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Hot Water Circulation Problem

Hi Folks, I run my hot water off off my oil fired boiler. I have plenty of heat but no hot water in the house. I suspect it's the circulation pump.

What type of things can I check to determine or fix the problem ?

Thanks Dick

Reply to
Platebanger
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Clarification please. Do you mean you have no domestic hot water but you have heat for the baseboard or radiators? If so, it is not the circulator as the house is not fed with a pump, just the heaters.

If you mean the boiler is firing, but not circulating to the baseboard, then yes, it may be the pump. Do you hear a relay clicking as you turn the thermostat on and off?

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Assuming you have an indirect water maker, and not just a coil in the boiler: It will have an aquastat on it which is connected to a relay that turns on the circulator. Depending upon make and model, these things can be integral to the unit or placed on or near the boiler. Probably the easiest thing to do is turn the aquastat up, open the circulator wiring box and see if you have 120 volts on the circulator wires

Reply to
RBM

Call someone who can see the installation.

Reply to
SQLit

Thanks, I have no domestic hot water but heat for the baseboard. The problem seemed to correct itself by turning the hot water temp to 130 but that was a couple of week ago and now I have the same problem.

I tried draining the bottom of the water tank. I did notice some darker water but now it's running clear.

Some info. It's a Super Stor Stainless Steel Indirect Fired Water Heater running from a Well McLain boiler.

I ran some hot water in the sink for about 3 minutes and it was lukewarm but still not hot.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks Dick

Reply to
Platebanger

Reply to
RBM

As I read this, your boiler is heating one side of this heat-exchanger, and is either controlled by a zone valve or a circ pump. So this circ pump, if there is one, could be the problem if it has failed; similarly with the zone valve. The literature says it has a lifetime warranty; I would call them and talk to them. Certainly they can make some suggestions

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This page also has the installation manual, warranty info, etc. Again, there should be something there to help.
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retrospect, if it needs to be replaced, and if the boiler has a tankless coil, consider simply using the output of that coil as the imput for a standard electric HWH, then connecting the output of the HWH as the input to the house HW. I did this years ago when the teen-age kids demand for HW exceeded the tankless coil's ability to produce it. In winter, boiler operations preheats the water. In summer, it simply flows through the boiler. Since I live in hurricane country, I had a cutt off installed to take the HWH back out of the loop if I want. My generator will supply 110 to the boiler to produce HW for showers, while it will not produce sufficent 220 to use the HWH YMMV

Reply to
Roy Starrin

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