Dead grundfos alpha 2 after a week

[ChrisHS]

Hi,

I'd like to run this past people with experience before I return a pump.

My old pump was sticking so I've replaced it. It might be older than me as it some standard for 1971 on it Grundfoss 18-60 (yes eighteen).

Gravity hot water, pumped CH,
Feed tank in loft, pump on the cold CH into the boiler.
Water feed is softened.
System is Very old so I used Fernox DS40.

Drained system with opened rad vent valves.
Refilled closing rads as they filled.
Pumped system for 20 minutes.
Drained system with opened rad vent valves again.

Refilled & added Fernox DS40 & ran for a week on the old pump, lots of bleeding rads.
Water colour changed to 'exhausted' & nearly black.
Drained filled pumped for 20 minutes drained.
Kept going till it ran clear but still some magnatite (looks like rough black pepper).

Draining then helped with vacuum on the old pump tube, 28mm.
Quite a bit more magnatite removed.
After many flushes no more large crud just a few tiny specs.

Fitted new pump
Grundfos Alpha2 along with 28mm gate valves.

Filled up & added second load of DS40.
Lots of bleeding rads.

Still not exauhsted after a week.
No particles in the water at all.
Small bit of boiler noise went away, rads hotter than before .

Got ready to drain & add MB1 protector.
Pump has just seized after 7-8 days, Grrrr! .

Opened pump housing rotor is 'pristine' no specs in the water. Still not exausted DS40.
I cannot move the rotor by hand & I'm not going to force it.


Seems like I got a duff one unless I've missed something.

Any ideas, should I be able to return it & get a replacement ?
I can supply pictures if need be.

Chris
~~~~~

 

[Agile]

You should have completed the treatment on the old pump! ( It would probably have worked well for another 10 years too! ).

You dont say if you used a whole can of DS40 at a time. Probably a serious overdose if so.

You should have water flushed the system first until clear and then added about 1/2 to 1/3 of a tub at a time reducing as it neared total cleanliness.

I have covered about 15,000 new pump installations over the last five years and I have only changed TWO under the warranty!

Almost certainly the failure has been as a result of your chemical treatment!

However, the pump manufacturers are very forgiving and will probably replace it but the first hurdle will be the sales place but I think that you have over 90% chance of getting it replaced.

Tony

 

[swbjackson]

I would have thought that DS40 was too aggressive to leave in the system for that length of time, particularly the second dose. I agree that the DS40 was probably the demise of the pump. As Tony says try taking it back and hope.

 

[seco services]

I have covered about 15,000 new pump installations over the last five years and I have only changed TWO under the warranty!

8 pumps aday over five yrs 7 days aweek. must get boring

 

[nickso]

I have covered about 15,000 new pump installations over the last five years and I have only changed TWO under the warranty!

8 pumps aday over five yrs 7 days aweek. must get boring

check the dictionary under boring. tony glazier is mentioned.

collins plan to mention him under bullshit next year.

 

[ollski]

I have covered about 15,000 new pump installations over the last five years and I have only changed TWO under the warranty!

8 pumps aday over five yrs 7 days aweek. must get boring

Are you suggesting Tony has inexplicably exaggerated his abilities?, surely not.

 

[grahamderek]

Check the dictionary under 'Walter Mitty'

 

[grahamderek]

Also check his post in 'General Discussion'

 

[seco services]

hate to think what porkys he tells customers.

 

[seco services]

Also check his post in 'General Discussion'

just read it

this wasn't her was it ?

 

[Soggy_weetabix]

I have covered about 15,000 new pump installations over the last five years and I have only changed TWO under the warranty!

8 pumps aday over five yrs 7 days aweek. must get boring

check the dictionary under boring. tony glazier is mentioned.

collins plan to mention him under bulls**t next year.

Pure fragrant Tony!

I suspect your either drunk or high on drugs to make a comment like this.

 

[gremlin16]

seco services.

I think you are getting to personal, you should not have posted a photo of Agile.

 

[ChrisHS]

>You should have water flushed the system first until clear and then added about 1/2 to 1/3 of a tub at a time reducing as it neared total cleanliness.

Yep, followed the instructions on the pack.
I added 1/4 at a time disolved in a bucket of CH water each time to feed tank.
Probably added at least one 1/4 too many though on the second clean.
It does say run it for up to a week...
As I understand it more acid doesn't make it a stronger acid just that it Can disolve more crud. Obviously not for me.

The old pump had to be cut off so I couldn't reuse it.
You can see a little lost lost on the left, the right is the actual end of the fittings's's's ! I count somewhere between 5 & 7.
All that & no valves on the left, there is a second to the right in the new picture under the floor.

I did try to get a plumber to change it but they had one look & decided not to.

I thought you might like a look at the old pump.

Chris
~~~~~

 

[Softus]

I have covered about 15,000 new pump installations over the last five years

No you haven't.

Almost certainly the failure has been as a result of your chemical treatment!

And yet you claimed that the old pump would have continued for another 10 years, even after chemical treatment.

 

[ChrisHS]

The pump was mounted with the bleed screw up. The manuals I've looked at have this as a 'don't fit it that way'.

There was a bit of air I removed once a month but the previous owners had probably never bothered. Not a sealed system so air slowly gets in through feed tank as water expands & cools in & out of it.

The impeller was fine, the play in the bearing was enough that the rotor was hitting the housing & sticking at switch on randomly.

I had gotten bored with clouting the pump to get it going. As you can see from the photo above I think it was past saving.

Chris
~~~~~