pump question

ball ox

I live in an apartment that uses an electric pump in the hotpress to circulate water. The pump died around a year ago and a new one was installed. The new one has been working fine up until a few months ago. Now when I turn on a tap it can take anywhere from 2-30 seconds before the pump kicks in and water comes out. Does anyone know what might be causing the delay and how I can fix it?

Micky Dolenz

ball ox wrote: »

I live in an apartment that uses an electric pump in the hotpress to circulate water. The pump died around a year ago and a new one was installed. The new one has been working fine up until a few months ago. Now when I turn on a tap it can take anywhere from 2-30 seconds before the pump kicks in and water comes out. Does anyone know what might be causing the delay and how I can fix it?

make and model of pump?

ball ox

Hi Micky,
It's a Monsoon Universal N1.5 bar twin

Micky Dolenz

Flow switch could be sticking or faulty.

steve9859

I dont know the specific answer to your question, but I live on the 3rd (top) floor an apartment block, and had some pump issues. The pump was very noisy, broke down every couple of years, and was sometime slow to pump water. The plumber on the management company's contact list just came and put in a new pump a couple of times, but after a while I had the same problem.

A private plumber was recommended to me and he came to take a look. Said that the pump was a Chinese knock off, and was not desiged to pump water upwards - hence the noise, breakdowns and delays (since it was working too hard to pump the water). It surprised me as the apartment block is quite high end and very well built.

So I got a new pump with brass (rather than plastic) attachments, for a lower price than the apartment plumber charged for the Chinese piece of cr*p! It is absolutely silent when pumping and never has a delay. I can actually hear the pumps in other apartments rather than my own now!

So my message is never use the stuff that the apartment management company's plumber tries pushing on you.

ball ox

Cheers for the advice Steve, I'll bear that in mind if I've to get another new one.

Micky, would that type of thing be repairable or would you be looking at a new pump?

Micky Dolenz

ball ox wrote: »

Cheers for the advice Steve, I'll bear that in mind if I've to get another new one.

Micky, would that type of thing be repairable or would you be looking at a new pump?

Fixable, the flow switch is in two parts, one built in that moves as soon as water flows and makes a connection with a metallic contactor that is strapped on to outlets at pump. this makes the pump start.

Sparkpea

try turning the pump on and off at the power, sometimes it just needs that to free the flow switch

ball ox

Sparkpea wrote: »

try turning the pump on and off at the power, sometimes it just needs that to free the flow switch

Thanks, This worked! Man I feel like an idiot....

Sparkpea

ball ox wrote: »

Thanks, This worked! Man I feel like an idiot....

don't - its only through experience that I pick up some tricks of the trade, glad it sorted it for you