible racket trying to pump fuel, but was restricted by the by-pass plug being installed.  We have a single line gravity fed system from the above ground fuel tanks as stated earlier, therefore the by-pass plug has to be removed from the lower right fuel intake port.  I remembered from years ago, that Johnny Hildreth had to remove the by-pass plug from the used OEA burner fuel pump that I obtained from Grover Tarlton sometime around 1995 that he and Allen installed on 01-10-98.  I related that info to Marvin and the burner fired as it should once the by-pass plug was removed from the lower intake.  I am guessing this caused the accumulation of soot in the burner tube assembly which later caused the system to shut down. 

I obtained a spare Thermo Pride Burner model OEA with an identical Honeywell R8184K primary control from a furnace that was replaced with a heat pump a few blocks from our home and swapped out the primary control, but the problem was a dirty burner tube and electrode gun assembly not reflecting enough light back to the cad cell.  Those older Thermo Pride Beckett burners, OEA and EASR are now obsolete for sure as well as some of the Honeywell primary controllers.  Some service personnel will paint the inside of the burner tube assembly white in order to reflect more light back to the cad cell which makes sense.

With newer Beckett burners, the motor is running at 3450 RPM and the ignition transformer is around 20K volts versus the older 10K volts and 1725 RPM main drive motor, of which the new burners are faster igniting and more efficient.  If I didn't have an array of spare parts for the older burner, I would upgrade to the new Beckett burner.

I replaced the 3/16 inch diameter x 10 inch length nozzle fuel line aka gun line on October 3, 2014, of which the brass fitting to the flame gun tube was damaged by earlier repairmen using Channel lock pliers.  An 8 inch length nozzle line will work fine, but I could only locate a 10 inch length which has the brass flare fittings in place.  There was other maintenance done to the burner, but did not have any annotation in the furnace maintenance file folder.

I installed the third motor for the squirrel cage fan on 06-25-17, of which is now a 1/3 HP ball bearing motor versus the original 1/4 HP motor with sleeve bearings.  The squirrel cage blower has bronze bearings which gets oiled a couple times a year with 30 weight motor oil.

Since 2012, I have been able to keep the furnace running and replaced the ignition transformer on the third aka current used burner assembly since 2012 if my memory is correct. 

I keep all my maintenance documentation in a file folder which has a diagram of the original install of the Crane Sunnyland model upright basement furnace.

NOTE:  CRANE stopped making HVAC products in 1968.  Furnace technology sold to Amana.

JOHNNY HILDRETH

Our friend and neighbor Johnny Hildreth did most of our plumbing and furnace maintenance until he passed away on 05-25-09.  We certainly do miss this kind and generous neighbor and friend.  He taught me how to maintain our furnace and that has been a big help since the current generation HVAC men in our area are lacking experience on the older fuel oil heating systems due to fuel oil furnaces being replaced with heat pumps and gas packs.  Fuel oil systems are still much in demand in the Northern cold climate zones with the fuel tank in the basement or underground due to the sub freezing temperatures.  I remember back in the 1970s at the old home place on White Store Road, it was so cold outside that the kerosene about froze and was the viscosity of Karo syrup rendering the main Seigler oil heater practically useless due to not getting enough fuel to the heating chamber.

When the heat exchanger does give up the ghost, I will no doubt go back with a Thermo Pride fuel oil similar basement model furnace since we have a split heating/cooling system in place.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-20-18 with additional pixs added on 11-06-18 and updates on 11-13-18.

FUEL OIL FURNACE MAINTENANCE

Our fuel oil furnace the past couple years has been performing really well and didn't perform and major maintenance, but lubricated the squirrel cage fan bearings and also the drive motor for the burner.

However, I decided to do a complete routine annual maintenance on the system; e.g., changing the in-line fuel filter, complete lubrication of the squirrel cage fan blower bearings, drive motor for the burner, cleaning the CAD cell lens and cleaning and inspection of the burner gun.

Above is pix of the in-line General filter system.  I have an ole Bun-a-matic water tank used as an oil catch when removing the base unit of the General filter housing.  There is also an in-line fuel cut-off valve before the input to the General filter assembly.

I elected to use a different filter replacement for the General fuel filter. 

Pix of the old burner.

The fuel line to the "gun" assembly has been disconnected and you can see the gun with the two brass spring type connectors attached to the electrodes.

The gun above has been cleaned and soot removed from the ceramic insulators, electrodes cleaned using 600 grit paper to freshen the tips of the electrodes.  The electrode gap was still properly set and didn't need to adjust them.  The unit has been firing without any problem and no need to replace the nozzle, however most service personnel will change the nozzle as part of the maintenance, where needed or not.  There is also a filter inside the nozzle input to catch any small debris from the fuel oil line and there is also a filter in the pump.  With the in-line fuel filter from the tank, you have triple protection from debris, etc., and I am sure most of any particles will be captured before it reaches the burner assembly.

I put the gun back into the burner and connected the fuel line to the burner pump, fired the unit up and opened the bleed valve to the fuel pump and let fuel drain into a catch container and any air that was in the system will be removed.  Remember I opened the General fuel in-line filter and let the housing fill back up with fuel and there is a small vent screw on the filter housing just for that purpose also.

I fired the burner up and let it run and checked for fuel leaks and everything was good.  Cleaned up any fuel on the concrete basement floor and hopefully will be good for another heating system.  I will change the air filter to the unit also and lubricate the squirrel cage blower bearings again before it is time for the heating system to come on line.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-24-2023.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.

IN GOD WE TRUST - GOD BLESS AMERICA - "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE"   JOHN 3:16 KJV