I am always being asked how to make a pump system more reliable.
There are many system and related problems that can cause unreliable pump operation; however, I find that the main issue in nine cases out of ten tends to be with the user themselves.
Before you go spending money on expensive investigations just have a think about how you treat your pumps, are they just another piece of steel going around and around on a couple of bearings, or are they precision machines operating in a dynamic environment?
My tip is to consider the basics first:
- Do you have a dedicated pump maintenance regime in place?
- Is your lubrication philosophy suitable?
- Do you regularly lift the guard off your couplings or belts and check condition and alignment?
- Do you expect too much from your installed pumps, are you operating them on a suitable spot on the pump curve?
- Do you ensure that when you install a pump that it is right for the job and not just close enough for the sake of uniformity?
- Is your house keeping of a high standard?
- Do you keep clear and accurate records of flow, pressure and power draw for comparison from maintenance check to maintenance check?
Remember, you can have all the monitoring and automation that you can on your pumps, however, there is no substitute for the four step monitoring plan:
- Look
- Listen
- Feel
- Compare
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