One of the things we discuss heavily at our training sessions – and often with customers out in the field – is the importance of orientation when installing Zone Guardian (or Zonecheck, for that matter!). If installing on a vertical riser, you don’t need to read on!
As you can see from our graphic above, the ZG is built with the flow switch and the pump at 90 degrees, and our Installation Instructions clearly state that when installing horizontally then the flow switch must be on top. Actually, this has nothing much to do with the flow switch BUT it’s all about the pump – the pump shaft MUST be horizontal in order for the pump to run, vent and cool properly (or, as you can’t see the pump shaft, let’s say that the label plate must be vertical).
As you can see from diagram A, if you are installing close to a ceiling, then this will give you a headache. In this case, you cannot open the flow switch lid to wire up, check the paddle arm or adjust the retard; in other cases you may not be able to access the pump maintenance screw (this is in the front of the label plate, for using a PH2 driver for freeing off a sticky impellor).
We may end up with a situation as is diagram B, where the assembly is rotated to give access to both components…BUT in this case, the pump will not run, vent or cool properly and will soon overheat and seize up permanently! It’s unfortunately the case that we HAVE seen ZG installed in this way, and they will NOT work for long (if at all)! It seems that despite our best efforts, instructions are not always read or understood.
However, we have a solution that you are free to use when installing, and in fact in some cases it is critical that you do. The answer is to slightly loosen off the large nuts fastening the pump manifold to the isolation valves, then rotate the pump in the desired direction until the label plate is in a vertical position (and therefore the shaft will be horizontal) before re-tightening the retention nuts. It’s only a two-minute job, and will save future pain.
So, give yourself the best chance of a successful installation and commissioning, and simply make sure that your pump label plate is vertical! Any questions, or if you think our free training would help, just Contact Us now.