Mounting position of recirculation pump

[atrox81]

I just had a Comfort PM Recirculation pump installed to replace a much older and defunct pump. The plumber that did the work for me didn't have any experience with this particular model (98420224 up10-16 a pm bu/lc comfort pm autoadapt) but got installed where the older pump once was. Afterwards I noticed in the install manual (which is crap!) an illustration of the pump profile. 2 images with check marks and two with Xs. It appears that they are indication the pumps control face should be perpendicular to the ground and not parallel to it as in setting upright or pointing downward. Does anyone know if that's the case and if so why and what are the consequences for leaving it the way it was installed? Thanks!

 

[Chuck]

Does anyone know if that's the case and if so why and what are the consequences for leaving it the way it was installed?

If you want a definitive answer you'll need to ask the manufacturer but the usual reason for this sort of constraint is to avoid air getting trapped in the pump. If this is the case the consequences could range from noisy operation to premature failure, all of which are annoying in their own special way.

'Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.' is a drummed into plumbing apprentices pretty early on in their training because bad things happen if you don't.

 

[snowhead]

It's always been the case that pumps should only be mounted with the head face perpendicular to the floor.

As Chuck, it's to stop air getting trapped and to avoid undue strain on the motor

Instructions for years now have made it quite clear with a pictoral idiot guide, but some people dont read instructions and some pumps in the past have been put in such a positon that a replacement can't be correctly mounted.
However they should be moved so they can be mounted correctly if possible.

 

[Ric2013]

Usual practice is to have shaft parallel to the floor or vent end of the shaft slightly elevated.
Control box usually shouldn't be on the underside.
But instructions over-ride that. Problem with crap pictograms is it can sometimes be difficult to understand what they are on about - or perhaps it's just me?

 

[atrox81]

If you want a definitive answer you'll need to ask the manufacturer but the usual reason for this sort of constraint is to avoid air getting trapped in the pump. If this is the case the consequences could range from noisy operation to premature failure, all of which are annoying in their own special way.

'Always follow the manufacturer's instructions.' is a drummed into plumbing apprentices pretty early on in their training because bad things happen if you don't.

Thanks for your reply. That makes sense. I'm still waiting on Grundfos to respond to my inquiry and provided that I get their answer I'll post it here. In the meantime it seems like a simple fix by loosening the fittings and rotating the pump 90 degrees. However, nothing is ever easy. I have a pipe that would prevent if from being fully rotated. Such is life.