Water Pump Crusty and weeping

dexterwolf

I have a Grundfos water pump next to my hot water tank the valves at the top and below are crusty and very very slightly weeping. Is this normal? has anyone else got this or had similar with the valves?.

Avoriaz

It isn't "normal" but it isn't uncommon. The compression joints on those valves are known to leak sometimes if badly installed or for other reasons. They are subject to a fair bit of thermal stress and some mechanical stress from pump vibrations.

The crustiness suggests that the valves have been weeping for quite a long time. The water that weeps out evaporates leaving behind the various minerals and other stuff dissolved in it.

How old is the pump?

You may be able to stop the weeping by tightening up the compression fitting on each valve.

There is a risk that will make the leaks worse, or even crack the pipes, which will cause rather a mess so please get more expert advice before doing anything yourself. I'm very much an amateur DIY plumber and there are pro plumbers on here who will be able to give you better advice.

Can you post a picture?

Are the leaks on the pump side of the valves or on the other side, or both?

dexterwolf

Avoriaz wrote: »

It isn't "normal" but it isn't uncommon. The compression joints on those valves are known to leak sometimes if badly installed or for other reasons. They are subject to a fair bit of thermal stress and some mechanical stress from pump vibrations.

The crustiness suggests that the valves have been weeping for quite a long time. The water that weeps out evaporates leaving behind the various minerals and other stuff dissolved in it.

How old is the pump?

You may be able to stop the weeping by tightening up the compression fitting on each valve.

There is a risk that will make the leaks worse, or even crack the pipes, which will cause rather a mess so please get more expert advice before doing anything yourself. I'm very much an amateur DIY plumber and there are pro plumbers on here who will be able to give you better advice.

Can you post a picture?

Are the leaks on the pump side of the valves or on the other side, or both?

I have some pictures but can not paste them in. The leaks or crusting as it is not dripping are below and above the pump. There are red isolation taps below and above so am I right in Thinking I would close these if it did leak?. Probably hard to answer but just in case I need to stop it if it did start to leak.

Crinkmeister

Tweak 'em up with a spanner and see if it stops leaking. Otherwise it's a drain down if the leaks are on the system side. I wasn't sure from your description where the leak was coming from. Is it the valve to pump connection or valve to pipe connection?

Avoriaz

dexterwolf wrote: »

I have some pictures but can not paste them in. The leaks or crusting as it is not dripping are below and above the pump. There are red isolation taps below and above so am I right in Thinking I would close these if it did leak?. Probably hard to answer but just in case I need to stop it if it did start to leak.

If the weeping is between the isolation valves then shut them off and, as Crinkmeister writes above, try tightening the nuts that are weeping.

Don't overtighten as that can cause more problems than it cures.

Have a small bucket or jug and an old towel handy just in case the leak gets worse.

You stand a good chance of stopping the weeping.

If the weeping is outside the isolation valves then be very careful as you really don't want to risk flooding your house with central heating water. The risk is small but you would probably be well advised to get a good plumber to have a look.

dexterwolf

Thanks for coming back to me. I have got an BG engineer coming tomorrow as I have home care 400 so may as well get them in as they will know what they are doing. If both valves top and bottom are weeping is it a case of isolating the water removing the pump and cleaning and then reconnecting?. Or could it be a new pump ?

dexterwolf

Engineer came out and removed old pump and fitted brand new digital one with new valves.

Crinkmeister

So, all sorted without the need to get your spanners out! Excellent!!

bridgedino

Thumbs up for a hassle free happy ending