replace mud pump motor maintenance programs supplier

Distributor of heavy duty submersible mud, sand, sludge & slurry pumps. Specifications of pumps include 5 hp to 30 hp motor, three phase, 208 V to 575 V, 6.8 A to 39 A, 3 in. to 6 in. NPT sizes, 38 ft. to 134 ft. head size & 475 gpm to 1,690 gpm flow rate. Features include impellers, wear plates & agitators made from abrasive resistant 28 percent chrome iron, process hardened ductile iron volutes casted with thick walls, class H motor insulation, double silicon carbide mechanical seals, heavy duty lip seal & stainless steel shaft & shaft sleeve. Sand, sludge & slurry pumps are used in mines, quarries, dredging, coal & ore slurries, sewage treatment plants & steel mills. UL listed. CSA approved. Meets OSHA standards.

Repairing your pumps quickly and efficiently to get your operations back up and running is GD Energy Products’ top priority. If your pump requires immediate attention, our field engineers and service technicians can be deployed to your job site or facility. Our experienced technicians are trained to identify and inspect your pumping issue and conduct as-needed service, repairs and preventative maintenance at your preferred location.

GDEP offers a full range of 24/7 on-site pump maintenance and repair offerings tailored to your individual needs. We offer comprehensive repairs for fracking pumps, drilling pumps, well service pumps, fluid ends and modules. Additionally, our customers have access to 24/7 service, ongoing parts support and product maintenance.

GDEP’s inspection program offers a comprehensive and proactive approach to solving your pump issues. Our field service technicians can utilize advanced troubleshooting procedures to uncover various underlining issues with the capability of performing onsite repairs using genuine, high-quality OEM replacement parts to guarantee maximum performance

If you have a large fleet or pumps that simply require more attention, we can provide you with a dedicated field service technician with either half-day or full 24/7 coverage.

Our state-of-the-art repair facilities operate in a constant state of readiness to provide your pumps with the most comprehensive and cutting-edge repair and maintenance services. With facilities strategically located in all major shale plays throughout the United States, we are able to provide our customers with efficient service on a local level.

If you have a large-scale repair that cannot be completed in the field, bring your pump to any one of our repair facilities and expect the same level of service and expertise. A highly trained and experienced team of field engineers, service technicians and repair mechanics possess all the necessary skills and insights required to overhaul any pump, all under one roof. Backed by our satisfaction guarantee, you can have the confidence your pumps will operate at peak performance after it leaves our facility.

Our team of experts is available 24/7 to service and repair any brand of pump. Whatever your repair needs, GDEP will bring the proper experience, tools and equipment needed to get the job done.

The 2,200-hp mud pump for offshore applications is a single-acting reciprocating triplex mud pump designed for high fluid flow rates, even at low operating speeds, and with a long stroke design. These features reduce the number of load reversals in critical components and increase the life of fluid end parts.

The pump’s critical components are strategically placed to make maintenance and inspection far easier and safer. The two-piece, quick-release piston rod lets you remove the piston without disturbing the liner, minimizing downtime when you’re replacing fluid parts.

Pumps are often designed to operate at a single point known as the Best Efficiency Point (BEP). As components begin to wear, a pumps performance begins to decline, with operation away from this point leading to issues such as accelerated bearing or seal wear, vibration, excess temperature rise or cavitation. Quite often declining performance can start gradually, before quickly accelerating until failure if performance issues are not addressed in a timely fashion.

Corrective Maintenance is undertaken when failure has occurred. The unit may be leaking, efficiency reduced, pump stopped or motor tripped, leading to loss of production resulting in an urgent situation where parts must be sourced and fitted quicky.

Preventative Maintenance is inspection and repair scheduled at specific intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) or based on the number of hours run. Visual inspections are made externally and internally by dismantling the unit, replacing seals such as gaskets and mechanical seals, with pump parts checked for wear.

Differential Pressure:Check the operating pressure by calculating the difference between the inlet and outlet pressure of the pump ensuring it is operating on curve.

Excess Temperature – Check motor, bearing and casing temperature. Thermal imaging cameras can detect excess temperature quickly, without stoppage, dismantling or contact with the unit.

The “6 to 1 Rule” discovered by John Day Jr, (Manager of Engineering & Maintenance at Alumax South Carolina stated that the ideal ratio of Proactive Maintenance (PM) to Corrective Maintenance (CM) should be 6 to 1 - 6 PM checks to 1 RM check. If your ratio is below this then according to his theory it is being inspected too infrequently, above and inspections are too frequent.

Although Proactive Maintenance can seem to avoid the urgent costs and downtime associated with reactive maintenance, PM maintenance costs can be high due to the cost of labour in dismantling of complicated designs such as Progressing Cavity, or Triplex Plunger pumps which are often time consuming to maintain with more than one person required to undertake work.

On dismantling units, some seals require replacing regardless of condition, and excess spares can be required in case of gasket entrapment during assembly. Rental of specialist lifting equipment may be required and there can be situations where when inspected, pump parts do not require replacement.

