As the demands on in-house manpower increase, “do more with less” mentality, we are finding pumps and motors failing at alarming rates. The root cause for the increase has been simply the lack of or contamination of lubricants. Thousands of rands are spent to repair equipment, which if properly lubricated and maintained would provide years of service.
Pump and Pipes Holdings will provide the following services:
Meet with you and/or your staff to determine your needs and goals.
Complete an equipment survey using existing machinery records and a plant walk-through.
Identify critical and non-critical equipment for the facility.
Conduct a needs assessment for all equipment involved.
Determine immediate repairs required to the start of the preventative maintenance program.
Design a program that meets the facility’s recommendations for maintenance.
The following is an example of the work to be performed to a pump during a preventative maintenance visit:
Lock and tag out equipment.
Record equipment data.
Check all mounting and flange bolts to insure proper torque.
Check equipment base for soundness.
Visual inspection of pump grout for soundness.
Check for mechanical seal leaks.
Check condition of oil and grease seals.
Check packaging for excessive leakage and adjust and/or replace.
Make sure all gauges are operational.
Remove coupling guard, check alignment and correct as required.
Lubricate coupling assembly as required.
Lubricate pump and motor.
Change oil on equipment as recommended.
Ensure all auxiliary equipment is functioning properly.
Put the unit into service, check bearing temperatures, listen and record any mechanical or hydraulic noise.
Make note on the field report of any findings that may require additional work.
Pump Maintenance
The importance of pumps to the daily operation of buildings and processes necessitates a proactive maintenance program, which incorporates a preventative and predictive maintenance schedule. Most pump maintenance activities centre on checking packing and mechanical seals for leakage, performance maintenance activities on bearings, assuring proper alignment, and improving efficiency. Improving efficiency will decrease both maintenance and operating costs.
Basic Measure to Improve Pump efficiency:
Shut down unnecessary pumps.
Restore internal clearances if performance has changed.
Trim or change impellers if head is higher than necessary.
Control throttle instead of running wide-open or bypassing flow.
Replace oversized pumps.
Use multiple pumps instead of one large one.
Use a small booster pump.
Change the speed of a pump for the most efficient match of kilowatts requirements with output. This also may be achieved by the installations of a variable speed drive.
Excessive pump maintenance
This is often associated with one of the following:
Oversized pumps that are heavily throttled.
Pumps in cavitation.
Badly worn pumps.
Pumps that are misapplied for the present operation.
Changes from design conditions. Changes in plant operating conditions (expansions, shutdowns, etc.) can cause pumps that were previously well applied to operate at reduced efficiency.
Pump types covered
Our pump maintenance services cover a wide range of pump types including, but not limited to:
Multi stage pumps
Self-priming pumps
In-line circulating pumps
Vacuum pumps
Gear pumps
On site pump maintenance services
Pump and pipes holdings offer a range of services to provide year round reliability of pump assets with each activity designed around our customers’ own particular requirements. Our site personnel are fully trained to work on site.
Predictive maintenance
We have a range of techniques available including vibration analysis (monitoring the condition of the bearing as well as the overall balance of the pump itself) as well as thermography where we can detect hotspots, both in the pump and its connections as well as the pump control equipment where present. We are able asses the condition of pumps in use and carry out repair work when necessary.
Preventive method
Here we asses each individual component including impeller, volute, and terminal boxes to ensure the components are in serviceable condition by carrying out detailed inspections of all accessible pump components while the pump is in situ. We can save time and cost by only removing the item for maintenance when it is required and carrying out a repair on site if possible. We provide a full reporting structure to give feedback on the condition of the pumps following inspection and by providing a comprehensive pump repair service, can provide a one stop shop for all aspects of pump maintenance.
In-house repair facilities
The depth of our in-house facilities are unrivalled, providing specialist attention in each aspect of pump repair:
Fitting facilities
We have extensive fitting facilities for pump repair, with a hydraulic press (enabling the removal of impellers, couplings and bearings)
Impeller and robot balancing (extra service)
Ensure that all impellers are checked balanced prior to assembly to prolong the serviceable life of the pump.
24 hour availability
Our pump maintenance program offers a 24 hour a day availability, both within our workshops and on site we are able to reduce potential downtime to a minimum. This, combined with comprehensive parts stocks and links with all types of parts suppliers’ means that we can return the pumps quickly and efficiently whilst keeping customers up to date with the progress at any time.
Mechanical repairs
Gearbox repairs and offer different methods of shaft repair to suit the individual application you may have. All services are manned 24 hours a day by our dedicated team.
Where shafts can take too long or be too expensive to manufacture new, a repair can sometimes be the only option. We offer shaft repairs to suit the individual requirements of each job, including metal spraying (where shafts are small and cost is important.)
Pump Overhaul procedure
The Pump is carefully disassembled and all critical clearances and dimensions are recorded.
All components are then prepared for sand blasting and cleaning.
A thorough inspection is performed for wear, corrosion and wash-out damage, all critical dimensions and tolerances are double checked.
Upon completion of the inspection, you are provided with a detailed scope of work for the repairs as well as a firm quotation for the costs associated with the pump repair.
After receipt of your order the repair begins – all components requiring repairs are meticulously repaired and components in need of replacement are replaced with quality parts.
Lastly, the pump is painted and reassembled back to the original equipment manufacturers specifications.
Site services
With maintenance crews being reduced and under more pressure to cover a wide range of plant and equipment, the need for extra onsite maintenance that can be called upon on as and when basis can be critical in making sure all necessary preventive maintenance tasks are carried out to ensure the site reliability. Pump and pipes holdings site maintenance teams can provide the extra back up across a range of jobs and disciplines to ensure the site personnel are fully supported.
In addition to plant, our site maintenance teams can carry out a wide range of other work in the form of plant inspections as part of preventive maintenance initiatives, fault finding, and repairs of equipment on site.
With a broad spread of experience, pump and pipes holdings can provide the right personnel at the time (on a 24 hour a day basis) when they needed with little or no notice. Staff placed on site have full workshop support meaning that if during the work on sight, additional repairs or new components are needed they can be arranged when needed.
Balancing and laser alignment
The alignment and balance of rotating equipment is crucial for the smooth and reliable running and to maximise the serviceable life of the unit.
At pump and pipes holdings we offer both laser alignment and balancing services in order to assist customers in prolonging the time between maintenance and minimising potential breakdowns.
The correct alignment is crucial to the smooth running of rotating equipment, with a number of laser alignment sets for various applications and trained personnel, we are well suited to cover a variety of laser alignment services. Whether part of an installation or just check alignment, we can ensure the motor or pump unit is aligned as accurately as possible and also check the base for mounting issues such as soft foot and other problems.
Laser alignment is a quicker process than other alignment methods can lead to greater plant reliability, higher efficiency and reduce the risk of breakdowns.
