Issue with intermittent water pump.

[James Alger]

We recently had a monsoon negative head U2.0 bar Twin pump installed downstairs, that pumps the water through our house upstairs and downst stairs. This is connected to a coffin shaped water tank that was installed in our upstairs crawl space.

After a while, the pump started going off intermittently, first every hour, then 50 min, then 45 ... etc.

The plumber came back to investigate and it was faulty, so we had it replaced.

The problem repeated itself (long delay at first, progressively shorter). On return, the second pump had also sprung a leak, but in a different location. Our plumber is convinced this is just bad luck for the pumps (two faulty ones in a row).

A third pump was put in, and the problem is still continuing, The delay started at 40 min, but is now down to 13 min for the pump to kick in. He believes there is an issue with the pipes under the floor leaking, and will be coming next week to start poking around under our floor.

I'm a little concerned, due to the way this always seems to repeat itself (Starting slow, then getting more frequent over a course of weeks) every time.

I will trust in him to go under the floor, which will be a bit of an undertaking, but wanted to know if anyone had any other potential explanation for this type of issue. The quicker we can get this sorted the better, as we now need to keep the pump off half the time as the noise is quite disruptive.

The third pump does not seem to be leaking in any way btw.

Any advice appreciated. Cheers

 

[Neil K]

Sounds like the pump is getting starved of water which could well have caused it to burn out. There could be a problem with the ballvave in the cold water storage tank that feeds the pump. That needs to be checked to make sure its filling fast enough. This could be your problem, also you mightn't have enough storage ie. you could need an additional storage tank

 

[Neil K]

Reread your original post. Also if whole house is pumped then a dripping tap or ballvalve in a toilet cistern could also cause the pump to kick in intermittently. Check this before lifting any floors

 

[solutions]

Sounds like something is activating the integral flow switch of the pump so there is water leaving the pipework somewhere this is also indicated by the regular interval of the pumps activity. I would bet you have a closed couple toilet with a drop fush valve. If its leaking in to the pan you wouldnt necessarily notice it but it would cause the cistern to top up every so often which would activate the pump.
Feel free to send me a cheque if im right.

 

[BLOD]

I agree with solutions and if right would also like a cheque please

 

[chris watkins]

If pumping whole house why use a twin impeller ? What does it feed & how big is the tank ?

It will not be the pump, that is the problem, trust me

 

[James Alger]

Thanks, and it was a good thought, but both toilets have been connected from the water supply and the problem continues.

 

[James Alger]

Thanks for all the input guys.

Unfortunately (And the reason I am here) I don't know much to offer in terms of a description of the inner workings of the plumbing.

The toilets have been disconnected, and every visible pipe has been checked, but the pump still continues.

By switching the cold/hot water feeds in the past, we've established the issue only occurs on the hot pipe side of things, and the only place unchecked is under the floor towards the bathroom.

Looks like we will be getting him in friday for a way to get under the house.

Cheers for you help.

 

[Neil K]

Let us know how you get on

 

[solutions]

Thanks for all the input guys.

Unfortunately (And the reason I am here) I don't know much to offer in terms of a description of the inner workings of the plumbing.

The toilets have been disconnected, and every visible pipe has been checked, but the pump still continues.

By switching the cold/hot water feeds in the past, we've established the issue only occurs on the hot pipe side of things, and the only place unchecked is under the floor towards the bathroom.

Looks like we will be getting him in friday for a way to get under the house.

Cheers for you help.

Thanks for keeping us informed. But miffed it wasnt the toilets.... no cheque for me [emoji26]