What are common preventive maintenance schedules and checklists for pumps?

Common preventive maintenance for pumps includes regular inspection for stability and balance, scheduled lubrication, and thorough evaluation of potential problems. Pumps receiving proper maintenance in this manner almost never experience a catastrophic failure. Beyond a quick visual daily check, most preventive maintenance tasks are monthly with a few yearly tasks in order.

Centrifugal Pump Maintenance

What are pumps?

A wide variety of pumps are available for a multitude of industries and applications. Most pumps are either dynamic or positive displacement pumps.

Dynamic pumps, also known as centrifugal pumps, use centrifugal force to develop required pressure. Radial flow pumps only use this force while mixed-flow partially uses this force. Axial flow pumps use a propelling action to create pressure.

A positive displacement pump uses an expanding and decreasing cavity to create a consistent flow at set revolutions per minute (rpm). They have either single or multiple rotors.

Pump Maintenance

Unfortunately, pumps are frequently neglected when it comes to preventive maintenance. To operate at peak efficiency, secure, align, and balance pumps upon installation. In practice, pumps are often placed in precarious locations or misaligned. In addition, regular lubrication is critical to efficient and smooth operation.

Although many companies may opt to replace parts or even pumps instead of maintaining them, this can be costly. Pumps often operate as an integral part of a larger system, putting these other components at risk for failure.

Tip: Monthly and annual tasks can be entered into a CMMS so they are scheduled and performed on time.

Preventive Maintenance Checklist for Pumps

When maintenance technicians sequence a pump, they should take a quick look at the equipment to make sure it appears to be operating properly.

Beyond the visual daily inspection, pumps need only monthly and annual maintenance. Lubrication, packing, alignment, and mounting should be checked every month. Resolve problems immediately for peak performance. Inspect bearings and the motor performance on an annual basis.

Kinematic Viscosity

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