Downtime of your pump, or indeed any equipment, can be costly in terms of loss of output and repairs. Say your pump plays a critical role in your production line dosing a specific quantity of ingredient into a mix. If it unexpectedly fails, then the production comes to a halt. Pump maintenance is therefore an integral operation within any plant to limit this costly downtime, and not one that should be overlooked…
The Important Role of Preventive Maintenance
If you have a pump on site and you don’t already have a maintenance programme in place, then your first step should be to make someone responsible for this. A pump maintenance programme involves a periodic check of performance, an inspection of the wearing parts and lubrication of bearings and joints. Spotting an issue early is one of the best methods of trouble shooting and preventing pump breakdown:
- Leaks – Check the pump and pipework as this will result in reduced performance and loss of pump output as well as mess. Common leaking points are the stuffing box or the mechanical seals; a common wearing part to be routinely replaced.
- Unusual noise – Like anything with a motor, a consistent hum when running is quite normal. However, a clunking or crunching sound is likely to indicate worn bearings and a popping sound near the impeller could mean cavitation.
- Extreme vibration – A properly installed, well working pump should not overly vibrate, and therefore any excessive levels should be checked for impeller imbalance, damage and misalignment of the pump and motor.
- Corrosion – Rusting, cracking or discoloration of the pump casing or pipework need to be acted on immediately. Corrosion can not only result in pump failure through a weakening of the casing and components, but also contamination of the fluid being pumped.
- Overheating of bearings or motor – Some explanations may be internal rubbing/wearing of parts, excess oil and debris on the motor, the wrong power input, the pump running against a dead head or at a duty it cannot efficiently maintain.
- Clogging – Blocked or damaged impellers and valves is likely if the pump is not capable of handling the size of any present solids. You will usually notice clogging quite quickly as the pump will not be delivery the same quantities of fluid.
- Differential Pressure – Inspect the operating pressure by calculating the difference between the pressure at the inlet and outlet of the pump to check that it is running on its curve.
- Coupling alignment – Checking the pump and motor have not become misaligned. If they have, then check the bearings for wear.
The Best Way to Avoid Downtime? Keeping Spare Parts On Site…
One of the largest causes of pump downtime is not routinely replacing wearing parts and instead waiting for them to fail before changing them. It is recommended to replace certain components such as the mechanical seals, wear rings and impellers every 1-2 years to prevent leaking and other issues. Best practice is to hold stock of typical wearing parts on site to prevent any delay in being able to maintain your pump if any components fail. To save additional carriage and admin costs, it makes sense to buy inevitable wearing parts at the same time as you purchase your pump.
Employing a Maintenance Schedule
Preventive pump maintenance should be planned into a schedule. By outlining what tasks need to carried out daily, weekly, monthly and annually, maintenance becomes a smoother more efficient process and tasks don't get forgotten about. Not only does it reduce the likelihood of unexpected pump failures and downtime, it also helps to reduce the cost of ownership as replacing wearing parts for example is a much cheaper process than replacing an entire pump.
For more information www.castlepumps.com
Castle Pumps
- 01773 533 283
- sales@castlepumps.com
- https://www.castlepumps.com
- Office 1, Denby House Taylor Lane Loscoe Derbyshire DE75 7AB GB
About us
Castle Pumps Ltd are specialist suppliers of industrial pumps with over 10 years’ experience specifying pumping solutions to process engineers, operations managers and plant build consultants.
At Castle Pumps we understand that a pump that works isn’t necessarily the right pump. A pump that is pushed to it’s performance capabilities will result in more regular, costly maintenance, manual intervention from its operators, waste product and energy inefficiency. As a single source supplier of all of pumping technologies from centrifugal to air operated diaphragm to peristaltic to progressive cavity pump, we select the exact pump solution ideal for your application.
Whether you are looking to circulate water round a cooling system, dose ingredients on a production line, fill barrels of chemicals or transfer oil between tanks, contact Castle Pumps to deliver your process.
Where we supply to
UK Ireland, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America
Industries we supply to
Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Metals and Minerals, Paper and Pulp, Pharmaceutical Cosmetics Toiletries, Water and Wastewater
