New Year, New Pump?

With many CAPEX budgets renewed at the start of January, since returning from the Christmas break Castle Pumps have seen a surge in enquiries from manufacturing clients looking to replace their old, existing pumps with new, more efficient models.

Last week Castle Pumps dispatched a new Debem Boxer 50 AODD pump to one of the largest frozen food manufacturer brands in the UK, who were looking to replace their existing pump.

Their existing pump, which was being used for transferring the various alkaline-based detergents for cleaning down their equipment, was still in working order but had been installed for several years.

As the pump was so vital in ensuring the food processing plant’s strictest hygiene standards are met, their process engineer who contacted us wanted to replace the pump before it reached the end of its lifespan to prevent any unexpected downtime further down the line.

Should you be investing in pumps now, to save in the long run?

Just like a car, the older a pump gets, the more you start having to spend on maintenance, repairs and the less efficient it becomes to operate, resulting in increased energy costs.

The additional costs involved in operating an older pump can mount up, so what is important for any process engineer to understand, is when it’s time to invest in the outlay of a new pump in order to save in the long term. So, what is it that should you look out for?

1. Maintenance costs

Is maintenance becoming more regular? Are sparts parts needing replacing more often that previously? Are out of the ordinary repairs starting to be needed i.e. those that aren’t typical wearing parts such as the pump casing?

Whilst all pumps need routine maintenance to ensure that they are kept in good working order, as a pump gets older, you may notice this becoming more and more frequent. Time is money. Add this on top of the cost of replacing components, you may find a new pump would be more economical.

2. Energy costs

Is your pump less energy efficient than it once was? Is the pump costing you more to run in power for the same output? Or are you noticing that other, newer pumps in your plant manage to consume a lot less?

Most plant equipment can become less efficient to operate as it gets older and pumps are no different. It may even be that your existing pump is as energy efficient as it always was, but new motor technology means that newer equipment is just generally more efficient and can save you on energy bills.  

If you have a pump onsite that hasn’t been replaced for years, think about the above factors. If you’re putting off replacing an old pump to avoid the expenditure, are the maintenance and energy costs associated with keeping it going actually defeating the object? Comparing the annual costs to the initial outlay of a new pump may surprise you.

For more information on how investing in a new pump could actually save you money, contact Castle Pumps Ltd.

www.castlepumps.com