This happened four years ago with a 1.5" Taco 00 series cast-iron circulator. The case/body of the pump suddenly split wide open around where the suction tied into the volute. I heard a "bang," went to the basement, and shut off the supply to the pressure reducing valve and shut down the boiler (which was not firing at the time). My theory is that there may have been some type of inclusion or other defect in the pump casting that let go. But there was no harm done - the pump is located near a floor drain, so no flooding.
This incident may be food for thought - about what worse might have happened, particularly under different installation circumstances. I don't think the pressure reducing valve (a.k.a. auto fill valve) could have kept up with the leak from both sides of the pump - so we would have had to rely on my low-water cutoff to shut off the boiler. And, without a floor drain near the pump, there could have been flooding damage.
Cast iron is great in many ways - but it is a bit less tough and more susceptible to brittle fracture than steel.
I wish I had taken pix of the pump, but I didn't.
This incident may be food for thought - about what worse might have happened, particularly under different installation circumstances. I don't think the pressure reducing valve (a.k.a. auto fill valve) could have kept up with the leak from both sides of the pump - so we would have had to rely on my low-water cutoff to shut off the boiler. And, without a floor drain near the pump, there could have been flooding damage.
Cast iron is great in many ways - but it is a bit less tough and more susceptible to brittle fracture than steel.
I wish I had taken pix of the pump, but I didn't.
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