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[jamesbodeis]

When i bought my stove I recieved a honeywell 3 speed 15gpm max pump which I installed. Now after doing some reading im wondering if it is up to the task or if I should be looking for am upgrade. I would say my total loop is about 200 feet of 1" pex.  Because of the construction of my house it enters into a crawlspace and at its highest point is about 6 feet higher than the stove. It then goes down into a michigan basement almost to the floor at the hot water heater which might be 3-4 feet lower than the stove.  i have 5 or 6 sweeping 90's  in the loop. After the dhw sidearm it goes to a 40 plate exchanger which is plumbed into m existing radiant heat system and back out to the stove. Never questioned it before, but knowing what I do know I am wondering if the honeywell is gonna have to work to hard.

[RSI]

It sounds like you have the right pump. It is probably running around 6 gpm. Return temperature is what you want to check to verify it is big enough. If you get more than 20 degree drop on the return line then you may  need to go larger.

[jamesbodeis]

cool thanks.

[jamesbodeis]

According to the aquastat I am getting anywhere from 25 to 45 degree drops. How much bigger should I go? I wanna have this all buttoned up before it gets cold and unpleasant to work on the thing.

[slimjim]

25-45 degrees without a real load? you better either reduce some head or get a stronger head circ, are you possibly losing that much in the underground pipe, turn off all heat, bring your hot water tank up to temp and then check the differential at the wood boiler, it seems you are either losing heat underground or you have a flow issue possibly from an air pocket up high!

[RSI]

If you want to stay with Honeywell, the next size up should be fine. If you want to go with another brand, there are a lot of options.

[slimjim]

Is your radiant in slab or under floor, have you checked the differential with no load on it?

[jamesbodeis]

I will have to get something to check the differential at the stove. I dont have any gauges or thermometers at the moment. Heat is under floor then runs to 6 cast iron registers. Underground pipe is buried 4-5 feet deep in 4 inch tile.

[slimjim]

Shut offall your heat and check the differential on the supply and return at the stove, it should not be more than 3-4 degrees if it is then you more than likely are losing heat to the ground water. Your cast iron rads could be the culprit as well, they hold a lot of water and take a bit of time to stabilize temp on a quick call for heat.

[jamesbodeis]

What do you recommend using to check the line temps? Should I get some strap on gauges or is there a good infrared gauge I could use?

[slimjim]

A set of strap on gauges will be fine just make sure they are reading the same temps in ambient air and don't use the pex to mount them, iron or copper is best

[jamesbodeis]

Ok thanks.

[jamesbodeis]

Ready for a laugh? This dummy had the pump pumping in the wrong direction. IT was pushing hot water out of the return. Guess that's what I get for being in a hurry when I did it.

[slimjim]

Not to worry,you should see some of the crap that I did when I first got going, Heck my own home still ain't Right