It seems like a hack exists for everything these days. From a quicker way to wash your car to unusual ways to remove wood scuffs, there’s a shortcut for doing just about all your everyday chores better, faster, or cheaper. What about at work, though? If you’re pumping slurry, KSB GIW, Inc. has got you covered.
Here are five hacks every pump operator should know:
1. Avoid cavitation the easy way. Hear a popping noise while your pump is operating? If it sounds like popcorn, you’re hearing vapor cavities imploding — and they’re as destructive as they are noisy. These tiny pockets of air are formed when the absolute pressure at the eye of the impeller reaches the vapor pressure of the liquid. Their continuous popping can result in costly damage to your impeller and bearings.
Avoiding cavitation is easy if you have the right pump. You need to know the required critical suction pressure — or Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH) — for your system and choose a slurry pump that operates clear of that pressure.
5. Make sure your nose gap is right on the nose. It’s may be a small maintenance task, but properly and regularly adjusting your nose gap can easily double or triple the wear life of your parts! The correct clearance, which is very small, allows the pump to maintain a high pressure at the outside of the impeller and a low pressure at the eye. However, as the pump operates, this nose gap increases incrementally, disrupting the pressure distribution and encouraging particles to recirculate around the impeller suction shroud.
To save the wear and tear on your impeller and suction liner, adjust the nose gap once a week. It’s ultra quick: Start by loosening the hold-down bolts on the back of the bearing assembly, then use your adjusting screw and nut to move the bearing assembly forward until it touches the liner, taking care to back it off slowly to the prescribed distance for your pump. Voilà — the perfect nose gap!
Pump hacks like these may require outside-the-box thinking, but that’s what makes them great! At KSB GIW, Inc., we’re always trying to come up with new ways to simplify your pumping processes and maintenance procedures. With a little creative guidance — and a great pump — you’ll be operating longer and more cost-effectively, so you’ll have more time to focus on production — and those wood scuffs!