Circulator Stuck On?

[dnoda]

Just recently I have noticed a contant running of water through the baseboard hot water lines and to the attic air handler. I think the circulator is stuck "on" or is cycling "on" very frequently. Any ideas as to the problem? My guess is one of the controls is bad.

Also, how expensive is this kind of repair? My boiler (American Standard) is 20 years old with a newer circulator and I wonder at this point if I am better off going all the way and replacing my system. I also have an air handler which needs some controls added since only the fan is controlled by the t-stat and not the heat!

Thanks in advance!

--Don

[mazpower_hd]

I had a similar problem with one of my circulators. It was constantly running. It ended up being a pinched t-stat wire. The way I confirmed it was by disconnecting the t-stat at the stat itself. The circulator still stayed on. Then I disconnected it at the boiler and it turned off. I replaced the wire and it was fine. Hope this helps.

Dave

[dnoda]

Thanks for the reply!

I finally figured out that the water pressure was well below the minimum. I pulled the lever on the relief valve and a whole lot of air was released before any water came out. Then the boiler started to fill and pressure went up. However, it didn't stop and I had to shut close the valve manually. My autofill valve is evidently not working so will have to keep tabs on that in the future. This seems to have stopped the circulator from running. Why? I don't know but it seems to have solved the problem -- for the moment anyway.