Leaking salamander rsp75 shower pump

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27 Jul 2009
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Location
Ayrshire
Country
United Kingdom
I have a leaking pump just over 1 year old which salamander say is due to incorrect installation and they have voided the warranty. The pump is leaking from the o rings on the plastic casing but not the shaft seal, this is on the hot side of the pump. I have replaced the seals but it is still leaking. I recall reading somewhere about this being a problem with these pumps and where a plumber had a test rig set up in his workshop specifically for testing salamander pumps prior to fitting. Anybody know anything about this problem.
 
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Why do they say it's down to incorrect installation, have you exceeded the max openrating temperature?
 
Why do they say it's down to incorrect installation, have you exceeded the max openrating temperature?
The engineer checked the temperature and said it was within the perameters at 62 degrees. He said my cold water supply tank was smaller than I had told pumpwise and I had taken the supply from the vent pipe at the top of the hot water tank, he said I should have fitted a flange. He would not comment on whether this would cause the pump to leak from the casing. I should also say that the pump does not leak from the shaft seal, only the casing.
 
He said my cold water supply tank was smaller than I had told pumpwise
I would say that’s not really relevant.

and I had taken the supply from the vent pipe at the top of the hot water tank, he said I should have fitted a flange. He would not comment on whether this would cause the pump to leak from the casing. I should also say that the pump does not leak from the shaft seal, only the casing.
I assume you had the take off at the bottom of a 45 degree angle vent? If you just teed into it then that’s definitely a no no but Salamander do say you can tee off the bottom of a 45 degree vent but it’s the least preferred option & not specifically recommended for the RSP; personally I always use an Essex flange.

Aerated water causes cavitaion which can generate extremely high local surface temperatures the effects of which are sometimes difficult to believe if the whole lot is running in water. This could cause distortion of the plastic end casings which, in turn, would cause the O ring seals to let by; but cavitaion is more likely to eat the impellers.

I think they are using it to their advantage which is maybe a bit mean but you haven’t really helped yourself by failing to follow the manufacturer’s instructions & compounded it by giving incorrect information on your warranty card; but I’m unsure if either should have made any difference. You could try grovelling or asking if they will supply you with some new impeller housings, you never know your luck. If not, assemble the pump with a good lashing silicone gasket
http://www.threebond.co.uk/PRODUCTS/TB1215LiquidSiliconeGasket/tabid/266/Default.aspx
& see what happens, you may at least get a while longer out of it. But do at least fit a decent take off flange.
 
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He said my cold water supply tank was smaller than I had told pumpwise
I would say that’s not really relevant.

and I had taken the supply from the vent pipe at the top of the hot water tank, he said I should have fitted a flange. He would not comment on whether this would cause the pump to leak from the casing. I should also say that the pump does not leak from the shaft seal, only the casing.
I assume you had the take off at the bottom of a 45 degree angle vent? If you just teed into it then that’s definitely a no no but Salamander do say you can tee off the bottom of a 45 degree vent but it’s the least preferred option & not specifically recommended for the RSP; personally I always use an Essex flange.

Aerated water causes cavitaion which can generate extremely high local surface temperatures the effects of which are sometimes difficult to believe if the whole lot is running in water. This could cause distortion of the plastic end casings which, in turn, would cause the O ring seals to let by; but cavitaion is more likely to eat the impellers.

I think they are using it to their advantage which is maybe a bit mean but you haven’t really helped yourself by failing to follow the manufacturer’s instructions & compounded it by giving incorrect information on your warranty card; but I’m unsure if either should have made any difference. You could try grovelling or asking if they will supply you with some new impeller housings, you never know your luck. If not, assemble the pump with a good lashing silicone gasket
http://www.threebond.co.uk/PRODUCTS/TB1215LiquidSiliconeGasket/tabid/266/Default.aspx
& see what happens, you may at least get a while longer out of it. But do at least fit a decent take off flange.
Hi Richard, I had the take off at the bottom of the 45 degree angle and with regards to groveling, they offered a new pump at half price (£175.00) which was exactly what I paid screwfix for my original, I declined their offer and suggested they waive the call out fee of £97.00 , that way they saved £78.00 on the discount but they refused. They refuse to sell me a set of casings unless I pay their bill and are threatening court action. They seem real nice helpful people to do business with.
 
