When my mother ran out of fuel oil, the company suggested that she put a few gallons of diesel in the tank to tide her over until Monday when she can get a regular delivery, rather than pay the emergency service fee a weekend delivery would require. I put a couple gallons diesel in the tank, saving a little bit in case it was needed to "prime the system" as I had heard the technicians refer to it previously. I looked up the manual for the burner and looked on here for answers. It looks like what I have to do is bleed the pump. Is this correct? And, if so, how do I do this? It looks, from what I can tell, that I need to have the burner running to bleed it. The only way I know to get it running is to hit the reset switch. It's just Mom and I, and our fixed income doesn't cover an emergency delivery fee. I'm willing to try to fix it myself, but I need some advice. Please help!

HI MHG

Check out the image below... shows the bleeder and its location.

Push the reset button and then open the bleeder a 1/2 turn or so and let some fuel run into a glass container until you get a smooth stream of fuel. Then, tighten the bleeder nut and the furnace should ignite... ;)

Try this and let me know how you make out, OK?

Mark

Thank you so very, very much Mark! I got it started!! I was kind of worried because the diesel I put in the tank was clear and what was coming out of the bleeder was dark colored. But, it finally started and stayed running. Once again, thank you so very much. You saved us from a very cold NY winter night.

Glad I could help! Thanks for popping in to update me!

PS The dark color is the result of the diesel fuel mixing with the residual oil in the tank.

Do I hold the reset button and open the bleeder at the same time?

Yes... push the reset button and then loosen the bleeder and catch the oil in a safe container. Don't keep the burner/pump on for long (shut back off after say, 5 seconds at a time)... shut off before the burner shuts down and then, if needed, repeat this a few times depending on your situation!

Good luck!

So, I was not sure of the proper procedure. I knew I had to bleed the pump, but I didn't know I had to run it at the same time. So, I turned the bleed screw, nothing happened... I tightened it, and started it. It ran for 20 seconds or so, and stopped (no fuel, obviously). I did this twice before I found this page. Now that I know the right way to do it, it won't work. As soon as I release the reset button, the green light flashes again and no start, no bleed. Help!

Never mind. I found the answer. If you try unsuccessfully twice, you will get a hard lock out. In that case, you must hold the reset button for at least 30 seconds, and the system will kick back on! Oh glorious warmth!