Recirculating Pump Gasket Disaster for Hot Water Heater

[fx77]

Hi
Have AO Smith hot water heater with recirc B & G pump just above the heater.
The gaskets thrice have dried out and ruptured. Basement filled with water
I have been changing the gaskets regularly and the last change was 6/2016 and latest flood was 5 days ago...
Home water pressure is about 80 psi entering the home from the street

I am looking for a commercial grade sealed bearing recirc pump that can be attached to the copper waterlines (there is a shutoff valve on each side of the pump)..This new pump should be able to be fitted with a soldered joint at each end or some kind compression fitting (?); so that I never again have to deal with the gasket problem...

There have been three floods in the basement in 18 years costing thousands in repairs and salvage

Thanks for the professional and best advice.

 

[Jadnashua]

First, I'd seriously consider lowering the pressure some. You should measure the pressure with a gauge that has a second, peak hold hand. If you have a closed system, when the WH runs at the end of use to reheat the water, the pressure can rise considerably, and that may be what's causing the seals to fail. It isn't a bad idea to have an expansion tank, and one would be required with a PRV. Many water utilities are installing check valves to protect their supply and that also requires an ET in the home. If you do have an ET, make sure it is not shot (bladder broken, and full of water). It also must be precharged properly. The seals should not fail. Don't have enough experience to try to assess why yours are, but if you have excessive pressure, that could do it.

Check out www.wagsvalve.com. That, or some other water sensing valve that could shut off the water supply when things started to leak would be cheap insurance. IMHO, the advantage of the WAGS valve is that it's entirely mechanical (one-time use), and will still work if the power is out for some reason.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[fx77]

Actually I think they dry out from heat.
There are 2 -200Gal Holding tanks.

 

[FullySprinklered]

What are the holding tanks for?

 

[fx77]

Holding tanks at time of build were to prevent the AO Smith Hot Water Heater from continuously running.They are insulated and hue draws first from the holding tanks which as depleted fill from the HW Heater.

 

[hj]

Do you know how many "dried out" gaskets I have replaced in 65 years? Absolutely NONE, ZERO. Many pumps run for decades without the gasket leaking, so I am not sure what your problem is.

 

[fx77]

I am not sure either..but I have had 3 floods and each time the gasket fractured between the pump outflow and the recipient pope fitting, and a stream of water soaked the basement floor.

 

[fx77]

So I am looking for a sealed system pump with fittings that do not use gaskets..it must exist!

 

[Jadnashua]

If you want to embed a photo...use the 'Upload a File' button rather than trying to embed it manually.

 

[fx77]

Picture of installed Pump with new gaskets

 

[Dj2]

What's your water temp?

Have you contacted B & G yet? Ask them about the gaskets.

I wonder if high temp RTV silicone would help.

Too many floods, your insurance may cancel you if this continues.

 

[fx77]

My deductible exceeded my costs. Also if needed have federal flood insurance..Gasket suggestion might be of help. Do they dry out with heat?

 

[hj]

The pumps do NOT use that type of gasket. They use a "ring gasket" the fits into a groove in the pump's flange.

 

[fx77]

Problem solved. The pump was Tyco...my error in the post. There is no such pump with sweated joints powerful enough to handle the load of water flow in the system. Pressure is not a problem and PRV was not indicated.
The issue was that there were flanges from a previous B &G pump which years ago had been replaced with a Tyco, and B & G gaskets which were incompatible with the seal necessary for the Tyco side of the pump.
The solution was the replacement of the flanges with Tyco specific flanges, and a Tyco specific gasket.
Thank you for the help

 

[hj]

quote; t. There is no such pump with sweated joints powerful enough to handle the load of water flow in the system

If this is a recirulation pump, then that statement is ridiculous, because all you need is a constant flow. A 'bigger' pump will create excessive velocity and destroy the copper at turns and tees.

 

[Jadnashua]

The recirculation pump I have in my system is all of a 1/28th HP motor. It's on a timer. Yes, when it turns on first thing in the morning, it takes a couple of minutes to get the water warm, but once that has happened, it runs all of maybe 5-minutes/hour afterwards since my pipes are reasonably well insulated to maintain that temp.