Types of Pump Maintenance : A Complete guide

The pump maintenance has the following types:

• Routine Maintenance
• Annual Maintenance
• Daily Maintenance

Routine Maintenance of Pump

Routine maintenance of the pump includes the inspection of the following parts:

i) Bearing And Lubricant Condition
Daily monitor and record bearing temperature, lubricant levels, and vibrations. The lubricant must be clear and without foaming. If there are air bubbles, it means that your bearing lubrication has a high temperature, and you must add more lubricant to lower the bearing temperature. If the bearing vibration increases, it may cause due to the failure of your bearing, and you must replace it immediately.

ii) Shaft Seal Condition
It would be best if you regularly inspected the mechanical seal of your pump. If there is any sign of leakage, it represents that your shaft seal has been leaked.
During the shutdown, check the packing of the pump to ensure proper lubrication. If the stuffing box packing appears dry and compressed, replace it and add lubricant according to the instruction manual.

iii) Overall Pump Vibration
An impending pump failure can detect via monitoring the entire pump vibration. Changes in pump alignment, bearing failure, cavitation, and blockages in the suction and discharge lines can cause excessive vibration.

iv) Pump Discharge Pressure
The total delivery pressure of the pump can be determined from the pressure difference on the inlet and outlet pressure gauges. Make sure the readings are within the pump’s design performance range. You can search it on the manufacturer’s website or in the operating instructions.

2) Annual maintenance of Pumps

Record the performance of the pump at least once a year. The benchmarking data should contain at least motor amp draw, flow rate, head pressure, and vibration for bearings.
Before the maintenance of your pump, you must disconnect the power source.
Following are major parts of the pump that you should inspect compulsory during the annual maintenance:

• Bearing Frame and Foot: Check the bearing frame for scale, rust, roughness, or cracks. The machined surface should have pitting or erosion.
• Bearing Frame: Check all tapped connections for contamination. Clean all the threads as essential. Eliminate all foreign or loose materials. Check the passages of the lubrication passages to ensure that they are free from any type of blockage.
• Shaft and Sleeve: Check the pitting or grooves. Inspect the shaft runout and sleeves, change the sleeve and shaft if worn or if the shaft has runout more than 0.002-inch.
• Casing: Check the pitting, corrosion, or wear symptoms of the casing. If wear depth becomes more than 0125-inch, the casing must be replaced immediately. Inspect the surface of the gasket for distinctive signs.
• Impeller: Check the impeller of your pump for damage, corrosion, erosion, or wear. If the impeller blades have bent shape or show wear more than 0.125-inch, change your impeller as soon as possible.
• Frame Adapter: Check the frame adapter for signs of damage, corrosion, warping, or cracks. If your frame adaptor has these conditions, then replace it immediately.
• Bearing Casing: Check the cracks, corrosion, and wear signs on the casing of your pump bearings. If the bearing casing has any of these signs, replace it.

3) Daily Maintenance Checklist

• Daily inspect your pump for cavitation and noisy bearing problems.
• Inspect the gaskets and casing for pressure leakage.
• Check the glands and packing for any steam leaks. There should be no leakage of steam.
• Inspect the working of the heat tracing.
• Inspect the oil of the bearings for discoloration and water.
• Check the temperature of all bearings.
• Inspect the water-cooling system for efficient working. Check the temperature of the heat exchanger, jacket, and cooler by touching them.
• Check oil ring and bearing via a filling port. Wash covers of the bearings clean.
• Check the condition of the mechanical seal, and it should be in normal condition.
• Inspect oil leakage at the gasket.