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Circulators

Steve_210
Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
Question. Is there any reason people still use 3 peice oil lubricated rather than the modern wet Roter circulators on hydronic heating. I do understand the reason for the 3 piece on condensate HW heating.

Comments

  • Steve_210
    Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
    .?.

    Anyone
  • Jean-David Beyer
    Jean-David Beyer Member Posts: 2,666
    My guess...

    My guess is that either someone does not believe in new stuff, or that the system requires more head or flow than a wet-rotor circulator can provide. But before you accept my guess, note that I am a homeowner, not a professional.



    My previous boiler had such a circulator, because that was what came with the 1950 era boiler and it still worked until about two years before I retired that boiler in 2009. At that point, it would not start at the beginning of a heating season. I manually turned it over (with the power off) at the flexible joint, and it then worked, but I did not trust it and had my local oil supplier replace it. They put in a Taco 007 and it had enough head and flow for the system. I do not believe they had wet water circulators in 1950.
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    What JD said...

    It is the OLD guys (guys older than me) and their children that like to stick with the three piece circulators. And as you noted, a MUST on a steam boiler condensate heating system, and that pump MUST be bronze, not cast iron.



    As Doc Ball used to tell me, "I like them old 3 piece circulators because they "talk" to you when they're getting ready to die. You can hear them a block away".



    They definitely have a following that refuses to adopt the newer wet rotor technology.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • bob_46
    bob_46 Member Posts: 813
    Three piece

    I have one of them new fangled pumps on my own boiler as a test, it's been running

    about 27 years now but I keep a three piece sitting next to the boiler just in case.

    B&G used to sell a gray box with all the parts and tools to rebuild the 100. You could replace the shaft, bearings, seal, wicking,coupling, motor mounts separately as needed.

    We even used to keep the centrifugal starting switches for the motors on the truck.

    Doc liked to repair pumps but wouldn't have one in his own home. He has overhead gravity with original Ideal boiler including controls like V850 motorized gas valve and spring wound chronotherm.
    bob
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    Bob, you know Doc eh...

    Small world. And it gets smaller every day.



    Doc was my brother in laws next door neighbor when he was growing up, and Doc was his father figure, and essentially raised the boys (7 of them) on fresh outdoor air, taking them hunting, fishing and dirt bike riding.



    Doc has retired, and his son has taken over his business.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • bob_46
    bob_46 Member Posts: 813
    Small world

    Doc was my apprentice we have been best friends ever since.
    bob
  • Steve_210
    Steve_210 Member Posts: 646
    Thanks guys

    I guess the 3 pisce was good for an older system that had no means of isolation for the circulator.
  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,419
    3 pc circs...

    Still have a good place in Steam systems that use condensate for heating purposes. They are able to handle the dirty water better than the water lubed types.
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    Tell him...

    Stacey's brother said hello. She married Kevin Ryan.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • redhawk
    redhawk Member Posts: 9
    Circulators - Taco 005

    Speaking of circulators, I have a Taco 005 in my system.  It's been running fine for over 12 years now.  I'm wondering how long it's likely to keep going.  Any of you pros like to hazard a guess...?

    Do they give any warning before checking out... noise, vibration or anything....?

    When they do fail, could they lock up and pull excessive current... or do they self-limit under an amp or so....?

    Thanks...!
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    Same draw...

    with a locked rotor as it is with a full load. No biggy. THe only way you can tell it has failed is to carefully check the rotor can for temperature. If it is REAL hot, it is locked up.



    Another test, if there is a ball valve in the circuit, is to quickly close the ball valve and see if you can hear a hydraulic HISS as the ball closes off the flow.



    If that doesn't work, you can take a small torch, and hold it against the pipe for 5 seconds, then wait 5 seconds and carefully check the same spot to see if it is hot. If it is cool, there is fluid movement on the other side of the pipe.



    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
  • redhawk
    redhawk Member Posts: 9
    Circulators - Taco 005

    I have no trouble verifying that it's currently working.  I can just grab the pipes going into and out of my watercoil when the thermostat says "pump".  There's a significant difference in temperature.

     I'm just wondering if it will still be working a couple months or a few years from now.  I do have a new replacement cartridge I bought as a spare, and would install it now if I had some idea the typical life was only 10 - 15 years.  But I had one guy tell me it'll last 40 years...!  (I'm sceptical...)   We normally leave the house for a few days over Christmas and I wouldn't want the furnace blower running continuously for that time if the Taco gave up and wasn't getting hot water to the coil.

    I do notice that I now can barely hear a buzzing sound from it when it's running.  When I installed it 12 years ago, I recall I could not hear any sound at all.  Also, I notice now that the cannister of the pump containing the rotor is hotter to the touch than the water pipe, actually hot enough to feel uncomfortable, but not quite to the point of "painful" to keep your hand on it.  But I never checked that before, so don't know if that's normal...
  • PeterNH
    PeterNH Member Posts: 88
    agree 40

    My Taco xxx's are so old the labels are faded out and i'm not sure what models they are.

    One is 19 years old, on the  boiler.

    The other is 27 years old, on the indirect.

    They both are burning - hot as hell to the touch.

    Ya' they make a little more noise than way back. But.

    No problems mate.

    Great sttuff, Taco.



    Peter
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