"Steve" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
I've searched the archives for my problem with my Heil furnace but
couldn't find anything so here goes.

My furnace is a 1978 vintage system. It is an oil fed / forced air
system. I have been having a problem with it shutting down on its own.
I've narrowed the problem to it becoming air locked and starving for
fuel. All I have to do is open the pet cock drain, push the reset
button and let it run into a pan until clear oil flows and close the
pet cock and it then runs fine. This has been happening several times
beginning last winter and now has happened just recently.

Things I have done or checked:
a) Replace the oil filter
b) Check the breather pipe for blockage on the oil storage tank
c) Replace the nozzle
d) Replace the flame sensor
e) Tighten all fittings
f) The tank is over half full

Any other ideas or suggestions? The furnace seems to run fine
otherwise.

Thanks,
Steve


Has something been replaced recently (like the burner)?
Are there two lines going to/from the fuel tank?

When we had our burner replaced (middle of winter on the coldest day), the
guy hooked it up, got it running , and said he would be back later in the
week to tidy up the install and be sure everything was right. Well, he
never showed up again and we didn't complain because the bill never showed
up either. The burner ran fine for that winter, but later we found out what
he needed to "tidy up". Seems that he never installed the checkvalve, or
got it backwards. We literally ran out of fuel early next season when the
tank was full. Took a different repair man no time at all to diagnose and
correct the problem, and the problem has not returned for over 10 years now.
I have no idea why the burner ran for as long as it did and why it failed
when it did as I'm sure the tank had more fuel in it when it failed than
when it was running that first season. I have no idea where this valve is
or what it does but it sounds like it might be your problem.

Dan