"pjti" wrote in message
om...
I have just bought a house in which the boiler(make unknown at pres)
has apparently seized, that is the circulation pumpworks but boiler
seems dead. The house has been empty for some months and as it is an
outside boiler I figure its got a bit of damp in the motor. Anyone
know if these are dodgy to sort out. To be honest i do not trust
anyone else to sort it for me, "if a jobs worth doing its worth doing
yourself". I would like to locate a site which tells me the basic
principles of how these things work , any one help me on that ?


Lets take a step back and consider your problem. The following pointers do
suggest a bit of electrical & safety knowledge to test for power present
and you should only do this if you are competent to do so.
..
1. Is there ANY power reaching the boiler itself when you are trying to run
it? There must be some cabling leading into the boiler usually via a
thermostat box. This might include an overheat thermostat which requires
manual resetting by pressing a button somewhere on this box. The usual
cause of this tripping is trying to run the boiler while it is empty of
water or (sometimes) with a failed water circulation pump.

2. Your advice that it is an outside boiler helps but is not really
sufficient to diagnose. Are you saying it is in an outside shed, in its own
weatherproof enclosure, or again its own weatherproof enclosure but mounted
up on a wall? A name and model number with a make and model for the burner
as well would be of immense assistance.

3. If the boiler/burner is being fed with power try to identify the burner
control box, usually bearing a reset button which lights up if the unit has
tried to fire but no flame has been detected within about 5 to 10 seconds.
If this button is illuminated (or an associated lockout lamp is
illuminated) press this lockout reset button and the burner motor should
try to start. If powere is reaching it you should hear a buzz even if it is
stuck and not rotating. IF the burner remains silent try to check if power
does reach it for a few seconds when the reset is pressed.

4. If the burner motor starts and the burner is supplied with oil and the
oil pump is not pumping air instead of fuel it "should" fire if this is not
happening try to memorise exactly whats happens and come back for more
info.

HTH

John