How hot should a Taco 007 circulator get?

R2.0

Something I noticed with the circulator that came with my new boiler is that the motor casing runs hot. VERY hot, as in hotter than the piping. Previously I always dealt with 3 piece circulatory, so I really don't know if this is normal.

Bob Bona_4

Good question for Taco tech. They have a 240 degree max on the typical wet rotor models.

icesailor

They can get toasty. Comparative experience comes in to play with many of us. If there are 5-007's on a manifold, and one zone isn't working, the hottest 007 is usually not working and needs replacing. On seasonal turn-on's, a hot 007 can often be resolved with a few judicious whacks with a pair of pliers on the motor body. Sometimes, I've had to beat the snots out of them to get them unstuck. But like the Eveready Bunny, they can tale a licking/beating and keep on ticking.

If it is just hot, and you're worried, invest in a infra red heat gun thermometer. See how hot it actually is. Post it back. Someone from Taco is always reading here. They will tell us what is acceptable or not.

You fill find a multitude of uses for the Infra-Red thermometer. My wife had her other knee replaced. I used it to check the temperature of any swelling. We use it on horses all the time. Also handy for locating heat loss/heat gain in your house.

R2.0

I bought a cheap infrared gun from Harbor freight, but I don't really trust it - for instance the readings are patently wrong when shooting bare copper tubing. Before I invest in another gun I will likely buy a couple of thermocouple probes - I have a cheap reader I used for my wood stove and I know it's accurate.

I don't think it's locked, as I am getting circulation. But I do know it was in storage for a good long while before I installed it. I also need to check for undervoltage - I was pretty careful with the wiring, but one bad wire nut could do it.

JohnNY

@R2.0‌ infrared readings depend largely on emissivity of the surface of what you're reading. Your thermometer is working the only way it can which is identical to my $3,000 infrared imaging camera. If you want accurate readings of copper pipes, simply wrap something thin and dull around it, like that blue gaffers' tape (not ideal, but often available) or similar.

Also, I called Taco for an issue once before about the temperature of the motor and they told me the 127° reading I was getting was perfectly normal and could be higher.

Hope that helps.

hot_rod

It's a wet rotor circ? Should run about the same as the temperature of the fluid flowing thru it. Unless it's deadheaded

icesailor

"" I bought a cheap infrared gun from Harbor freight, but I don't really trust it - for instance the readings are patently wrong when shooting bare copper tubing. Before I invest in another gun I will likely buy a couple of thermocouple probes - I have a cheap reader I used for my wood stove and I know it's accurate. ""

They're accurate enough for TSA to check your temperature for Ebola and deny you entrance in to the USA.

The more you use them, the more you become aware of the vagaries of them. Highly reflective surfaces throw them off. Put a piece of flat black tape on a piece of shiny copper tube. You'll get a different reading on the tape.

R2.0

JohnNY said:

@R2.0‌ infrared readings depend largely on emissivity of the surface of what you're reading. Your thermometer is working the only way it can which is identical to my $3,000 infrared imaging camera. If you want accurate readings of copper pipes, simply wrap something thin and dull around it, like that blue gaffers' tape (not ideal, but often available) or similar.

I believe it's also the curved surface. I will shoot the pipe and get 60F - that's less than room temp. Move the target to the flats on a copper fitting, bang - 120F on the dodt (this was downstream of the mixing valve.

JohnNY said:

Also, I called Taco for an issue once before about the temperature of the motor and they told me the 127° reading I was getting was perfectly normal and could be higher.

Hope that helps.

It's substantially more warm.

hot rod said:

It's a wet rotor circ? Should run about the same as the temperature of the fluid flowing thru it. Unless it's deadheaded

That's what I assumed, but it's much higher.

R2.0

icesailor said:

"They're accurate enough for TSA to check your temperature for Ebola and deny you entrance in to the USA.

Now, why doesn't that increase my confidence level?

jorale15

The 007 draws about .7 amps while operating, with a voltage of 120 volts , the watts used by the pump will be around 84 watts. Now this is a water lubricated cartridge and some of the motor winding temperatures will be drawn away by the system water, but the motor will still be uncomfortable to try to hold, you can compare it to a 75 watt light bulb. This a normal operating temperature for the 007, The 007 is rated for 230°F system water. This pump is UL listed.

SWEI

Fractional horsepower PSC motors are only about 50% efficient. Translation: half of the ~81 Watts consumed by a 007 goes to generate heat. 40 Watts may not sound like much, but when concentrated in a small space, it can easily burn you (think soldering iron.) If a conventional wet rotor circulator is not flowing much water, it will get quite hot.

I don't trust even my Fluke 568 for absolute temperature measurements without calibrating the emissivity by comparing with a submerged thermocouple. I do trust it for relative measurements on consistent substrates (black electrical tape as mentioned above) -- plenty good enough for checking ΔT and sniffing out problems.

R2.0

Ok, that's good to know. I still think I have a flow issue somewhere, but it doesn't sound like I'll burn up a pump before I find it.

Tom_133

Amp the pump, if its at or under .71 amps you are ok if it's over +.1 or so the pump is bad or is on its way out.

Amp by using an amp probe wrapping it around one of the power wires

BobC

If your using the old style analog amprobe wrap several turns around the jaws. You will probably have to break a connection and temporarily add a length of wire.

If you wrap 15 turns it will turn the 15a scale into a 1a scale.

Bob

Steve Thompson (Taco)

All wet rotor can run hotter than the fluid - but it depends on the fluid temp, ambient temp around the circ and motor amp draw. About 70% of the heat created by the motor is dissipated to the system (funny it doesn't count as part of the overall system efficiency) and about 30% is dissipated to the air around the circ.

Even three piece circ motors run hot - even hotter as the motor manufacturers reduce the amount of windings to increase the motor efficiency.

R2.0

BobC said:

If your using the old style analog amprobe wrap several turns around the jaws. You will probably have to break a connection and temporarily add a length of wire.

If you wrap 15 turns it will turn the 15a scale into a 1a scale.

Bob

I have a Fluke clamp meter that a Telco service tech left on my AC condenser a decade ago. Sounds like it's time to teach Monkeyboy how to use it.