Boiler Repair Guide: The Circulator Pump

A boiler is an excellent alternative to using a forced-air system such as a gas furnace to heat your home. Boilers use hydronic power—the power of water—to circulate heat to radiators and baseboard heaters that send out clean, dust-free warmth into rooms, and they perform more efficiently on average than furnaces. Another advantage of boilers is that they have low maintenance and repair needs, which leads to longer lifespans. The reason that boilers do not require as many repairs as systems like furnaces and heat pumps is because they operate using only a small number of mechanical parts. However, they aren’t completely free of moving parts: an essential component of a boiler is the circulator pump, which sometimes needs repairs to keep a boiler running. If you have troubles with the circulator pump on your boiler, or if you need any other kind of boiler repair in Andover, MN, call Air Mechanical, Inc. We’re available 24/7 for your convenience.

The Circulator Pump

Without the circulator pump, the hot water in a boiler would have trouble moving through the pipes to the terminal points to send out heat. Convection currents from heat would move the water along the pipes, but at only a fraction of the power. The circulator pump contains an electric-powered impeller motor that removes the hot water from the tank to circulate through the pipes to the baseboard heaters or radiators. At the same time, the pump draws in cold water to start the heating cycle. If a circulator pump wears down, it can begin to cause problems. An overworked pump can cause circuit breakers to trip, which is often an early warning sign that the pump needs repairs. Broken inside components and valves can cause the pump to stop working. A pump can also develop leaks because of corrosion, and this will cause the water pressure inside the tank to drop and reduce the heating throughout the house. A leaking pump or one with interior damage usually must have a full replacement, although sometimes a repair specialist can put caulking around the joins and flanges to keep the pump operating for a few more years. Because the circulator pump works almost silently, any strange noise coming from it should prompt you to call for repairs. Loud noises often indicate that a large amount of air has gotten trapped inside the pump, or that a bearing has come loose. Loose bearings usually mean a pump that’s past repair, but trapped air is something a technician can fix. Whatever problem ails your circulator pump, whether it calls for repairs or a new pump, you can trust to Air Mechanical, Inc. to come to your assistance. We’ve offered boiler repair and other HVAC system services in Andover, MN since 1985. Give us a call today and speak with one of our HVAC experts about your boiler repair needs.