MonitoringThe ideal situation is to ensure components are replaced before failure but not so far in advance that they have experienced little wear with valuable time spent on inspecting components which are otherwise fine.

This can be achieved through a monitoring device, where when the right data is collected, pump failure can be anticipated between 3 and 12 months in advance with an 80-95% accuracy.

With the average lead time on DN100 pumps, and units over 5 years old being 3 months or more, it is essential that spares are either on the shelf or failure is anticipated through advance ordering.

There are hazards during any maintenance activity. Always ensure the correct PPE is worn before attempting repair, that sufficient expertise is on hand and chemical data sheets of any fluid being pumped are checked prior to undertaking work. A full risk assessment should be completed in advance.

Hazardous FluidsIrritation, Chemical burns, ignitionEnsure when pump is opened the unit is cool, not pressurized, ignition sources are not present, and any fluids spilt are contained.

If inspection has been neglected for some time, then additional parts may require replacing than had the unit been inspected earlier, with some pump parts becoming beyond economical repair.

Enables planned work to be undertaken during lower activity levels and at lowest cost & risk.Pump has to be crucial within a process or above a certain size for monitoring to be cost effective

Thread Sealant –The use of semi-permanent thread sealant will ensure vitality important threaded fasteners such as bolts or screws on shafts, couplings or pump casings do not self-loosen due to vibration and become disengaged.

Interchangeable Spares –Our range of pumps are modular in design utilizing interchangeable spares, meaning on site stock holding of parts can be reduced by up to 80% further reducing slow moving stock.

Repair & Replace –Choosing to repair an existing pump within a process of vital importance, as well as replace, is a strategy we recommend for maximizing plant efficiencies and reducing downtime. Should unexpected pump failure occur, your process can be restored quickly.

Checklists & Logs –The use of checklists and logs ensures a fully repeatable process ensuring important maintenance intervals are not missed. Logs can provide valuable insight and reveal a pattern before failure occurs enabling easier troubleshooting.

indicates which areas should be checked, but note that a units maintenance routine is dependent on several factors such as hours of operation, duty, aggressiveness of pump medium, rpm of motor, temperature, inlet conditions and location of equipment.

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I wrote a series of columns last year and into January this year on well and pump rehabilitation and methods to improve the operating efficiency in both. This month, as a start to a two-part series and a logical continuation to the topic, I’ll expand the discussion outlining my concept of a well and pump preventive maintenance program with suggested procedures and recommended intervals.

As we launched this new enterprise, we decided to offer a preventive maintenance program on a trial basis. This would be our way of introducing and acquainting ourselves to a previously unknown base of new clients, introducing our new division to our existing clients, and as a way of gaining a full understanding of each water system’s particular needs.

Many of these newly discovered clients, especially local smaller water districts and cities, informed me they had wanted to implement some type of preventive maintenance program for their facility, but didn’t know where to start.

The new preventive maintenance program was more than a method of gaining new business for our firm, especially since the late 1970s were also somewhat sluggish in the local irrigation business. Diversifying and expanding into the municipal and commercial water systems market not only provided badly needed revenue, but allowed us to keep current personnel who might otherwise have been laid off or assigned reduced hours during long winter periods.

Since we were already a long-established water systems firm, moving into this larger and slightly different market did not require substantial retraining or expansion of our service staff. We were also able to use our existing equipment and rolling stock, particularly our service vehicles and pump hoists.

As we moved cautiously into developing a preventive maintenance program for the various clients, one thing became rapidly apparent. The program was going to have to be customized and tailored for each client and the specific needs and number of pumps for each water purveyor. For systems with multiple well and pump stations, this meant we had to individualize the program for each client.

Although I was in charge and responsible for this new division—which included my cultivating new clients, submitting bids and proposals, and performing engineering and design—I was still young and didn’t wish to simply come out of the field and into the office to assign the maintenance and troubleshooting to the other employees. So, for the first four years of this new enterprise I alternated between field work and office work.

This not only helped me expand my skills in field work and troubleshooting, but allowed me the opportunity to visit and work with many of the new and diverse water system clients we gained throughout western Oregon. Eventually, the time and effort required to split my duties became more than I could reasonably handle, but those years were instrumental as they allowed me to learn new techniques, expand my troubleshooting skills, and increase my knowledge of water wells, pumps, and electrical and hydraulic theory.

Before actually embarking on a new preventive maintenance (PM) program, we first had to decide how often to recommend individual site visits and develop some type of database to routinely document each individual client and their water system facilities, as well as track each PM and service procedure conducted at each site and for each unit.

As far as building a database, after considering various methods of record keeping I settled on using a single master file for each client. Each file included information on each separate well and pump station. Each was assigned a unique identification code with the specific details of each facility recorded on “master data sheets” (Figures 1, 2, 3).

