Circulating pumps are typically used to move hot or warm water around a building (aged care facility, hotel, food processing plants and large houses), circulate the water through a solar hot water system and its panels, glycol through pre-heating systems or under floors (hydronic heating) in Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills.

These pumps are not under the same demand as a typical pump where it is required to push a liquid at rapid speeds at a certain height gain. A circulating pump plays the role of ensuring the liquid inside the pipes keeps moving at constant pace to ensure even distribution of the fluid inside the plumbing pipe work installed and only overcome the friction inside the pipes as the liquid is moved around.

grundfos pump

Installation and Construction

A typical circulating pump will be relatively small in size compared to other styles of pumps we work with such as water pressure pumps and sewer macerating pumps (as per image on page) they are very quiet in operation and bolted into the manifold for the system with two- barrel unions allowing for ease of repair and servicing.

A good installation performed by a qualified pump agent will also have two isolation valves installed, one on the incoming side and the other on the outgoing side. These valves allow for quick changed overs without having to drain the entire ring main prior to commencing any work. In some elaborate set ups, there will be twin circulating pumps.

The advantage of two circulating pumps is that when one is out of action the property will still sustain its normal operations while the other is either serviced or repaired.

A circulating pump used for transfer of non-potable fluids such as glycol, hydronic water and sealed solar hot water systems will be made of cast iron or steel. These materials are cheaper but can contaminate the water quality and you will find that corrosion inhibitors will be added to this style of installation.

In an installation where the water is to remain potable such as looped hot water and open solar hot water service the pump and all of its working components will either be plastic, brass or stainless steel. The reason behind this is that these materials are deemed safe and will not contaminate the water source which it is circulating.

Brands

In South Australia there are a few common brands of pumps which our service technicians deal with on a daily basis. Brands such as Grundfos, Kwikflo, Javelin, Ultraflow, Davey, Vada, Wilo, Taco, Hyjet, DAB and Bianco are all common to the Adelaide pump market. We carry replacement parts and models to ensure your never without a properly functioning pump for any longer then required. Each manufacturer provides a range of sizes and speeds dependant on the pumps intended purpose. Majority of these pumps are powered via 3 pin plug which gets plugged into a 10-amp power point.

Pump Technology

As technology has evolved so has the distribution of fluids. Today many of our pump installations a very complex. The ability to program a pump has been a huge development within the industry itself. Our commercial clients know when their peak periods of demand will be and with this knowledge, we are able to ensure the circulating pumps are working at full flow.

Temperature is also another factor, when a hot water system is returning cooler water it means the demand is high. This means that the circulation speed needs to increase but also the hot water services providing the water to the ring main also need to increase in
their productivity, all these variables are programable with the right technology implemented. In a set-up such as this you will find a large commercial style of hot water arrangement manufactured by Rinnai or Rheem.

On the other side of the equation we need to consider periods of low demand, perhaps a complex that is closed over the weekend? If this is the case the demand will be significantly lower and therefore the need to rapidly circulate the water around the ring main is minor.

By slowing the pump speeds this allows for less electricity costs and also less hot water activity another area of energy savings. All these variables today are programable and in our client’s favour.

Through continual upskilling and training we understand what is available to our customers and how to implement these new pieces of technology to the plumbing market leading to a more sustainable future. Mayfair Plumbing pride ourselves on energy efficient pumping solutions for the home and business, let us help you today with all your pump requirements.

davey water valve