Over 698,000 strictly plumbing related posts
Plumbing education, information, advice, help and suggestions are provided by some of the most experienced plumbers who wish to "give back" to society. Since 1996 we have been the best online (strictly) PLUMBING advice site. If you have questions about plumbing, toilets, sinks, faucets, drains, sewers, water filters, venting, water heating, showers, pumps, and other strictly PLUMBING related issues then you've come to the right place. Please refrain from asking or discussing legal questions, or pricing, or where to purchase products, or any business issues, or for contractor referrals, or any other questions or issues not specifically related to plumbing. Keep all posts positive and absolutely no advertising. Our site is completely free, without ads or pop-ups and we don't tract you. We absolutely do not sell your personal information. We are made possible by:
Author:
Lolita (NY)
You
Hi have a Burnham Gas boiler series 2a pilot light goes on but burners won’t so far changed gas valve ,thermo pilot, roll out switch ,damper and still not working thermostat works has electricity going thru breaking our heads here what could it be
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
hj (AZ)
Well, the first thing before you started changing things would have been to diagnose the REAL problem and fix it. We would probably have to be there and do our own tests to diagnose it.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
I had someone come in and check it said it was the valve
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
NoHub (MA)
First thing would been to bypass the thermostat which is Probably your problem.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
Did that burners did not turn on
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Paul48 (CT)
The manual is available on line. Follow the sequence of operation from one component to the next(electrically), and you will find the problem. As others have said, that is the proper way to troubleshoot the problem. If you brought someone in with enough knowledge to be able to say the gas valve was bad, why didn't they change it? I don't understand how you know all these components that could be causing your problem, and haven't done a search on "How to Troubleshoot a Boiler".
Edited 1 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
I have the manual just can’t figure what is the problem have checked the electricity I’m thinking it could be the boiler control center
FYI our water heater is working fine
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
packy (MA)
did you take an electric tester and check that the transformer is sending out 24V ?
from the transformer you follow the wires to the damper to see if the damper is opening. then follow to the spill and/or rollout switch. you are looking for 24 V. I believe from there the 24V goes to the gas valve and tells it to open. the pilot thermocouple also sends a signal to the gas valve telling it the pilot is on.
then the gas valve opens which sends gas to the burner.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
I read an educate myself and i myself went and bought the gas valve and had items changed out so where the other parts. I’m no expert and this is why i asked the question here ,thanks for your response hopefully someone else could help me
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Paul48 (CT)
Follow the sequence of operation. You are essentially going through a series of switches in order. Do you know how to use a volt meter? [www.manualslib.com]
Edited 1 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
Yes i know how to use a volt meter working on checking it now sequence of operations
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
I checked and I bypassed the block vent switch and the burners turned on and the gas came on everything else was 24v checked out. Do i need to replace that piece? FYI I’m not an expert but handy and follow instructions well and read to educate myself i really appreciate your help on this
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
bernabeu (SC)
you MUST ensure that the vent is NOT in fact blocked BEFORE you bypass or 'work on' the 'block vent' switch
else
death from CO poisoning may occur to occupants
==============================================
"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Paul48 (CT)
My friend is correct. The switch is there to ensure the damper has opened. It's is deadly if the boiler fires with the damper closed. The stakes are too high for me, or anyone else to try and walk you through this problem. Please call a pro to help you with this.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
the Damper was working it’s new and now the gas is off and we have carbon monoxide alarms/ fire alarms in the home and near the boiler in basement
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
The. Oiler is off no gas is on not even the pilot
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Paul48 (CT)
Did you push the reset on the blocked vent switch?
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
thank you just called the licensed plumber everything is off so no carbon monoxide leaks he will be here in the morning to change the switch and check there is no clogs in the vent
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Paul48 (CT)
I applaud you for taking the time to learn your system. That will never let you down. If something silly happens to the boiler in a blizzard, chances are you'll be able to get it running to keep the house from freezing solid. Stay positive….it's not Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Eve. That's when the "you know what" usually hits the fan. Best Wishes
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
Thank you for your help
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Lolita (NY)
Thank you for your help really appreciate it
Edited 1 times.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Palm329 (VA)
If the “blocked vent switch” is the vacuum switch thing that spins up prior to ignition and ensures the negative pressure up the chimney, then I think there’s usually a little pressure tube that can get dirty/blocked right? Kinda like the one that detects the load on a washer...
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
packy (MA)
palm, I believe there are 2 on this boiler.
both are heat sensitive.
one is clipped to the draft hood and one is down where the combustion air enters the chamber.
I'm relying on memory for this info and you know how reliable that can be.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Paul48 (CT)
I think you're right packy. They are both essentially roll out switches.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
Palm329 (VA)
Interesting thanks for that info. I don’t have much experience with the boilers, I’ve mostly seen the forced air furnaces. Either way the troubleshooting of all those sensors should be pretty straightforward. Personally I would never bypass one and walk away from the unit... I would only feel comfortable doing that during troubleshooting and observation... just too dangerous I feel.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
packy (MA)
I don't know, palm..
one of the so called safeties is a vent damper. it is meant to close when the burner is off. this saves energy as the natural draft can not pull heat from the unit.
locking it open so it can be bypassed will do no harm.
the other safeties we are talking about are switches that will stop the boiler if either of them sense an overheat situation caused by a blocked flue.
really !! when was the last time you saw a gas chimney flue block up ?
I have seen a few oil burner problems but never seen a gas flue block.
|
Post Reply
|
Author:
LI Guy (IN)
Possibly no chimney cap and something fell in from the top....raccoon got stuck trying to get warm maybe....agree it's extremely unlikely but worth checking.
- - - - - - -
Not a plumber by trade but a fierce DIYer
|
Post Reply
|
Please note:
- Inappropriate messages or blatant advertising will be deleted. We cannot be held responsible for bad or inadequate advice.
- Plbg.com has no control over external content that may be linked to from messages posted here. Please follow external links with caution.
- Plbg.com is strictly for the exchange of plumbing related advice and NOT to ask about pricing/costs, nor where to find a product (try Google), nor how to operate or promote a business, nor for ethics (law) and the like questions.
- Plbg.com is also not a place to ask radiant heating (try HeatingHelp.com), electrical or even general construction type questions. We are exclusively for plumbing questions.
Search for plumbing parts on our sponsor's site:
Special thanks to our sponsor:
|