Circulator Pump Gaskets

[NibbanaBanana]

The circulator pump gaskets on my oil fired boiler/hot water baseboard heat are leaking. I was going to shut the valve above the pump and shut the zone valves, and drain about 1/3 of the water from the boiler to get the level below the pump. Do I need to worry about purging any air out of the system after I put it back together or should I just fill the boiler back up and open up the valves again? Should I use any gasket sealant?

I will try to get some no-burst in the boiler before turning on the water too.

 

[The_Jeff]

When I did mine I had an automatic air purger thingy that did it all. The jiggle valve didn't sit right at first but eventually did.

I would not use any sealant. Make sure the flanges are clean... maybe scotchbrite them if they have buildup.

 

[bioburner]

Surprised you have no valve below as well on top of the pump. Now may be the time to install one. Makes the install of a new pump a minor issue. No sealant should be needed if mating surfaces are clean and the gasket is pliable.
You should have a auto air purge valve somewhere too so that you can get out the air while filling and it stops when the fluid gets to it. Pretty cheap and simple.
I am sure others can give you plenty of help and tips at Hearth.com. Have a boiler section

 

[NibbanaBanana]

Thanks. Yes, there is an auto air purge valve above the boiler. Good idea on the valve below the pump too.

 

[fdcg27]

Check all of the convectors for heating after the re-start.
Any convector not heating is air locked and will need to be bled.
It may be that all of the bleed valves are located on the second floor of the house.
Our system is like that. This works since air rises in the closed system and can be bled off at the higher levels. You may need to bleed more than once to purge all of the entrapped air.

 

[NibbanaBanana]

Thanks. Well, it has an automatic vent valve right above the boiler. And we had this boiler installed when we moved in here so if it needs another vent then it must have one because it's been working for 14 years. The reason I ask is because I'm going to isolate the loops before I pull the pump. So the only air is going to be right in the 2 foot section of pipe between the boiler and the shutoff valve above the pump. There are drain valves right before the zone valves so I guess I can just leave the zone valves shut, open the feed and the shutoff valve above the pump, then open the drains and all the air should be forced out the drains. I hope.

 

[HerrStig]

Those standard brass valves have a short life with high mineral well water. I have two zones, each with a TACO pump, and the boiler has three vent valves, one on the water line input and one for each zone. If you have done some work which might have let air in you should unscrew the little cap on the vent and give the valve "stem" a downward push -- like letting air out of a tire- a couple of times a day for a week or two after you restart. Also, the cap ought to be left a bit loose.