How should a pump be fitted?

[WillsNana]

Should the pump be fitted like this? The system engineer left us with the pump running on 3, then the water started bubbling in the overflow /refill tank.

Not sure how include images with my post but this is how the pump looks...looking down into underfloor

//www.diynot.com/network/WillsNana/albums/

I'm sure that the old one had the circular bit facing upwards, as you have to put your hand underneath to get at the three levels (1,2,3), so is this correct?

We've turned the level down to 1 (systems engineer told us what to do) as it's still bubbling on 2.

It's a Grundfos 15-60 130 cat no. 1/44/215 which replaced a

Terrier TC6 TF110 IP44 Class H

Thank you for reading

 

[powell30]

Maybe it's my eyesight but i cant see where the arrow is pointing. This indicates the flow direction, i think it is flowing 'down' in your picture. The pump should be flowing water 'from' the boiler. Can you confirm this? If so it has been fitted the corect way

 

[WillsNana]

I've added a bigger picture, I don't know where the arrow is I'm afraid.

I wondered is why the pump is on it's side. Is that OK?

 

[seco services]

the pump on its side is better than you had it before.

the pump is pumping down in your pic.
is that away from the boiler ?

you say the vent pipe is getting hot how far up ?
is their enough water in the loft tank ?

 

[WillsNana]

Away from the boiler - Yes

Not getting hot at all in vent pipe now it's on number 1. The rads are still getting hot.

Old pump was set to 2 but vent pipe would heat up halfway.

Will get the husband to check the tank is refilling and water not low.

Systems fitter said this new pump is more powerful than the other one. Is that correct?

Thanks for your advise.

 

[dextrous]

If the rads get warm on setting 1, then leave it at this.

 

[WillsNana]

Well a few weeks down the line and my husband has been woken by hot water going up the overflow pipe, switched the heating off then started it again. and then it's been OK, but I'm now noticing that the overflow pipe is getting hot again when the timer switches on in the morning and in the afternoon

 

[WillsNana]

Bumping this up...

We had the ch only , on all last night. When the timer kicked in in the morning and the HW came on too, it was pumping over within about 5 mins. Motorised valve do you think?

 

[Nige F]

the spindle on the pump should be above the horizontal axis . Looks like it is slightly . Difficult to see exactly

 

[WillsNana]

I'm sorry as I don't know where the spindle is, but I have added a photo of the old pump, as it doesn't seem to look the same to me.

//www.diynot.com/network/WillsNana/albums/

Also, should the pump electrics lie under the pump?.

And the new pump is a Grundfos 15-60 130 cat no. 1/44/215 which replaced a Terrier TC6 TF110 IP44 Class H. Is this a more powerful pump than the original? Our heating gets very hot very quickly nowadays.

Also, how could the new pump be bled when it is up against a joist?

 

[JohnD]

looking at the old/new pump layout, it appears that a bypass has been removed. It also appears that you have 2-port motorised valve rather than a 3-port, so maybe the flow is reduced too much when the cylinder is up to temp.

It looks to me like the pump and pipework are installed under floorboards, so perhaps there was insufficient room to have the pump vertical. However, it is possible to take the motor part off the pump part and rotate it so that the electrical connection box is not underneath, if there is room. This reduces the risk of water leaks getting into the electrical connections though I believe they are designed to resist it to some extent. If you are not an enthusiastic DIY plumber you might do better to leave it as it is rather than risk getting it wrong.

Do you have TRVs (thermostatic valves) on all your radiators? Are all the radiators hot all over?

Do you have a Room Thermostat on the wall?





The system looks fairly old, and you say it has a Feed and Expansion tank in the loft. These systems usually have quite a lot of dirt, corrosion and sediment in them, this tends to obstruct flow so unless it has been recently cleaned, it is worth adding a litre of Sentinel X400 (a mild cleaning chemical sold by most DIY sheds and plumbers merchants) which loosens old sediment and improves flow. You leave it circulating for about 4 weeks, then drain it out, with the loosened sediment, and after rinsing, refill with a corrosion inhibitor such as Sentinel X100. The chemicals only cost about £15 each and are very easy to put in if you have an F&E tank.

Bale out all the mud from the F&E and sponge it clean before adding the chemical. This is to avoid washing more sediment down. The float valve should be adjusted so there is only about 2 inches of water above the outlet pipe near the bottom (being shallow reduces risk of pumping over). Look at the F&E and see is water is pumping out of the vent pipe (curved over the top of the F&E tank) or if air is bubbling into the tank through the pipe at the bottom.

You will know the X400 is starting to work when the radiator water turns jet black, this is the loosened sediment being washed round in the water.

 

[WillsNana]

The bypass was moved and replaced as per boiler installation instructions, The system was updated in 2004/5, with new Micron 70 boiler, new pump and valves plus new rads. It was thoroughly flushed and Fernoxed between installation in June and November of the year of installation. Yes we have thermostats on all rads bar two and a wall thermostat in the hall.

It is maintained by Homeserve's 5 star cover (laughs nervously).

The house was build in 1970 and had a floor standing boiler but the pipework was altered under the floor as apparently the overflow is in a different place on the piperun to wall mounted boilers.

Added later

There is another motorised valve but that's on the piperun under the floorboards at the LHS

 

[JohnD]

no more ideas then

but it might be the bypass change has something to do with it

do you still have a bypass? where is it now? does it have a valve for adjustment? can you post a pic?

 

[WillsNana]

The bypass was done in Sept 2004 (yes we still have one with the required length loop). This change has only been since we had this new pump in Dec 09.

The heating system was perfectly OK til we had the new pump, with just the occassionally air letting required from one radiator.

How would he have got the air out when he installed it. We have air release valves in the upstairs airing cupboard next to the cylinder and above the boiler, by the way.

 

[WillsNana]

the spindle on the pump should be above the horizontal axis . Looks like it is slightly . Difficult to see exactly

I've added a pic of the old pump, which the engineer said was too steep.