Tweet
Indirect Water Heater Circulator Pump runs constantly
I recently replaced an Armtrol indirect water heater with a Lochnivar Indirect water heater. The Lochnivar has a aquastat controller which is set to 120 degrees however it does not seem to be working properly as the circulator runs constantly. This was not an issue during the summer because my baseboard heat wasn't calling for heat, so the furnace only ran when the aquastat controller called for heat when the temp inside the Lochinvar fell below 120 degrees. Now that it is fall, the heat is running. As such, the furnace runs at 180 degrees whenever the thermostats call for heat. Since the circulator pump connected to the indirect water heater and runs constantly, the water temp inside the indirect heater gets much hotter than the 120 degrees. I must have wired something incorrectly because before I made the replacement, the circulator pump only ran when the Armtrol indirect water heater called for heat. It is driving me crazy because when the heat builds over 120 degrees inside the indirect water heater, not only is it easy to scald myself every now and again, the relief valve vomits water, as it should. Any direction on how to correct my issue is appreciated. I've googled this to no avail and then thought of this site which is always a great resource. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
-
-
Do you have any wiring diagrams you post. Either the contactor that turns on the pump is stuck or you have not wired the pump power to a temp controlled switched output. -
Chris B.,
Thanks for taking the time to help me. I appreciate it. Apologies for the delay in reply. Because of Covid 19 and related downsizing at my job, I have since taken on the work of two former colleagues in addition to my own work. I have taken the time to create a wiring diagram of what I can see in my boiler room and I agree with your statement that the pump power is not wired to a temp controled switch. As previously mentioned, the previous set-up with the Armtrol indirect water heater, there were more wires going to the pump. I see that there are purple wires that are routed to the pump however they are not connected to anything but themselves. I suspect that the purple wires should be connected to the pump in some way. Any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciated. Attached is an amateur wiring diagram. Hopefully it provides enough information to diagnose and solve my issue.Comment
-
Update: Mystery solved. I figured out that my previous Armtrol indirect water heater had a relay built into its control panel which allowed the circulator between the furnace and the water storage tank to function properly. When I replaced it with the Lochnivar, the relay became a missing component. I have since inserted a RIB relay and my circulator now only runs when it is supposed to instead of constantly. Chris B. thanks for your commentary which pointed me in the direction of figuring out the the pump power was not wired to a temp control switch.Comment
Comment