Outdoor Furnace: Should I Keep My Pump ON All Summer?
And What Can Be Done To Extend The Life Of My Pump?
Summer Shutdown time is coming! Some customers in warmer areas have already shut down their outdoor furnaces. Regardless of when you do this, you may ask yourself these questions:
- Should I keep the pump on all Summer?
- What are the advantages of allowing the pump to run all Summer?
- What can I do to extend the life of my pump?
- What is the silver button on the front face of the pump and how does this help me?
Here are the answers to these important questions:
First, the answer is YES, you should keep your pump on all summer. Here are two reasons why:
1 - Pumps last long time if they are run continuously.
2 - If you heat your domestic water with your outdoor wood furnace, your hot water heater will use less fuel if you keep the pump on. Why? Let's say the water in your outdoor boiler is 80 degrees because your furnace sits in the hot sun all summer long.
That 80-degree water is being circulated into your house and your plate heat exchanger. When you use hot water for a shower or to wash dishes, cold water is added to your hot water tank. Most well water and city water comes out of the ground at around 52 degrees, even in the summer.
Your hot water tank must heat that water from 52 degrees to 110 degrees using lots of fuel(electricity or propane or whatever). If your pump is on, the warm water in your outdoor wood boiler will heat that 52-degree water to about 80 degrees FOR FREE, thus cutting your fuel cost by HALF for your hot water heater during the summer!
Please make sure your outdoor wood stove has PROPER WATER TREATMENT for the summer months. Whether the pump is on or not, you are the only one who can be responsible to protect your investment in your outdoor wood burner. Read more reasons why you should use water treatment HERE (including "It is like driving a car without oil!")
Click HERE or order our Liquid Armor Water Treatment.
What is that silver button on the front of the pump face? You will see on the front of the pump (in the photo above), in the CENTER, there is a round silver button that can be removed with a flat-head screwdriver. If the pump is not functioning, you can remove that button to see if the shaft of the pump is spinning.
If you are not sure, or if it is stuck, turn off the power to the pump. Then, you can insert an Allen wrench into the pump shaft and turn it a few times. If it is caught on something or has some sediment buildup, the pump will not circulate - but by doing this simple repair, you can usually save the pump!
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Free Water Testing
One of the most important steps in prolonging the life of your outdoor boiler is to ensure that the water in your boiler is not corroding the steel. Water starts to eat holes in steel immediately upon contact (through rust corrosion) unless properly treated. We test your outdoor boiler water for free!
As always, let us know if you have any questions! Call our office Monday-Friday 9 am - 8 pm EST at (231) 861-8200. You can also browse for a circulator pump and more outdoor wood boiler parts at our online store!
