Honeywell R8182H problem

I am having a circulator problem, I believe i have isolated it to the circulator relay as I have checked he other systems and they seem okay. The circulator pump starts as it should but shuts of after 1-2 minutes even though the thermostat is still calling for heat. By lightly tapping the circulator relay, I can restart the pump, but again it will shut off after only a couple of minutes. Of course, this happened on Friday night with no supply houses open until Monday. I can wedge a pencil in the the relay to hold it closed and run the pump continuously until the house is warm. Will this cause any damage for a couple of days until I can get either a new relay or new controller or a pro to look at it?

 

What are the settings on the Hi & Lo dials of the aquastat? They should be at least 20º apart.

 

Cj
Jamming pencils always makes me nervous. Check all the contacts coming into and out of the relay. If they all seem sound, the relay is most likely toast. Running the pump 24-7 is ok till ya get the parts and pieces. It won't hurt anything.
Just wire the pump direct and by-pas the relay. I hate pencils
tl

 

The high limit is set at 180, low limit 140 and differential at 20. the relay is soldered to the board and the contacts aren't readily accessible. I'm pretty nervous about the pencil too, but I've kept a close eye on it and remove it when I am out of the house. I didn't want to bypass the relay completely. The burner seems to operate normally so I think the primary relay, aquastat and cad cell are okay. the limit switches perform okay in the test procedures and the thermostat appears to provide a correct signal when appropriate. I'll get a new board or relay (probably a complete unit, the old one is 30 years old) in the morning and if that doesn't resolve it, I'll call in the reinforcements.

 

IF you haven't gotten around to fixing it yet:

Let's get down to basics FIRST gentlemen. WHY does it go on when you 'tap' the relay?

1)AH? Loose connection maybe???? I always believe in starting simple FIRST, then go for the brain surgery. Try taking off all the wires on the connections on the relay and re-stripping them and re-connecting them, tightly. USUALLY, it is a loose connection and NOT a weak relay. If that does not help go to the next step.

2)Shut off your boiler switch. Go back to the relay and disconnect the wires to the relay. Spread the top and bottom sheet-metal brackets and remove the printed circuit board. (It is held in place by the slots on the brackets) Look at the back side and search for a cracked solder joint, a cracked printed circuit, or a cold joint. If you know what I am talking about and can repair a crack with a jumper or re-solder a bad joint then go ahead. If you have no idea what I am talking about, I would go ahead and replace the relay and see what happens.

Good luck!
Charlie