Help! Salamander Pump is leaking in loft

bigsteve

Hi

I was in the loft whilst my son was running a bath.

I noticed that the Salamander Pump (whole of house I think - not yet found paperwork) was leaking slightly form one of the "nuts" on the side - as though the gasket had blown.

Could I repair this myself or would it need the specialist knowledge of a plumber/heating engineer?

Thanks

Steve

27col

Pumps are usually fitted with an isolating valve on each side. Turn these off and the the couplings to the pump can be undone. I am not sure that you can buy a new gasket, but if not you will need to cut one of your own. It can be done without any specialist knowledge but, whilst a plumber might have a source of gasket material in his bag, you might have difficulty getting hold of some.
Initially, it might just be that the flange nut needs nipping up a little. Try that first, you might find that that is all that is required.

roger196

Anyone into old cars will have sheets of gasket material. I always made my own as it saved a lot of money and were instantly available.

Aquatronixjenny

You can get replacement gaskets direct from salamander.

Just a thought, if the pump is in the attic unless it is adequately protected from frost (in an insulated box) then the warranty will be void. I have attended a couple of call outs this winter to pumps fitted in attics where they have leaked from the gaskets. Its due to the cold temperatures.

alanobrien

At a pinch you may be able to do a temporary fix with silicone around the leaky joint. But better to get a new gasket, halfords used to sell sheet material you could make one from if getting it direct from the pump manufacturer is a problem.

If its located in an environment where the temperature can vary a lot then the bolts really need fitting with spring washers (or bellville washers) to cope with the thermal expansion and contraction.