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That week on the Columbia River when the pump just wouldn't prime
We were on a big channel job near Astoria, and for three straight days the main pump kept losing prime every two hours, no matter what we tried. Turned out a tiny crack in a suction hose coupling we'd missed was letting in just enough air to kill it. Has anyone else had a sneaky air leak that drove them nuts?
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riley_ramirez812mo ago
Air leaks are the worst but that sounds like a basic check. We always soap test every single fitting and hose before we even start the pump. A visual once-over isn't enough for something that critical. Missing a crack like that would have cost us the job.
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jadeprice2mo ago
Totally get where @riley_ramirez81 is coming from, but a soap test before you even start the pump can miss leaks that only show up under pressure. You need to test while the system is running too. A tiny crack can stay closed until the line pressurizes and flexes. We do a soap check on the fittings at rest, then run the pump and hit all the hoses and connections again. That double check catches the ones that pop open under load.
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