Taco VT2218 rattle

Bill751

Usually I try to do some research before i post. However I am swamped right now with unrelated things and we have some low temps of below 10 coming in a few days. So admittedly the first thing i did was jump on here and post when I heard the pump making noise.

The Taco VT2218 has been in service 3 weeks. it's been quiet and I've had no issues with it. Well just about ten minutes ago the impeller started rattling. I was near the pump this morning and it sounded fine. So it very quickly went from whisper quiet to oh no that doesn't sound good . it's a significant rattle. I assume the impeller is plastic and thus possibly wouldn't take long to destroy itself.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to why? Being that the pump is only 3 weeks into service why the sudden issue? if a replacement impeller is available, is it likely to permanently solve the problem? or might there be some casting issue or something else wrong with the pump that caused the impeller to fail so quickly? My next step is to look to see if someone sells the parts and how quickly. if it's something i can find online and get here Monday or locally Monday, I may rather do that than wait to file a warranty claim Monday and be without a pump during the process.

On the upside at least I put isolation valves in for when this day came. Just didn't expect it so soon.

Edit. Note it does not have the internal check installed. I have an inline check after the pump, but that is not what is rattling.

pecmsg

Isolate and open it. Could be something got stuck in the impella.

Intplm.

@Bill751 I'm not 100% sure but I think there is something called a "sure start" feature on the circ. It's used when first put into service when purging? If it gets a little locked up or cavatates it will rattle and maybe try to correct itself.
There is also a fast feed feature on that circ. that can be selected. Is it still in that "mode" or one of the other modes?
There are a few modes to choose from on that circ. Maybe look for that and change/select the proper one or one that stops the rattle and still heats the zone?
I know how it feels to be swamped. Hope this helped for a easy fix.

Bill751

pecmsg said:

Isolate and open it. Could be something got stuck in the impella.

done. looks good but there was a very small sliver of the plastic from the impeller that was hanging off the impeller attached by just the tip. judging by several things it looks like it came that way from the factory. it was roughly 1 to 2 sheets of paper thick x 1/32" wide x 3/4" long. very minimal but I suppose at those speeds it could have caused a balance issue or possibly cavitation, I don't know. There are no contact marks on the impeller so it doesn't appear to have rubbed anything. I'm going to put it back into service and see what happens.

Bill751

Intplm. said:

@Bill751 I'm not 100% sure but I think there is something called a "sure start" feature on the circ. It's used when first put into service when purging? If it gets a little locked up or cavatates it will rattle and maybe try to correct itself.
There is also a fast feed feature on that circ. that can be selected. Is it still in that "mode" or one of the other modes?
There are a few modes to choose from on that circ. Maybe look for that and change/select the proper one or one that stops the rattle and still heats the zone?
I know how it feels to be swamped. Hope this helped for a easy fix.

Yes it does have the sure start, but I don't think that's what it's doing here. unless something went haywire with the feature. I turned the pump off and on a couple times and had the same noise. flow meters were at normal rate and nothing to indicate that the pump should be trying to unblock itself.

I am running in fixed speed mode. I did change the speeds just to see how it reacted. The noise level went up and down slightly at the various speeds and the rattle rate matched the increase or decrease in RPM.

I pulled the impeller to take a look at it. see my reply to pesmsg above. Not sure it is going to make a difference but I'm about to go find out.

Bill751

The loud rattle is gone after taking the pump apart and removing the plastic piece that was hanging off the impeller. ( see my reply above for details) however it still sounds like there is possibly a slight impeller imbalance yet. I'll just have to keep my earns on it.

Intplm.

I'm sure you are glad you put in those isolation valves! Good move !

That small piece of plastic might have put the impeller out of balance. That's probably the noise you are hearing. Might want to bring it back for warranty replacement sooner than later.

lchmb

Taco stands behind their product. Bring it to the supply house and have them swap it...

Leon82

One of mine did that too after a ran it without realizing the flange val was closed. I took it apart and back together and it's been fine ever since

Bill751

Intplm. said:

I'm sure you are glad you put in those isolation valves! Good move !

That small piece of plastic might have put the impeller out of balance. That's probably the noise you are hearing. Might want to bring it back for warranty replacement sooner than later.

Yes I am. I'm a firm believer in spending a little more up front than paying for it later whether that expense be time or money.

Agree, when I have a little more time on my hands I should replace it just to be safe. Don't want it going out right after the warranty expires.

SteveSan

Hi Bill, Taco has a 3 year warranty for VT2218's. You just need to take it back to place of purchase to receive warranty. If you have any questions, please call into Tech Support Mon-Fri 8am-5pm EST 401-942-8000

Joe Mattiello

Hi Bill
I read through this tread looking for clues to help diagnose your rattling issue, and wondering if you can, or did check your system pressure? I'm not sure if a little piece of impeller would cause the rattle, and it also begs the question why did it show up in the first place. Taco inspects everyone of these pumps at assembly, and then checks the ohms across the winding to make certain the pump meets their high standard of quality. In my experience, air usually causes a rattle noise, more like a ticking, which could be misconstrued as rattling. make sure you have a minimum 12 psi, and try pushing the pressure up to see if the noise subsides, or goes away entirely. Contact Taco at 401-261-4890 if you want to talk to a tech support technician.

hot_rod

If it has an integral check, it could also be the cause of a tick or rattle.

Bill751

hot_rod said:

If it has an integral check, it could also be the cause of a tick or rattle.

thanks. It does not have an IFC but I have one after the pump. I thought perhaps it was the check but I used the old mechanic trick of placing a something metal on the housing and to the ear to pinpoint the source. definitely in the pump housing.

As of right now the pump sounds good. Back to normal.

Bill751

Joe Mattiello said:

Hi Bill
I read through this tread looking for clues to help diagnose your rattling issue, and wondering if you can, or did check your system pressure? I'm not sure if a little piece of impeller would cause the rattle, and it also begs the question why did it show up in the first place. Taco inspects everyone of these pumps at assembly, and then checks the ohms across the winding to make certain the pump meets their high standard of quality. In my experience, air usually causes a rattle noise, more like a ticking, which could be misconstrued as rattling. make sure you have a minimum 12 psi, and try pushing the pressure up to see if the noise subsides, or goes away entirely. Contact Taco at 401-261-4890 if you want to talk to a tech support technician.

Hello Joe. Thanks. while the air was working out of the system I could hear air pass through the pump. I am familiar with that sound. I have not heard air make the sound I was getting over the weekend or anything like I would describe as a rattle. In my limited experience I have not run across that situation yet. it really didn't sound like an air issue to me, but if air can make a rattle sound, perhaps that was the problem.

I agree about the piece of plastic possibly not being the problem. it was small and like you said, the problem did not begin when the pump was put into service. However that was the only thing I found, and when I put it back together and turned it on it was 99% better. Just a faint irregular sound. Now today it sounds fine.

I have been working on cars my whole life and with numerous things that rotate at high speed such as various tools and larger pumps. It sure sounded like a balance or bearing issue. If that was air then I learned something new, which is not a bad thing and may come in handy in the future.

This is my second VT-2218 I have another that has been in service for three heating seasons now and it has been whisper quiet every time I have been near it.

The system pressure is good. It's around 15 PSI

Since it's back to normal as of right now and my time is currently limited, I won't worry too much about it at the moment unless it starts making noise again. I may contact Taco at some point.