• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Levco Care

Levco Care

Home Care

  • Portal/Login
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Testimonials

Water recirculating pump problem

June 19, 2016 by joe 6 Comments

grundfus pump

Estimated reading time: 1 minute, 52 seconds

grundfus pump
Grundfus pump

Stump the Plumber

This is another installment in the stump the plumber series.

The situation

I went to look at a kitchen remodeling project and during my evaluation I asked an open question that I always like to explore. “Is there anything else that you would like to discuss, or anything not working?”

They responded that they had a plumber install a Grundfos comfort system (recirculating pump with a timer) that was supposed to have hot water at the sink, but it had never worked.

I figured that they do fail occasionally but I had never had one not work right out of the box.

Naturally I had a look and sure enough “The Plumber”, likely a family friend had but it on the COLD side and set the instructions on top of the gas water heater near the flu.

The only other way to make a mistake would have been to install it upside down.

I laughed when I thought of how hard the pump had been working all these years pumping water back out into the city water system.

The solution

Other than the instructions had nearly caught on fire, sitting atop the gas water heater, switching the unit to the proper HOT side made a world of difference.

We are men. Instructions are for sissies, right? I call them “distructions” (a combination of directions & instructions) Who knew they had important information in them?

I felt like I had pulled a thorn from the lions paw. Odds are we will be friends for life!

What is all this about recirculating pumps

Recirculating pumps are great, I use one at my home. They recirculate hot water through the system in a continuous loop when you set the timer properly decreasing the amount of wasted water waiting for the hot water to show up.

Here is a link to another post about them.


If you or someone you know could potentially use our services, or just wants to speak to a trustworthy contractor please contact me, you’ll be glad you did.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about proactive residential care, click here to email me directly, or call 208-639-1808

Related Posts

  • My House is More Humid Than NormalMy House is More Humid Than Normal
  • How Energy Efficient is Your HomeHow Energy Efficient is Your Home
  • What Does My Insurance Really Cover?
  • Shower Tile Problems
  • Faulty Shutoff Valve Floods HomeFaulty Shutoff Valve Floods Home
  • Your Copper Plumbing Pipes are Shot, NOTYour Copper Plumbing Pipes are Shot, NOT

Filed Under: Plumbing, Problem Solving

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jahn Maran says

    September 20, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    I have installed a watts recirculating water pump and cannot get to work. It is not the temp sensing unit under the sink since this has already been replaced. I contacted watts and their reply is that this sometimes happens and they have no idea why? Then I contacted Grundfos and received pretty much the same response. The pump is installed correctly and I can hear the motor humming so I know the electrical connection is ok. Can you give me help

    Reply
    • joe says

      September 20, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      I can help! Send me a picture or a few and contact me at my email joe@levcobuilders.com and we will get it figured out. Must be something silly. Joe

      Reply
  2. Dean says

    October 19, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Joe,

    MY 9-year- old Grundfos hot water recirculating pump suddenly quit sending hot water to the farthest hot water faucet. The pump is installed correctly and the lines into and out of the pump are both hot. So I think the problem is not with the pump. I checked online, and am guessing I need a new bypass valve. Troubleshooting instructions I found online said to turn off the cold valve at the angle vale under the sink and then open the cold side of the faucet and then when the water slows to a trickle, check to see if it is hot–hotter than 90 degrees. I did that, and the water trickle is cold, Do I need a new bypass valve?

    Reply
    • joe says

      October 19, 2020 at 11:21 pm

      Dean, the line in and out of the pump will always be hot if it works or not because that is the route the water takes. Make sure the timer is set correctly, several power outages could make the schedule screw up. Can you hear the pump working when it is supposed to be circulating? If you take the pump out and turn it on it will work or not. The bi-metal part under your sink has no moving parts and would be an unlikely culprit. When the pump should be coming on, say in the morning after resting at night, you should be able to sense that warm water is going back in the cold line so your sold faucet should produce warm water for a little bit. (You have probably noticed that over the years) if it is not behaving in that way you likely have a failed pump, hate to say it. Not sure if they are repairable, What is the life expectancy? I have no idea. I have never replaced one. 9 years? certainly out of warranty. Let me know what you figure out. Joe

      Reply
  3. John says

    November 3, 2020 at 4:22 am

    I have a Bell & Gossett recirculation pump and I have to tap it with a hammer to get it to actually start pumping after the aquastat shuts it down. Otherwise it just hits and gets hot.