He said my cold water supply tank was smaller than I had told pumpwise
I would say that’s not really relevant.

and I had taken the supply from the vent pipe at the top of the hot water tank, he said I should have fitted a flange. He would not comment on whether this would cause the pump to leak from the casing. I should also say that the pump does not leak from the shaft seal, only the casing.
I assume you had the take off at the bottom of a 45 degree angle vent? If you just teed into it then that’s definitely a no no but Salamander do say you can tee off the bottom of a 45 degree vent but it’s the least preferred option & not specifically recommended for the RSP; personally I always use an Essex flange.

Aerated water causes cavitaion which can generate extremely high local surface temperatures the effects of which are sometimes difficult to believe if the whole lot is running in water. This could cause distortion of the plastic end casings which, in turn, would cause the O ring seals to let by; but cavitaion is more likely to eat the impellers.

I think they are using it to their advantage which is maybe a bit mean but you haven’t really helped yourself by failing to follow the manufacturer’s instructions & compounded it by giving incorrect information on your warranty card; but I’m unsure if either should have made any difference. You could try grovelling or asking if they will supply you with some new impeller housings, you never know your luck. If not, assemble the pump with a good lashing silicone gasket
http://www.threebond.co.uk/PRODUCTS/TB1215LiquidSiliconeGasket/tabid/266/Default.aspx
& see what happens, you may at least get a while longer out of it. But do at least fit a decent take off flange.
Hi Richard, I had the take off at the bottom of the 45 degree angle and with regards to groveling, they offered a new pump at half price (£175.00) which was exactly what I paid screwfix for my original, I declined their offer and suggested they waive the call out fee of £97.00 , that way they saved £78.00 on the discount but they refused. They refuse to sell me a set of casings unless I pay their bill and are threatening court action. They seem real nice helpful people to do business with.
P.S. I would not know the size of my cold water tank or my hot water tank for that matter and would not have told them any lies, nor did anybody at pumpwise mention anything about a flange, the first I knew about a flange was when the engineer came.
 
Just thought you may have had some comeback on whoever installed the pump. Don’t take this the wrong way but I’m afraid knowing & taking into account all the details of your existing system (& not just the hot & cold water storage capacity) is a critical part of designing a new pumped system. Getting it wrong though inexperience is inevitably the cause of poor system performance &/or early pump failure, this is why Salamander, along with others, offer a further year warranty if you consult their design team & install as they recommend; are you saying Salamander recommended the RSP 75 without any details of your system or even referring you to the installation guide? although a copy is also packed with the pump!
 
Who installed the pump?
I installed it myself and pumpwise were made aware of this when they recommended the rsp75.
Hi Richard, the only thing I recall was them asking was the size of the incoming supply pipes to the pump and they recommended 22mm. I had to change mine from 15mm as that was the size prior to fitting the pump. they said I could have 15mm pipe on the outgoing side that is to say after the flexible hose. They did not refer me to the fitting booklet at any time although I did find a copy in the pump box.
 
They did not refer me to the fitting booklet at any time although I did find a copy in the pump box.
Unfortunately I think they probably have you by the short & curlies. You could try referring to figure 2 on page 1 of their installation guide but I can probably guess what the answer will be! Or refer them to their PumpWise promise on page 12, particularly the “speedy & sympathetic response” bit & see what happens ;) . I’ve found them to be reasonably helpful, I Don't know your particular "style" but it usually pays to stroke egos & grovel rather than kick them in the balls, maybe you just ****ed someone off, who knows. :LOL:

You may have no real alternative but to pay their call out fee & take up their offer of spares, assuming they are being offered at a reasonable price! Otherwise go buy a Stuart Turner pump; no point in buying another "Sally" if they’ve blackballed you; ST is much better pump but rather more expensive!
 
One of the monsoons (metal body) avoid the plastic ones if possible.
 

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