Loading unit Not Pumping

[Clarkbug]

Good Morning All.

So I went to fire up the Varm yesterday for the first time this season (oil has been cheap and I needed to make some mods to my storage). Got a little heat in the boiler and ceramics, and noticed my inlet temps were still really low. The motor on my loading unit was hot, but it was pretty clear I wasnt getting any pumping.

I see there is a plug on the end of the motor (its a Grundfos circ pump), and if I open it I get a little water out, but Im not clear what it is that Im looking at otherwise. Looks like maybe a slot for a screw driver? Should that spin if the pump should be off?

Appreciate any help anyone can offer!

 

[maple1]

Did you get my message?

Yes, give that thing under the plug a little poke/twist. Shouldn't take much at all.

EDIT: When it happened to me, I found info about doing this in a Grundfos manual. Forget which one, I found it pretty quick with Google. But by reading that manual, it seemed it wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

EDIT again: Found it on my HD, in a 15-58 install manual. It also said after a long shut down that the pump should be started in speed 3.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/check-yer-pumps.146986/

 

[Clarkbug]

Did you get my message?

Yes, give that thing under the plug a little poke/twist. Shouldn't take much at all.

EDIT: When it happened to me, I found info about doing this in a Grundfos manual. Forget which one, I found it pretty quick with Google. But by reading that manual, it seemed it wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

EDIT again: Found it on my HD, in a 15-58 install manual. It also said after a long shut down that the pump should be started in speed 3.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/check-yer-pumps.146986/

Yup, got it! Going to put some meat on the smoker and then give it a shot to see if I can get things moving. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[Clarkbug]

Success!

Took more force than I thought it would to break that sucker loose, and a smaller screw driver. Im sure they made it small so you couldnt use a big guy to reef on it. Boiler is humming away now and finally getting up to temp!

 

[Coal Reaper]

good little lesson, thanks for sharing! so it was just seized up from sitting through the off-season?
man clarkburg, you held out for a long time...

 

[Tennman]

Since I used a regular wall plug for power cord to my loading unit, I remove the 4 screws holding the motor to the pump body. Then plug the sucker in and give a nudge to get her spinning. Let it run for 15-20 seconds just holding it in my hand. Those little pump motors must be VERY precise. In my case I attribute it to the boiler water treatment firming up in the tight clearances (may just be hard water). Now I try to remember to run the loading units every few months for a few minutes during the off season. I need to check to see if ours has a plug on the end. Anyway, pretty cool to see that little pump running in your hand.