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    stayathomedad's Avatar
    stayathomedad Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Oct 30, 2012, 02:33 PM
    Our furnace is blowing cold air. How do I prime a beckett oil pump?
    Hi All,

    I'm sorry for waiting until the last minute.

    We had a new Kenmore Oil Furnace installed this past January by Sears. I haven't touched it since then. The installer did all the priming, etc and started the furance themselves. We turned it off when it started to get warmer. I am a computer geek and the furnace manual is all greek. The furnace turns on but blows cold air. I tried to raise the thermostat. I don't see any yellow or red lights. I have no idea how prime the oil.

    Any help will be greatly appreciated. It is starting to snow here.

    Thanks in advance

    Respectfully,

    stayathomedad
    hvac1000's Avatar
    hvac1000 Posts: 14,540, Reputation: 435
    Heating & Air Conditioning Expert
     
    #2

    Oct 30, 2012, 06:02 PM
    We had a new Kenmore Oil Furnace installed this past January by Sears. I haven't touched it since then. The installer did all the priming, etc and started the furance themselves. We turned it off when it started to get warmer. I am a computer geek and the furnance manual is all greek. The furnance turns on but blows cold air. I tried to raise the thermostat. I don't see any yellow or red lights. I have no idea how prime the oil.

    Any help will be greatly appreciated. It is starting to snow here.


    To start with your furnace should be under warranty for one year on the labor to install it so you might give them a call and see if it is.

    Check the furnace electric supply. If the breaker is off or the switch near the furnace is turned off then you have probably found your problem. Check the thermostat also.

    Priming a pump is simple if you know how but if you do not and it is your first time many cautions must be taken. You might look for the furnace install manual because in our area that manual is required to be left on the job site within site of the furnace for future reference. You might take a look around and if it is not there you might call Sears and complain that the installer did not leave it for you.

    The manual might contain the information you are looking for now and in the future.

    Did you check to make sure you have oil? You would be surprised how many service calls I used to run and it was because the customer ran out of oil. They thought they had oil and did not. That is usually a bit embarrassing for the customer (you).

    I am almost afraid to try and describe how to bleed the pump since if you do not have the proper tools and a plastic tube to put on the oil pump nipple you will have a big mess on your hands and your house will smell of raw oil for weeks to come.

    Now if you look at the furnace and you have two 3/8ths inch copper lines you have a two pipe system and it should self bleed. Now I am going to tell you this and heed the warning. Only try this if you have a two pipe system. Inside the furnace door usually on the burner itself there is a flame safety device/control. There should be a push button or lever to reset the control and this might start the furnace. If the furnace starts but does not establish flame or produce heat and the burner goes off again DO NOT ACTIVATE THE CONTROL A SECOND TIME PERIOD!!!!! Now I am sure you noticed my all caps message as if I am screaming at you and I am. Do not hit the reset a second time and now I have told you not to do that 2X and I mean it.

    If you keep resetting the control and the burner does not light off but eventually does you might end up with a uncontrolled fire from the oil that accumulated in the furnace when it did not light off or burn and that my friend is a place in time you do not want to be in especially since you have no training in the process of putting that fire out, or saving the fan control from wind up and failure etc.

    Sorry but I am just stating the facts.
    stayathomedad's Avatar
    stayathomedad Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #3

    Oct 30, 2012, 06:49 PM
    Hi,

    Thanks for the quick reply. I am a computer geek.

    We have a Beckett AFG Series Oil Burner. Serial Number 110510-06103.

    We moved in here 10 years ago. The furnace blew last December. The oil tanks are half-full. "I wish I could upload a picture of where the fuel line from the tank to the furnace looks like you would be amazed. I'll try to describe the scenario. The tanks are in front of the furnace. There is copper tubing coming out of the tank and goes to the left side of the furnace. There is a strange looking thing sitting inside of a aluminum/metal "baking" pan. I'm assuming it was used for bleeding. The tubing goes in one side of this thing and comes out the other side then into the furnace. On the first side there is a handle to open/close the line. We have lived here 10 years with the old furnace and I never touched that thing once, never primed it and never opened or closed the fuel line/oil line once. All we had to do is turn the breaker and hit the furnace switch. Heat came up. The furnace will start, but only blows cold air. There is no light on the prime or fire bulbs.

    We do have space heaters. And we have a wood burner once we get some wood.

    I'll copy and paste your reply and check the furnace. And I'll heed your warning.

    Any help will be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.

