Possible water in the oil line?

[Millsy 82]

I went out to a job in Jan and the oil pump was playing up kept sticking so I put a new pump in all working great until yesterday the oil pump is shot again. (The motor tries to turn but cant, if I pull the pump out of the motor it starts up and runs) The pump is a danfoss and my merchant says it is very rare that they go down in such a short time.

Is there a possibility that there could be water in the oil line/tank? I have not come accross this problem since I have worked on oil (about 1.5 years)

How do I check for water in the oil line?

I know I need a paste that tests for water what is this called?

Do I just pull some oil through to a suitable container and then test the oil in the tub?

Where do I go from there if there is water in the line/ tank there is some kind of pads that just soak up water what are these called?

 

[ecowarm]

Steel or plastic tank?

 

[Millsy 82]

Its a plastic unbunded tank.

 

[kimbo]

When you change an oil pump that has failed it always pays to run off a few litres of oil to check to make sure it is clean. If you check the filter bowl at the tank or the one before the boiler the water which is heavier than the oil will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Also water detecting paste on the end of a bit of pipe or broom handle or bit of cane will find if there is anything there. If there is oil in the tank if its plastic tank check the rubber washers on the fill points etc, a bit of silicone on them and reseal them will sort that out. If there is oil in the tank you could syphon it out into a container but you may need a large container if there is a lot in there, I get our local tank installer yto do that for me hes geared up for it and you dont have to worry about getting rid of all the contaminated fuel.

 

[Best]

As said, good practice to always run a litre or two into a clear clean container just to ensure no water or dirt, even if oil filter at tank etc are okay.
Remember the flow of oil through the pipe is very slow when burner is going, so letting the flow full bore will wash pipe well.
Water inside the oil line will lie on all the low bits of pipe & it will shock you if you shine a torch on the flowing clean oil to see the odd little drop of water washing out.
Why not remove the cover of the oil pump & check the filter? You will see rust for sure if any water present for a while.
Always use paper element filters, - far superior to gauze filters & supposed to stop water passing the oil soaked paper element. Make sure any oil sight gauges are not letting rain water in.

 

[AaronC]

Common problem I find is people who wont fill their tank and tip the tank to get every last bit of oil out, wrecks the pump. Also ask the tenant do they regularly use the heating, sometimes if a burner is left off for long periods, the pump will seize up again

 

[WHPES]

I use a length of 10mm pipe with my priming pump to suck a bit of liquid off the bottom.

If I find water, I extract using my transfer pump with a length of 22mm copper like a vacuum cleaner.

In my experience, water usually gets in from around the fill cap which over time sometimes gets unscrewed.