# Fuel leaking in burner housing!



## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm just wondering if I caused a pump seal to go bad. I adjusted the electrodes and when I went to fire it up, I forgot to turn on the oil supply and open the return. Now oil gets sprayed on the inside of the burner housing and drips out through the housing joint. When I flip open the ignitor, everything is wet with fuel oil and obviously the furnace won't fire. Did a seal in the pump go bad because it was running with the supply, return & bleeder closed? It's a Beckett "AFG" burner with a Suntec pump #a2va-7116.


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

Let me guess… Bryant Multi-Poise furnace with recently disconnected fresh air intake? :arabia:
It’s possible the shaft seal was damaged. Why were you fiddling with the electrodes? Are you sure they are set correctly?


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

*It was the seal.....*

I'm assuming it was starting to go......then I finished it off by forgetting to turn the supply and return valves back to the open position when it was turned back on. As for the electrodes, I wanted to check the 3 dimensions that beckett suggested. The gap was ok between electrodes but they were a tad bit too far back and too high from the center of the nozzle. I set everything according to the beckett instructions. It seems to fire fine for 2 days & then I'll wake up to a 63° house. Go hit the rest button and it refuses to fire. The spark is there so I figured it was the electrode settings??? I cleaned everything, put on the new pump and it fired. It still seems to rumble a little but not as bad since I replaced all of the exhaust ducting. I did retain the box supplying fresh air to the damper but closed off the cold air combustion supply. The house is so much warmer.......no drafts! What causes the slight rumble while running? That's how this whole thing started........it had a noticeably louder rumble, the dmper was banging around more & then it wouldn't fire one morning......that's why I changed all the exhaust ducting leading to the chimney......and yes, the chimney does draw air......wow, that was a mouthful..... Oh, and I gave it a little more air on the air band setting.....It was on zero originally.....now set to 1/2.


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

The initial air band is set to 8, the secondary air band is 1/2. OK.....IT FIRED WHEN THE THERM CALLED FOR HEAT.......Let's see for how long before the electrodes decide to take the day off again.


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

Well, before I started messing with the air band, I would have also removed that sheet metal box from around the draft hood so the baro damper is exposed to the same room air as the burner. 
It sounds like you should probably just get someone out there with the right equipment to check the draft and go over everything to be sure it’s set it up properly. Especially if the trouble just started happening after you removed the intake air duct.


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

That's the thing......it just quit ruining one day......wouldn't fire.....with everything hooked up the way it had been for the last 8 years. I cleaned the electrodes.....it ran for 4 days. Then the same thing.....quit running.....so I replaced the exhaust ducting thinking there was a blockage.....lots of deterioration but no blockage......so, new exhaust, adjusted damper & cleaned electrodes again. It ran for 2 days......popped the reset button. I pushed in the reset but it wouldn't fire......adjusted electrodes per manufacturer specs......it's working so far. I believe that I caused the leaking pump seal......unrelated in my mind.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Yep. Running the burner with the return valve shut blew the pump seal. that seal is only able to withstand 10PSIG. Then it blows once the pressure exceeds 10 PSIG.

So woth everything you did. i didn't see where you said you replaced the nozzle, oil filter, or pump strainer if it has a Suntec pump.


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

Replaced the pump, filters were changed recently. The nozzle was cleaned thoroughly. It's been fine since the 21st (tue).


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

3Rivers said:


> Replaced the pump, filters were changed recently. The nozzle was cleaned thoroughly. It's been fine since the 21st (tue).



Cleaning a nozzle is a waste of time.

You can't measure if the tolerance of the jets have worn. So it can be spraying a bad pattern and causing impingement and high CO.


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

You're right beenthere. I just figured that since the furnace is only 8 yrs old & 6 of those yrs was running on clean kerosene (2 yrs on 50/50 blend) that things should be fairly clean......and they were. I have concluded that: (1) The pump seal had a very small leak which was introducing trace amounts of oil into the air stream before the nozzle which was fouling the electrodes. (2) The electrodes were out of adjustment.....too far back & too high from nozzle center. (3) The exhaust ducting, although not blocked, had alot of pipe corrosion buildup that had collected in the belly of each section.


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## beenthere (Mar 5, 2009)

Doubt the pump seal was leaking and caused your original problem. More like the nozzle fouled up the electrodes. When you ran it with the return valve closed. you blew the pump seal.

Nozzle should be changed every year. Weather you use kerosene or #2 oil.


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

I know that my mistake eventually blew the pump seal. Didn't think that a nozzle needed replaced every year......you are the first to say that.


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## DuMass (Feb 6, 2008)

That’s why I suggested you get someone in there that knows what they’re doing. You sound like someone that’s just horsing around with his equipment, trying to learn on the fly without any technical background experience.


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## 3Rivers (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm not a tech & you really don't need to be to do most of this stuff. These are fairly simple machines......air, fuel, spark & a good exhaust. Granted, I don't have all the flow meters and such but I got it working pretty well. I will have it "set up" after the holidays.


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## MechAcc (Feb 27, 2005)

3Rivers said:


> I'm not a tech & you really don't need to be to do most of this stuff. These are fairly simple machines......air, fuel, spark & a good exhaust. Granted, I don't have all the flow meters and such but I got it working pretty well. I will have it "set up" after the holidays.


Suntec service handbook does not recommend a shutoff valve in the return line. Oil nozzles cannot be cleaned in the field. The tangent slots are small and cannot be cleaned. Nozzle pressure needs to be tested and set to manufacturers recommend setting. Air shutter adjustment needs to be set for a Trace or #1 smoke. A combustion test is performed, preferably with an electronic combustion meter, to obtain initial oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Air shutter is then adjusted to increase oxygen level 1%. 

Get a good oilman out there and have it taken care of properly before something goes terribly wrong.


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