    Respectfully,

    stayathomedad
    stayathomedad's Avatar
    stayathomedad Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #4

    Oct 31, 2012, 06:58 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by hvac1000 View Post
    We had a new Kenmore Oil Furnace installed this past January by Sears. I haven't touched it since then. The installer did all the priming, etc and started the furance themselves. We turned it off when it started to get warmer. I am a computer geek and the furnance manual is all greek. The furnance turns on but blows cold air. I tried to raise the thermostat. I don't see any yellow or red lights. I have no idea how prime the oil.

    Any help will be greatly appreciated. It is starting to snow here.


    To start with your furnace should be under warranty for one year on the labor to install it so you might give them a call and see if it is.

    Check the furnace electric supply. If the breaker is off or the switch near the furnace is turned off then you have probably found your problem. Check the thermostat also.

    Priming a pump is simple if you know how but if you do not and it is your first time many cautions must be taken. You might look for the furnace install manual because in our area that manual is required to be left on the job site within site of the furnace for future reference. You might take a look around and if it is not there you might call Sears and complain that the installer did not leave it for you.

    The manual might contain the information you are looking for now and in the future.

    Did you check to make sure you have oil? You would be surprised how many service calls I used to run and it was because the customer ran out of oil. They thought they had oil and did not. That is usually a bit embarrassing for the customer (you).

    I am almost afraid to try and describe how to bleed the pump since if you do not have the proper tools and a plastic tube to put on the oil pump nipple you will have a big mess on your hands and your house will smell of raw oil for weeks to come.

    Now if you look at the furnace and you have two 3/8ths inch copper lines you have a two pipe system and it should self bleed. Now I am going to tell you this and heed the warning. Only try this if you have a two pipe system. Inside the furnace door usually on the burner itself there is a flame safety device/control. There should be a push button or lever to reset the control and this might start the furnace. If the furnace starts but does not establish flame or produce heat and the burner goes off again DO NOT ACTIVATE THE CONTROL A SECOND TIME PERIOD!!!!! Now I am sure you noticed my all caps message as if I am screaming at you and I am. Do not hit the reset a second time and now I have told you not to do that 2X and I mean it.

    If you keep resetting the control and the burner does not light off but eventually does you might end up with a uncontrolled fire from the oil that accumulated in the furnace when it did not light off or burn and that my friend is a place in time you do not want to be in especially since you have no training in the process of putting that fire out, or saving the fan control from wind up and failure etc.

    Sorry but I am just stating the facts.
    Okay, we have a 2 pipe system. One tube going directly into the burner/furnace. And one tube coming out of the burner into the thing on the floor and I also see the flame safety device/control. If the furnace starts but does not establish flame The furnace does start when I flip the switch, but doesn't establish flame. Is your instructions still the same? Do I flip switch and hit the flame safety device/control? Waiting your reply in my office with space heater on.

    Thanks in advance.

    Respectfully,

    stayathomedad
    Grady White's Avatar
    Grady White Posts: 1,417, Reputation: 59
    Ultra Member
     
    #5

    Oct 31, 2012, 07:57 PM
    When you say "the furnace starts" is it just the fan which starts or does the burner actually start but not establish flame?
    stayathomedad's Avatar
    stayathomedad Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #6

    Oct 31, 2012, 08:24 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Grady White View Post
    When you say "the furnace starts" is it just the fan which starts or does the burner actually start but not establish flame?
    Hi,

    Yes, now that you mention it, I believe it is just the fan. Also, we do have a 2 pipe system, but what I thought was the flame safety device/control was actually labeled, I believe Com2. There is a Reset switch Field Controlabove the furnace. Says something, [QUOTE=like not an exact quote[/QUOTE] do not push unless you know what cause the need to push Reset. Don't know when you'll read this, but it is 11:20 pm and I'm a few steps behind the wife on the way to bed. I'll come down in a little bit and check for a reply. Either way, thank to all of you.

    Another night without heat. Thank God we still have the space heaters and the 3 dogs. The wife and I, through all the seasons, have always kept each other warm. Some nights were really baking. : - )

    Thanks in advance.

    Respectfully,

    stayathomedad

    Sears may be coming out tomorrow, but I'll be at our Suzuki dealer (our reno had a recall) getting our head lights replaced.
    stayathomedad's Avatar
    stayathomedad Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #7

    Nov 15, 2012, 07:59 AM
    Hi Grady White,

    Well, the problem has been identify. There is nothing wrong with the furnace. We are grateful to Our God that the safety feature did what it was programmed to do. Long story, short! The chimney was blocked and the culprits, obviously, involved birds. Six feet from the top there is approximately a foot of solid waste, etc. Affordable Chimney Sweeps tried to clean-up, with the tools he had, but will have to come back with "better tools". The price went from $115. To $475. Our insurance will not cover this, but we will have the money in about 3 weeks.

    Thanks again.

    Respectfully,

    stayathomedad

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