Many businesses are continuously looking for ways to trim their production costs. And the best way to achieve this is to make their pumps last longer. In fact, some businesses change the times of operations, upgrade their solutions, and use sensors to monitor machines.
If your company transfers liquid, perhaps it uses centrifugal pumps. According to experts at Pumpbiz, they often come in different sizes and are very versatile.
Whether your company operates two or three hundred of pumps, it will be important to make them last longer through the following tips:
1. Inspect the Pump Components
Maintenance checks must be carried out every six months. This may involve the inspection of the borescope so as to check if there are internal issues.
Maintenance of your pump components, including impeller vanes and wear plates, may also be necessary to ascertain the equipment lasts longer.
2. Provide Proper Training to Operators
This is vital since, without the knowledge or proper training, operators can reduce the lifespan of your pumps. Warning labels must also be put in place to let other workers know that they shouldn’t operate or work on a pump unless they have the knowledge and proper training.
3. Avoid Pump Overheating
Especially centrifugal pumps may go overhead as well as damage all the internal components. Always leave the discharge lines and suction open during operations to prevent this.
4. Wisely Replace Choose Spare Parts
If you need spare parts, ensure you order directly from a pump manufacturer. This helps minimize multiple maintenance sessions and downtime as most manufacturers design parts to fit their pumps.
5. Monitor the Voltage
An industrial pump needs the proper amount of power to work efficiently. However, this may represent a very delicate balance. Unless you monitor the voltage, excess energy can lead to an unstable situation, which causes serious mechanical failures.
6. Lubricate Properly
Generally, lubrication is a priority when maintaining your pump. The pump bearing always requires lubrication to avoid damaging the entire system.
7. Consider Trimming the Pump Impeller
Do you have oversized pumps? If yes, a cost-effective and simple way to minimize the flow and pressure is to reduce the size of the impeller.
Impeller trimming is basically a perfect way to make a pump more energy efficient and last longer. Plus, it works far much better than using throttling valves to get the same results or output.
8. Review Motors
Like an oversized pump reduces the energy efficiency of a pumping system, an oversized motor may contribute to this too.
There are several reasons oversize motors can be specified. This includes catering for a possible increase in pumping capacity in the future where the right-sized motors are unavailable when sourcing a piece of equipment.
Of course, there are a few options in the market that can ensure you prevent oversizing motors, with some of them accommodating a short-term overload.
Final Say!
Maintenance and inspection logs must be kept, and identified issues need to be reported right away. Unusual inspection with abnormal moisture, heat, and dust might need more frequent service and inspection. Plus, a good maintenance plan needs to include the required replacement parts to invest in or buy.
