Circulation pumps for heating
Building a family house brings with it several fundamental decisions that will affect how it runs for many years to come. One of the basic questions the architect will want answered when planning the home is the method of heating its future occupants prefer.
If you have chosen gas as your heat source, then alongside choosing a gas boiler it makes sense to start thinking about a circulation pump as well. Whether your property is to be heated by wet underfloor heating or by radiators, the choice of circulation pump calls for the same careful consideration of the types and brands available. Why is it important to think about them?
What a circulation pump does
Using its built-in impeller, a circulation pump pushes water from the boiler into the central or underfloor heating and keeps it moving through the pipes. Modern pumps are of the wet-rotor type and, to allow finer balancing of the heating system, should offer adjustable motor speed settings.
When choosing a quality circulation pump, you should take several criteria into account. The key parameters should be service life, noise level and electricity consumption. Should a solid fuel boiler overheat, the pump is one of the components that can cool it down via the boiler controls. A quality circulation pump should therefore be able to work with high temperatures, even in excess of 100 °C.
How do you choose the best one?
You are unlikely to find a clear-cut answer to this question. Various brands with different specifications and histories are available on the market, and finding your way around such a wide range is not at all easy. In our range of circulation pumps you will find proven and reliable brands of standard or electronic wet-rotor pumps made of cast aluminium that offer adjustable motor speed.
Circulation pumps from Aquart, a company that has been on the market for 22 years, feature high-quality two-pole asynchronous motors, whose advantages are higher torque and greater running stability. What is more, they do not require overload protection. The company's electronic pumps have a low noise level, low energy consumption and a wide range of uses in circulating hot or cold water in heating systems.
Avansa pumps, designed for all central heating systems, are exceptionally popular. Their first-class three-speed motor is controlled by a special switch mounted on the terminal box, which allows its characteristics to be adjusted. Alongside standard circulation pumps, the manufacturer also offers a number of electronic pumps with a ceramic shaft and bearing. The pump's modern electronic control ensures that the output of the unit adapts continuously and automatically to the demands of the heating system, making energy consumption far more favourable than with conventional pumps. That is also why they are classed as low-energy circulation pumps.
IBO cast iron pumpswith an anti-corrosion enamel finish offer long, trouble-free operation and are fitted with a three-speed motor selector switch, which ensures optimum electricity consumption while also saving fuel in the boiler. Their design allows the control unit to be separated from the pump for maintenance. In addition, the materials and parts used in their manufacture are resistant to aggressive water conditions and do not entail any additional maintenance costs. Thanks to the bearing material used, quiet operation can be achieved even at higher speeds.
The new generation of circulation pumps from the Italian manufacturer DAB comprises the electronic pumps DAB EVOPLUS, which have a high-performance synchronous motor controlled by their own sensorless frequency inverter. The combination of these components with new hydraulics makes it possible to achieve significant energy savings compared with traditional constant-speed circulation pumps, while their high switching frequency eliminates noise in the audible range. The single-phase energy-saving DAB EVOTRON pumps additionally feature an automatic night mode and venting system, and besides the benefits already mentioned, a clear advantage of the DAB EVOSTA is the fact that this type replaces as many as two performance ranges.
So that a power cut does not catch us out
Although we live in the 21st century, nature still has the upper hand, and when it decides to strike in the middle of a cold spell, many a household is left practically cut off from the world. So when carefully planning your own boiler room, it is essential to think about a backup power supply (UPS) too. It will provide enough electricity to keep the pump running for several hours during a power cut and at the same time serves as surge protection. Some backup power supplies even have a loud alarm function for when the power fails.
A backup power supply is especially important with wood boilers or other solid fuel boilers, since their burn time is longer and a stopped circulation pump will cause the boiler to overheat within a few minutes. This can cause welds to crack and, in extreme cases, may even lead to the boiler's outer insulation catching fire.
As we at Atria SK, s.r.o. specialise mainly in heating technology, we choose proven and reliable brands for the individual components of heating systems, circulation pumps included. Our primary aim is to give customers plenty of information and advice on choosing suitable alternatives, so that their purchasing decision meets their expectations as fully as possible. Whichever of the above brands you decide on when choosing a circulation pump, our team of specialists will be happy to advise you at info@atria.sk.