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Had a wake-up call about my pump maintenance schedule from a mechanic in Corpus Christi
I was running my cutter suction dredge on a channel project down there, and the main pump started making this low grinding noise. My usual move was to just check the oil and run it until something really broke. The mechanic they sent out, Frank, pulled the impeller and just shook his head. He said, 'You're letting the wear ring clearance get over an eighth of an inch before you even look at it. That's why your efficiency is in the toilet and you're chewing up parts.' I always thought a little extra clearance was fine, but he showed me how it was causing cavitation and killing my production. Now I measure that clearance every 200 hours without fail and keep it under 0.06 inches. The pump runs quieter and I'm using way less fuel. Has anyone else had a mechanic point out a simple check you were skipping that made a big difference?
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kai5644mo ago
My buddy in Port Arthur had @reed.terry catch a bad packing gland sweat that nearly cooked his pump shaft.
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reed.terry5mo ago
My old boss in Galveston taught me to check the packing gland temperature by hand every shift.
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