Pro tip: Check your discharge line before you run the pump dry

I ran a 6-inch cutterhead for 3 hours without checking the discharge line last Tuesday. Turns out a rag had lodged in the pipe and the pump was overworking, nearly burnt out the motor seals. Learned to do a quick pressure check every shift change now - anyone else ever had debris cause a blowout on a Sandy Creek job?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan_jenkins901d ago

Oh man, that rag trick is nasty! I had something similar happen on a creek job near Huntsville years back. A piece of tarp got sucked in and wrapped around the impeller, made the whole rig vibrate like crazy before I caught it. Now I tape a small mirror to a stick and check the discharge elbow before any long run. Saved me a few times since then.

angela_wilson781d ago

That rag trick is nasty but your mirror-on-a-stick idea is genius. I'm still in the stone age with my phone camera held at weird angles (and dropping it in the mud half the time). Mirror's probably way better than me trying to fish wadded-up leaves out blind with a coat hanger and hoping for the best.