Must heating be turned on when bleeding oil boiler air lock?

ClarusDignus

I have a kerosene oil boiler (Riello RDB burner). It's comes on for a minute but then stops. I've been instructed to bleed the air lock using an Allen key and then press the reset button. I've attempted this without the heating turned on (heating timer is set to off and power switch to right timer control is off). Must the heating be set to on when I bleed the air lock?

Veteransaver

Are you sure it's an airlock causing it? 
Could be a fault with the burner, Eg flame detection or solenoid valve for the oil supply
Is the boiler firing up properly and getting hot? Then shutting down when the boiler hits the thermostat limit.

ClarusDignus

Veteransaver said:

Are you sure it's an airlock causing it? 
Could be a fault with the burner, Eg flame detection or solenoid valve for the oil supply
Is the boiler firing up properly and getting hot? Then shutting down when the boiler hits the thermostat limit.

No, I'm not sure if an airlock is definitely the cause. I've been instructed to try bleeding the airlock and to report back.  When I turn on the heating from inside the house, steam comes out of the boiler for about a minute and then it stops. The radiators haven't heated at any point. The boiler hasn't been filled or used for almost a year.

Section62

ClarusDignus said:

The boiler hasn't been filled or used for almost a year.

After that length of time it would be a good idea to get the boiler serviced and recommissioned by a heating engineer.

As a general rule bleeding is normally done with systems shut down, because you want any air bubbles to be static and accumulating in the high spots, rather than moving around.  Also if the system operates at high pressure then bleeding while pressurised can be dangerous, more so if you are dealing with a flammable liquid or gas.  An exception might be (for example) where the boiler is not low enough compared to the fuel tank and the fuel has to be pumped from tank to boiler - in which case that pump may need to be running to expel air from the system.  If that were the case though then it isn't really a DIY job, it needs doing by someone with the right training and skills.

Who "instructed" you to do the bleeding?  Bleeding and then resetting would imply they intended for the boiler to be off when you did the bleeding, but that makes an assumption about what they meant, and also whether they knew what they were doing.

ClarusDignus

Section62 said:

Who "instructed" you to do the bleeding?

Maintenance man. He said it's such a simple fix that I can do it myself and that he won't call out.

GrubbyGirl_2

ClarusDignus said:

Section62 said:

Who "instructed" you to do the bleeding?

Maintenance man. He said it's such a simple fix that I can do it myself and that he won't call out.

Can't you ask the maintenance man to tell you if it needs to be on or off as he claims he knows what's wrong?

Section62

ClarusDignus said:

Section62 said:

Who "instructed" you to do the bleeding?

Maintenance man. He said it's such a simple fix that I can do it myself and that he won't call out.

Is he qualified?  OFTEC registered?

Did he know the boiler hadn't been used for so long before giving that advice?

ClarusDignus

GrubbyGirl_2 said:

Can't you ask the maintenance man to tell you if it needs to be on or off as he claims he knows what's wrong?

Will ask him.

ClarusDignus

Section62 said:

Is he qualified?  OFTEC registered?

I don't know.

Section62 said:

Did he know the boiler hadn't been used for so long before giving that advice?

No.