Why Is My Furnace Not Bleeding And How To Fix It?

Although we realize you want your furnace to run without a hitch, accidents can sometimes occur when we least expect them, particularly when furnaces are only utilized in the fall and spring. There’s no need to fear if the aforementioned accident occurs! With our simple fix and a few pointers on how to make sure your furnace bleeds easily, this article will assist you.

Running out of oil fuel could be indicated by a furnace that won’t bleed. If you have an oil furnace, that is, as gas furnaces cannot be bled and would need assistance from a qualified technician. A defective fuel pump is yet another reason your furnace might not be bleeding.

Most furnaces feature a light that flashes when there is a problem with the appliance. Once you’ve identified the issue’s root cause, take immediate action. You must arm yourself with the appropriate knowledge (and instruments) in order to troubleshoot your oil furnace, which requires the highest care and precision. Here are a few of our most useful troubleshooting guidelines.

The Best Way To Bleed An Oil Furnace

An oil furnace should be simple to bleed, and one person can do it by themselves. See this manual to learn how. For your safety, make sure your air conditioner is completely off before performing any of these actions.

1. Refill Your Fuel Tank with Oil

When the oil tank is empty or below the recommended capacity, it is one of the telltale symptoms that your furnace won’t bleed. Hit the reset button when you’re through refilling to allow the furnace to restart normal operation. Even if the fuel is fine, it will keep pumping fuel into the combustion chamber if there is an ignition issue.

2. Turn Off The Furnace

In the event that replenishing and resetting don’t work, restart the furnace. Prepare your tools, which include a foot-long piece of nylon tubing and an adjustable wrench.

Additionally, you will require a container for any extra oil that may spill during the operation as well as safety gloves to protect your hands from the oil.

3. Start To Troubleshoot

To find the bleeder valve where you will do the procedure, locate the fuel pump. Tubes will be attached to the fuel pump, and the bleeder valve will be fastened with a hex nut on the other side. If you can’t find it right away, don’t worry; some furnaces have it hidden. To stop oil from seeping out, loosen the nut just a little bit before giving it a quarter-turn of pressure. The nut shouldn’t be entirely undone.

Place one end of the tube inside the container, then insert the other end into the bleeder valve. The installation of tubing on bleeder valves is not universal. The remaining stages can be completed without nylon tubing if you need to restart your furnace but don’t have any. Just be aware that it can splash, adding to the inconvenience. To avoid oil spilling on the floor, make sure your container is precisely beneath the valve.

Restart your furnace after you’re finished. You can try again if your second round of troubleshooting is still unsuccessful. It’s time to hire a technician for a proper diagnostic if, despite numerous attempts, you are still having no luck.

How To Conduct Maintenance Inspections On Your Unit

It’s advisable to undertake maintenance inspections to guarantee your furnace operates at peak efficiency. These could range from quick glances at warning signs to actual research that could prevent you from making several expensive calls. You can do the following actions when performing maintenance checks on your unit.

1. Look for any indications on the gauge that the fuel tank needs more oil. Typically, they have “E” or “0” indicators. Reset your furnace to restart the oil flow if it hasn’t already run out of fuel to ensure a trouble-free furnace bleed. If required, fill the oil tank.
2. If the thermostat for the furnace has to be adjusted, do so. The thermostat on your furnace needs to be set a little higher than ambient temperature.
3. Get ready to prime your furnace. Find the bleeder valve and open it to allow the oil to flow through.
4. Turn on the switch to restart the electricity. If there are fuel drips inside the container, the engine will start.

How Much Time Is Required To Bleed A Furnace?

Bleeding a furnace may take longer than you imagine if you’re patient, with each try lasting up to 15 minutes. However, as was already noted, if all your attempts to fix a damaged oil furnace fail, it’s advisable to seek professional assistance to avoid doing further harm to the appliance.

It can also be helpful to make sure you have all the tools you need on hand and the appropriate container size so you won’t have to go back and forth getting a new one in case the first one isn’t sufficient. This will assist make the entire bleeding procedure flawless.

How Is My Oil Furnace Affected If I Don’t Prime It?

Your furnace will shut off in the middle of a bitter winter if you don’t prime it. If this happens, it may be necessary to seek professional assistance, which will be considerably more expensive than sparing a little time to keep the oil furnace maintained on a regular basis.

What Takes Place If My Oil Tank Runs Dry?

The water, debris, and other dirt residue stuck in the bottom of the tank may be pulled into the lines when the oil runs out, which may result in blockage. These items can also harm your HVAC system if they are left outside for an extended period of time.

It’s best to make sure your oil tank never runs out of water because water left in the tank for a long time can also cause your tank to rust. To avoid the oil running out, you should keep an eye on this frequently. Instead than waiting for your equipment to finally break, it is preferable to invest a little effort in maintaining it.

Is It Safe To Use Diesel In An Oil Furnace?

If your oil tank suddenly chooses to malfunction and you don’t have any extra heating oil on hand, it is understandable. If your preferred heating oil is unavailable, diesel can be used in its stead because it generates the same amount of heat when burned. It should be fine to purchase one from the nearby gas station.

However, since gasoline is made differently from the other two and could harm your furnace, avoid using it in your heating tank. Additionally, as with any other priming procedure, make sure your furnace is totally off before adding more diesel to the oil tank.

Why Is My Furnace Needing A Reset?

Resetting the furnace is a routine maintenance procedure to turn the appliance off before it trips your circuit breaker. If the furnace overheats or the electrical system is disturbed, this can be necessary. To get the furnace running once more, press the reset button once more. Furthermore, since you only need to push the reset button for about 30 seconds, restarting your furnace shouldn’t take much time.

In the meanwhile, pressing the reset button once again after your furnace has turned off again after you pressed it can damage it. It’s best if you can get in touch with an HVAC expert if your furnace still shuts down after pressing the reset button.

Conclusion

Your furnace’s oil tank may have gone dry among other things if it won’t bleed. Make sure you perform routine maintenance inspections, including making sure the oil tank never dries out, to guarantee the furnace is always in great shape. On the brightest of days, you won’t be using your furnace, but this might be the ideal opportunity to perform inspections so that when the appropriate season arrives, you’ll be ready to enjoy a warm, cozy sensation.

We all know that prevention is always preferable to cure, therefore don’t be afraid to call a professional whenever you have any questions. Additionally, you can save some money if your HVAC system is much less problematic than it should be.