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Three Steps To Troubleshooting Your Industrial Water Pump Woes

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When your industrial water pump is not working as it should, the downtime trying to troubleshoot need pump repairs costs you money. Water pumps are generally a central part of the cooling process for your machinery, and without it you risk machines overheating. If your water pump is giving you issues, here are three trouble-prone areas to check first.

Seals Leaking

It is normally apparent that a seal in the water pump has failed by the pooling of water on the floor. There are a number of reasons why the seal has stopped working prematurely, and it is important that you determine this reason before repairing it. Failure to diagnose what is causing the seal issue can lead to the problem recurring often. Reasons for failure include:

  • Contamination of the cooling system. This may be caused by a rust build-up due to incorrect pressurization or deposits from using water that has a high level of minerals. It may be necessary to switch to distilled water for use in the pump. Also, have the technician check the system pressure readings to make sure that too much air is not entering and reacting with the water.
  • Water pump running too hot for the seal used. If a problem with the water pump causes it to run too hot, the system may run dry. If this happens, the carbon seal within the pump can warp out of shape. If the liquid is leaking out of the weep hole of the pump, this is a sign that the seal is no longer correctly shaped.

If there is no evidence of water on the floor, then the seals are intact and it is time to turn your attention to the pump shaft.

Broken Pump Shaft

A broken pump shaft is caused by excessive vibration or imbalance within the water pump. The colour of the broken shaft will tell you how the problem occurred.

A shaft that has a clean break shows no change of colour in it. This tells you that a sudden acceleration compounded by a vibration has caused the shaft to snap. To confirm this finding, check each of the pulleys to make sure they are set to their correct tension. Make sure all the pulleys are in good order and not frayed or running through the system crooked. Incorrectly set pulleys can lead to the vibration occurring.

If the shaft shows a blue discolouration on it, this is a sign that the problem has been occurring for some time. The blue colouring is the result of the shaft experiencing a lot of heat. This heat leads to a weakening in the shaft until it snaps. A heat-caused breakage is normally the result of an imbalance. One place to check for the imbalance is the fan that runs within the pump. If the blades are bent or the fan has become loose on its mounts then an imbalance can occur.

Broken Casting

Another part of your water pump that can be affected by vibration or imbalance is the casting. The casting is the body that surrounds the internal workings of the water pump. Vibration or imbalance can cause the casting to become metal fatigued, which causes it to stress and break. This often happens around the bearing of the pump.

The fan is the common culprit of a casting breakage, so a full check of the fan is required to make sure it is not vibrating while running. Fan blades must be straight, and the fan clutch assembly must be lubricated to ensure a smooth running does not cause problem vibrations.

Prompt repairs to an industrial water pump are important when you want to make sure no loss of earnings occur. Use this guide to troubleshoot common industrial water pump woes, and your company will experience all systems go in no time at all.


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