Can a central heating pump be installed up-side-down and still work?

Question

Here's the problem ... Our central heating pump is on its last legs (having problems pushing the water around the house). We’ve found a replacement pump at www.plumbworld.co.uk/348-195 but the controls are on the left side, which gives us a problem because they need to be on the right-side to allow the boiler lid to be put back on again (otherwise they'd stick out too far). Darling hubby thinks I’m mad to ask this question but - if we bought this pump, could it be installed up-side-down (so that the controls were on the right hand side). Doing this would allow the boiler lid to be put back on but would also mean that the water entering the pump would do so where it would have exited, and vice-versa (e.g. in flow becomes the outflow; out-flow becomes the in flow). Hubby thinks I’ll blow us :)

Answer 1

This is a Grundfos pump. There are two parts joined together with 4 bolts. You'll need a hex driver to take them apart. You can then put them back together to put the electrical bit in any one of 4 positions. That will solve your problem.
The plumbing bit has an arrow on it to show which way the water will go. When you put it all together, make sure you get this the right way round. If you get it wrong, it won't blow up (the boiler will cut out) but you'll get an interesting water feature.

PS If the existing pump is the same make, you can leave the old plumbing bit in place and just replace the mechanical bit. This saves trying to undo the pump unions.

Answer 2

Central Heating Pump Installation

Answer 3

Might be a problem and might not.
It basically doesn't matter which way round the water is pumped but what is important (and many plumbers don't know tis or don't apply it) is the following:-

Check in your loft. If you have a seperate central heating tank with an open ended pipe hanging over the top then you have an open vented system.
In such cases the inlet of your pump (the one not marked with a -> symbol should be adjacent to or as close as possible to the expansion pipe (the other end of the hanging one as above).
Failure to do this will result in negatve pressure at the radiators causing air to be drawn in and the regular need to bleed the system.

If you previously had constant bleeding problems then reversing the pump could probably be an advantage.

If you have the more modern sealed system then it really doesn't matter which way round you have it.

Answer 4

Nah ..... won't work.
You will be pushing the the water the wrong way around the system. this will mean the your sensors will be measuring the temp at the wrong place in the system....... which means that it could never run efficiently. Take the pump back and swap it for the correct type.

Answer 5

I thought the job of a pump was to move the same water throughout the system, so it should work either way.

Anyway, just phone plumbworld and ask, if they are half decent they will advise.

Answer 6

I'd say jimrob's advice is the safest, he seems to know his grundfos pumps. Putting pump in wrong way round you risk "over pumping". Instead of water from inlet/vent being on "draw" side of pump it will be on the pushing side... so you finish up pushing water up the inlet/vent pipe instead of round the sysem. (the interesting water feature I think jimrob refers to. lol)

Answer 7

I don't think that would work I've never heard of one being installed upside down. The best thing to do is call a heating and air company and ask them.

Answer 8

IF YOU PUT THE PUMP ON THE WAY YOU WANT IT'S CALLED A REVERSE FLOW SYSTEM MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH CONTROLS AND THE SYSTEM MAY NOT WORK RIGHT

Answer 9

It won't work aless there is an option to change the way it flows

Answer 10

Listen to your hubby , and yes you are mad to ask :O)