Making Sure you have no air locks after fitting a pump

[Schvink]

After fitting a new pump or section of pipework to heating system with an external pump, its a pain to remove all the air with in the pump. This can cause a nightmare for circulation and pump failures. My tip for ensuring the air is removed and full operation of the pump is resumed, is to add a tiny amount of washing up liquid, either directly into the pump (whilst the system is drained) or via the filling loop. Trust me it works.

This will ensure a recall free job every time after a drain down.

 

[rjm2k]

aren't you supposed to use the pump bleed screw to do that?

 

[Schvink]

Yeah you can also use that method. This is not a way of replacing the bleed screw, however the new Grundfoss Alpha pumps dont have a bleed screw.. Also this way will ensure you are out of the premises alot quicker than using a bleed screw.

 

[45yearsagasman]

add a tiny amount of washing up liquid,

You're even giving cowboys a good name.

 

[mogget]

I don't think increasing the amount of corrosion in the system is a great idea.

Washing up liquid has a lot of salt in it, and chlorides can corrode copper quite severely.

 

[Schvink]

add a tiny amount of washing up liquid,

You're even giving cowboys a good name.

Woah woah woah. Hold your horses there lads. I've worked with in this industry for 25 years. Over my years I've come across situations where, I cant access the pump to bleed it, the pump keeps getting airlocked and burning out. So on and so on. I was shown this trick by a more time served engineer, and it works!! Literally 2 drops of washing up liquid into the heating system and hey presto the air is removed. And the pump sounds a lot healthier again. No repercussions nothing. The washing up liquid bubbles and gives the pump something to grip on to forcing the water round the system. Inaccessable pumps are a nightmare. The way you are making out is like I would put a whole bottle of the stuff in. 1 or 2 droplets in thats all you need.

 

[swbjackson]

So if you can't access the pump to bleed it how do you access it to change it when it burns out?

In my 32 years in the industry I've never had to add washing up liquid to a system.

 

[mgweston]

I've used this method to get air locks shifted, especially on a vertical return pipe. Let me please explain to the so called engineers that are in our industry how this works!
A pump can not can not shift air down hill, the laws of physics determine this. However, the washing up liquid turns the air to bubbles. A pump can circulate bubbles, hey presto the air is shifted.
Maybe the guys that spend hours trying to shift an airlock charge by the hour!!

 

[Schvink]

I've used this method to get air locks shifted, especially on a vertical return pipe. Let me please explain to the so called engineers that are in our industry how this works!
A pump can not can not shift air down hill, the laws of physics determine this. However, the washing up liquid turns the air to bubbles. A pump can circulate bubbles, hey presto the air is shifted.
Maybe the guys that spend hours trying to shift an airlock charge by the hour!!

Couldn't of said it better. Think these guys above are the ones who gave the name of cowboys to cowboys!!