    Reply
    • joe says

      November 3, 2020 at 12:47 pm

      Sounds like the motor needs to be separated from the pump and taken to an electric motor shop for repair / rebuild or worst case, replaced with a new one of the exact same. Not sure if you are doing it yourself. I would think an electrician would be the most helpful in this situation rather than a plumber. From your description it seems like the pump portion is fine. You can always opt to have a plumber help to replace the entire thing. Then you would have a spare to rebuild and have as a backup. Best of luck. Joe

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • ►Aged Home Upgrades (7)
  • ►Appliances (10)
  • ►Architecture & Design (5)
  • ►Basements (3)
  • ►Bathrooms (1)
  • ►Concrete (5)
  • ►Customer Service (3)
  • ►Deconstruction (1)
  • ►Doors (2)
  • ►Egress Windows (1)
  • ►Electrical (10)
  • ►Energy (7)
  • ►Engineering (2)
  • ►Environmental Awareness (2)
  • ►Excavation (1)
  • ►Finish Carpentry (2)
  • ►Fire Damage (1)
  • ►Fixing things (9)
  • ►Floors (3)
  • ►Framing (2)
  • ►Good Deals (1)
  • ►Green Remodeling (9)
  • ►Historic District Homes (3)
  • ►Home Evaluations (9)
  • ►HVAC (16)
  • ►Indoor Air Quality (9)
  • ►Insulation (5)
  • ►Insurance Work (3)
  • ►Interior Walls (2)
  • ►Lead Safe Work Practices (2)
  • ►Masonry (2)
  • ►Memoirs (3)
  • ►Moisture Protection (7)
  • ►News (2)
  • ►Plans (2)
  • ▼Plumbing (34)
    • Braided Steel Water Heater Supply Lines
    • Building Code Updates
    • Can you flip a p trap?
    • Delta Shower Valve Not Getting Hot Enough
    • Electric Water Heaters
    • Failed Toilet Tank Seal
    • Faucets Should Not Leak
    • Faulty Shutoff Valve Floods Home
    • Frost Proof Faucets
    • Galvanic Corrosion
    • Gas Water Heater Failure
    • Hissing sound turns out to be serious
    • Hot Water Circulation Pumps
    • How Come My Water Pressure Is Low?
    • How Old is My Water Heater?
    • Hydronic Heat
    • I Bought A Cool Tool
    • I can't turn the HOT water off
    • I Got up on the Wrong Side of the Bed
    • Natural Gas
    • Sediment in your pipes?
    • Sewage Ejector Pump Problem
    • Shower diverter problems?
    • Sulfur Smell From Hot Water
    • Tell Me About Garbage Disposals
    • The Handy Man Craze Hits Boise
    • The Leaky Faucet Gets the New Parts
    • Water recirculating pump problem
    • What are you getting for your money?
    • What is a Water Hammer
    • What is a Water Hammer
    • What makes a toilet work?
    • Whole House Water Filters
    • Your Copper Plumbing Pipes are Shot, NOT
  • ▼Problem Solving (25)
    • A Visit To The Crawl Space
    • According To The Big Box Store Guy...
    • Can you flip a p trap?
    • Delta Shower Valve Not Getting Hot Enough
    • Engineering 101
    • Gas Water Heater Failure
    • Help My Roof is Popping
    • Hey, Is That A Contractor In Your Pocket?
    • Hissing sound turns out to be serious
    • How We Go About Figuring Things Out
    • I can't turn the HOT water off
    • I Have Water in My Basement, Now What?
    • I Just Found Mold in my Home
    • Is My House Toxic?
    • Joist Hangers Use & Misuse
    • Levco Does Moisture Inspections
    • My Floor Feels Like A Trampoline
    • Sediment in your pipes?
    • Shower diverter problems?
    • Sprinkler System Failure Repaired
    • Sulfur Smell From Hot Water
    • Tell Me About Garbage Disposals
    • The Handy Man Craze Hits Boise
    • The Leaky Faucet Gets the New Parts
    • Water recirculating pump problem
  • ►Process (4)
  • ►Roofing (5)
  • ►Safe Practices (9)
  • ►Siding (1)
  • ►Skylights & Solar Tubes (1)
  • ►Sound Proofing (1)
  • ►Terminology (1)
  • ►The Law (4)
  • ►Trust (5)
  • ►Uncategorized (1)
  • ►Understanding your home (88)
  • ►Universal Design (1)
  • ►Warranty (1)
  • ►Water Awareness (12)
  • ►Weatherization (6)
  • ►Windows (5)

Footer

CLIENT LOGIN

Levco Care

114 E 35th St Boise, ID 83714

Email: Joe@LevcoCare.com
Phone: 208.639.1808

Copyright © 2020–2023 · LevcoCare.com · Site by: CrossCadence.com · Log in

  • 208.639.1808
  • joe@levcocare.com