Bentone B11 burner always locking out.

[Best]

Anyone any ideas? Never had bad luck like this!
At a boiler with a Bentone B11 burner that would constantly lock out after about 2hours on.
Firstly, this burner is only 3 year old & in brand new condition to look at. I have checked nearly everything including the oil getting to burner, the strength of spark, etc etc & all excellent. It is not the control box or the photocell or the solenoid or the capacitor! Burner runs lovely. I am thinking the solenoid valve is perhaps faulty but haven't had any bother before.
Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Best]

I went to the boiler later today with the intention of checking the oil pump etc & if all okay then either replacing the motor or the transformer as all else had been tried.
Luckily the boiler had been on a short time, so I first took a look at the spark & it was a lot different than previously - although consistently sparking, it was no longer a very strong spark it had been earlier tests. I have replaced the EB1 transformer in a few minutes & spent an hour & a half waiting. Hopefully that sorts it.

 

[Dotty]

I went to the boiler later today with the intention of checking the oil pump etc & if all okay then either replacing the motor or the transformer as all else had been tried.
Luckily the boiler had been on a short time, so I first took a look at the spark & it was a lot different than previously - although consistently sparking, it was no longer a very strong spark it had been earlier tests. I have replaced the EB1 transformer in a few minutes & spent an hour & a half waiting. Hopefully that sorts it.

Eejit! You should've kept quiet! You know you've cursed yourself now! Hopefully you're right though.


Why haven't we got you in the Arms?

 

[Best]

Eejit! You should've kept quiet! You know you've cursed yourself now! Hopefully you're right though.
Why haven't we got you in the Arms?

I will look an idiot if this doesn't solve it. I'll just never admit it! :smile:
Maybe some day I will join the Arms! Would love to know what goes on in that secret place. :grin:
Thanks to all of you for the advice! Just goes to show, if this works, never trust a transformer that gives a strong spark!

 

[Dotty]

I will look an idiot if this doesn't solve it. I'll just never admit it! :smile:
Maybe some day I will join the Arms! Would love to know what goes on in that secret place. :grin:
Thanks to all of you for the advice! Just goes to show, if this works, never trust a transformer that gives a strong spark!

Got fed up waiting for you to get off your aristotle. I've put the wheels in motion for ya

 

[kimbo]

Eb1 transformers are renowned for intermittent lockouts. Always keep a couple in the van

 

[Best]

I keep a new EB1 in a case together with control boxes etc.
If it proves to have been the transformer, then I made the mistake of ruling it out because the spark (which I repeatedly tested several times on a couple of visits) was always very strong. Hard to know what approach would have been better, other than waiting for hours. Thankfully it is close to me.

 

[kimbo]

I have come across these before when other so called engineers cant fix them so they tell the customer they need a new boiler.
hope it all works out best never easy these intermittent lockouts but we always get there in the end

 

[Best]

Yes Kimbo, have seen a lot of fairly young boilers with brand new burners fitted where no doubt just a little part would have sorted the original burner. Or an entire new boiler as the customer probably is easy prey when they have an ongoing failing burner. I would always fix anything viable if cost isn't going to be close to a entirely new item. This time I wasted a few visits, but usually I don't take much time finding a fault - so really can't complain & I will stay easy going. :smile:

 

[Bunker]

I didn't post on this as you know what your doing and I couldn't find anything that hadnt already been said, except have you done an FGA? Check its not over aired and blowing itself out.
Hopefully you fixed it anyway.

 

[Best]

No worries Bunker, - I was only putting the question out there to see if anyone had came across similar problem.
I knew the combustion was fine, as had tested it after service & new nozzle, but it had been prior to that locking out. Burner is on a WB std utility boiler which I could set easily & firstly had been done by me at commissioning years ago. Boiler always started on press of lockout whether warm or cold start & co2 was I think above 11%, so was confident not over aired.

 

[WHPES]

The posted problem is also a good example as to the fact that it is always a good idea to retain second hand burners from scrapped boilers as it can be far easier to swap a faulty burner (or parts from it) for a working second hand one to save messing about fault finding if you are very busy.

 

[Best]

The posted problem is also a good example as to the fact that it is always a good idea to retain second hand burners from scrapped boilers as it can be far easier to swap a faulty burner (or parts from it) for a working second hand one to save messing about fault finding if you are very busy.

If it had been severe weather I would have swapped the burner. I have an old B11 burner would have done temp. I also have loads of electrical parts for them - better to have a second hand part than nothing.
Just an update on the boiler - no messages received, so the new EB1 transformer must have fixed it.

 

[Best]

Just received a text from customer to thank me for sorting the boiler as it has been running fine with new transformer. Lesson is - don't assume a nice strong spark on several tests means a transformer won't fail intermittently.
Thanks for all the replies & help! :smile:

 

[SimonG]

Glad you got it sorted.

 

[Best]

Glad you got it sorted.

Thanks Simon, - your first reply was spot on. You were lucky though! :smile: Let's call it an educated guess!
I did everything right, except i probably should have waited an hour at least, but just didn't find anything wrong.
Had one yesterday on a friends boiler - another EB1 but no spark & the back of transformer had a large blister. Seem to get a run of same things.