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QUESTION:I have a Thermopride oil furnace with a burried 100 gal oil tank. It's
about 15 years old. It has suddenly decided every once in a while, not
to ignite. I have to push the reset button, and then it runs fine. I
do not get a large "boom" when I hit the reset button, so I don't think
there is excess oil in the fire chamber. I put a new control on and it
worked for about a month and now it's starting to not ignite again.
This only happens every once in a while and is not consistant.
Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening. There is only
the motor, the ignition transformer and the oil pump that are candidates
in my thinking.
ANSWER: I would be more inclined to suspect the pump loses its prime.
Does the no-start mostly occur after a longer shutdown (like
first thing in the morning)?
If it was ignition failure, you would expect to have a "boom"
when it *does* finally ignite. Also, resetting the stack control
should not magically give better spark. And you replaced
the control, so it's not that.
To find out what's going on, screw a 100psi gauge in the
gauge pressure port on the pump. Pressure should leap up to
roughly 100psi within 1 second of motor start. Do this test
after a lengthy shutdown.
If you're not familiar with what I'm describing and how to do it,
better to call service in.
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