No matter what type of business you own, you must maintain your machinery, equipment, and technology. Maintenance is essential as it helps prevent problems from arising, allows you to correct any problems before they become more significant, and ensures your equipment is working effectively. As well as this, regular maintenance can help to reduce downtime, and it can save you money.
One piece of equipment that requires regular maintenance is a pump. If you want to learn how to care for a pump properly, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll talk you through some basic steps for caring for your pump:
1. Determine the Maintenance Frequency
You must consult the manufacturer’s guidebook to determine how often your pump needs maintenance. The guidebook will give you an idea of how often your pump needs to be serviced and maintained and tell you things like how to do it properly and how to prevent pump cavitation, which can damage your pump.
2. Check Your Pump Regularly
While conducting regularly scheduled maintenance is great, it’s also a good idea to check your pump regularly for signs of wear and tear. This is known as preventative maintenance. This type of maintenance allows you to spot problems with your pump before they become more significant, saving you money and reducing downtime.
3. Put Safety First
Business owners need to take the safety of their employees seriously. Before performing any maintenance on your pump, you must turn off the equipment. Proper isolation is essentialnot just for electrical systems but for hydraulic systems too. As well as this, you must ensure the person completing the maintenance has had the proper training and wears the correct safety equipment.
4. Inspect the Mechanical Components
To do this properly, you will need to:
- Ensure the mounting points are secure.
- Check flanges for any leaks.
- Inspect the mechanical seal and packaging.
- Inspect the couplings.
- Inspect and clean filters.
5. Lubricate the Motor and Pump Bearing
The next step is to lubricate the pump bearing and the motor; however, it’s essentialnot to use too much lubricant as this can damage the pump. You will need to refer to the manufacturer’s guidebook to determine how to do this correctly.
6. Inspect the Motor and the Electric
To inspect the motor and the electrics, there are several things you need to do:
- Ensure that the terminations haven’t become loose.
- Check for dust or dirt build-up in the motor vents. If you notice any, you will need to clean these following the manufacturer’s guidelines.
- Check the starter motor for overheating.
- Use a megohm-meter to check for insulation failure.
7. Replace Damaged Parts
If you notice any damaged seals or hoses during your inspection, these must be replaced immediately. Not doing so could cause your pump to fail.
Pumps are used by almost all businesses, no matter how large or small they may be. And just like all other types of equipment and machinery, they need to be regularly maintained to ensure they are safe and working as they should. You can follow the guide above on how to do this if you’ve never done it before.
