Appreciation post: Tuning into pump vibrations saved a big job

I used to ignore the slight shakes in the dredge pump until a near breakdown last spring. An old hand on site pointed out that each vibration tells a story about what's flowing through. Now I stop and check the strainer at the first weird hum... it's caught so much debris. That habit kept us running smooth through a tight deadline last week.

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_flores845d ago

Man, that's so true. I've learned to listen for the metallic rattle that means rocks are getting through, totally different from the dull thump of thick mud. If the vibration starts feeling uneven, like it's skipping beats, I shut it down right away and check the impeller. Last month that exact move saved me from having a totally clogged pump full of concrete chunks. Once you know the normal hum, every little change tells you what's coming up the pipe.

ivanb415d ago

Yeah, @aaron_flores84 made a good point about the metallic rattle versus the dull thump... but how do you tell when it's just normal wear and tear versus something about to break? I mean, sometimes the vibrations change slowly over time, and you might not notice until it's too late... do you have a trick for that? Like, do you keep a log of the sounds or something? Just wondering because on my site, the background noise can make it hard to pick up on the subtle shifts...