VS circs with ECM, permanent magnet motors

Steve Minnich

Do you think manufacturers should provide minimum water quality requirements when using these circulators?

Should they require that they're installed along with magnetic separators?

Or, other filters that remove black iron oxides?

Some circ manufacturers mention water quality in their installation instructions. Others, not a word.

Ironman

I guess it depends on how many failed ECM circs they wanna eat.

Steve Minnich

That's along the lines of what I was thinking. At some point, I think it needs to be a bigger part of the discussion. LOTS of talk of water quality as it pertains to modcons, not so much for these circs.

Ironman

If it weren't for what's been posted here in the last couple of years, I would not have been aware of it.

To be honest, I usually don't use an ECM with a boiler replacement in an old CI system, though we provide dirt separation. Most all of our ECMs go on new systems with copper/pex.

Steve Minnich

That’s really only the safe way to do it. 

hot_rod

I think B&G has a water spec published. But I don’t know how you would set a number for magnetite, which seems to be ECM challenge?

Steve Minnich

I agree. Grundfos touches on it a little. 

I learned the hard way, but it didn’t take me long to learn it. It just seems to me there should be a forewarning of sorts. 

The number of failures has to be significant. 

Robert_25

What does Grundfos have to say about it?  I have three Alphas in my system and don't remember anything in the manual about water quality.  My system is filled with raw well water, but I did use the Fernox boiler commissioning kit with it.

Steve Minnich

@Robert_25 I copied and pasted this from the Alpha 2 instructions.

The pump is suitable for the following liquids:
• Thin, clean, non-aggressive and nonexplosive liquids, not containing solid
particles or fibers.

Remember, I said touched on it.

Robert_25

I guess we will see.  I have a box of used 007's waiting for the call to duty in the event things go sideways.

Steve Thompson (Taco)

I wrote an extensive white paper on water quality in collaboration with Fernox a while ago - drop me an E Mail if you want to review and help edit (stetho@tacocomfort.com). It's a long and painful read - I'd like to shorten and make more readable.

hot_rod

I’d like a copy Steve, permission to use in the water quality standard we are working on with IAMPO