The PM program was originally envisioned, structured, and priced to be a fairly rapid “in and out” to gather and record the most critical information such as static and operating (pumping water level) conditions of each well and pump and to conduct general maintenance on individual pump and driver units within a pumping plant. Therefore, it was important to provide a uniform set of tasks and criteria to follow and evaluate what was needed without spending unnecessary time or effort on less important or trivial tasks.

Determining and maintaining a reasonable, uniform cost for a PM program was also vital since we could not effectively sell the program to most clients solely from harping on the advantages gained from potential energy savings and improving pump efficiency—at least not in 1979.

To effectively sell and conduct the program to many water systems, it was important to stress we would keep each site visit meaningful and the cost to a minimum by concentrating on just the primary elements of an effective PM program. These elements included: (1) performing necessary routine maintenance at appropriate intervals; (2) determining the current efficiency and operating condition of each pump and motor; (3) identifying and heading off any serious situations with an individual unit that could result in significant downtime and higher repair costs if not addressed soon; and (4) maintaining the inspection reports and records as a collection of current and past data within a master file.

The site visit field form was developed specifically to act as a guideline of the tasks the technician was expected to perform on each unit, each in a fundamental order. By using this initial form over the first to three months of the trial PM program, we were able to quickly determine the typical cost for a single pump station inspection and thereafter apply that unit cost to pump stations with multiple units.

Since many municipal or industrial pumping plants or stations consist of three to four separate units in total, especially those found in water booster or wastewater pump stations, we were able to expand the horizontal use of each form to permit entering up to four separate units on a single sheet.

As important to booster pump stations as this program was, the primary selling point was made to those clients with wells and well pumps or wastewater pumps. Since many wells and well pumps can exhibit a sudden failure due to years of ignorance or lack of maintenance, this program permitted a routine examination and tracking of the well’s pumping water level and the operating condition of the well pump and driver (usually an electric motor).

For example, by checking the static and pumping levels of each well during each visit around the same time each year, we were able to quickly develop an accurate, in-house database on seasonal water levels in most regions of western Oregon and the Willamette Valley.

This type of inspection was particularly important for installations using submersible pump motors since periodic examination of the motor’s insulation resistance often provided a yardstick of a motor’s current condition, or more importantly, any progressive decline.

If this occurred, it usually provided the client with advance notice in one to two years this unit was heading for or nearing failure. This provided enough notice to the client to permit an orderly and scheduled repair or replacement of the motor rather than a rushed and more expensive emergency approach.

Although we were generally careful to require all field data and information be vetted and approved by the engineering department before contacting the client, we did demonstrate to each technician how to determine and record a few basic field observations and calculations. These included static and pumping water levels from wells along with water horsepower, input horsepower, and plant efficiency from pumping units. These were often requested by the clients, particularly when the they were present for the inspections.

Although our original PM program was developed and implemented for both potable and wastewater pumping systems, since Water Well Journal primarily focuses on wells and well pump systems, we will limit this discussion to this group.

This means each field technician must be properly trained and observant in electrical, mechanical, and confined space safety. The most basic of these is always observing OSHA’s mandated “lock out/tag out” procedures for protection against errant automatic or manual starting of electrical motors or engines (drivers) used to drive pumps. This not only protects from possible electrical shocks, but additional forms of injury that could occur. An example that could occur is a pump starting while the tech is repacking or greasing it or changing the motor oil.

Finally, many water systems use potentially harmful chemicals and feed systems in their facilities (high-strength chlorine, acids, or caustics) or other ancillary systems interconnected to the pump start/run signal. Even though locking out the pump motor may prevent its start and operation, it may not necessarily disconnect or disable these other systems.

To help meet your professional needs, this column covers skills and competencies found in DACUM charts for drillers, pump installers, and geothermal contractors. PI refers to the pumps chart. The letter and number immediately following is the skill on the chart covered by the column. This column covers: PIE-18, 22: PIF-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7: PIG-3, 8, 10 More information on DACUM and the charts are available at www.NGWA.org/Certification and click on “Exam Information.”

The next area with a type of hazard occurs from exposure to confined spaces. Although most potable water pumping units are not located in regulated confined spaces, many control valves and other equipment are commonly situated in tanks or underground vaults or chambers. Accumulated or released vapors or gases within these environments, especially those heavier than air in underground vaults or facilities, can overcome a worker within seconds. Recognizing these potential hazards and equipping each employee with a gas sniffer or alarm to notify the tech should hazardous or flammable gases or a low oxygen level exist and an approved breathing mask/tank is recommended.

In conclusion, it is vitally important anyone charged with conducting preventive maintenance and service be fully trained and capable in understanding and performing the procedural and safety measures required for each unit in each pumping station and observe the proper shutdown (lockout/tagout), service, and reactivation protocols.

This concludes this first installment on setting up a well and pump maintenance program. Next month, we’ll wrap up with an overview on setting up the forms and performing the field work.

DistributionNOW has a full fleet of field service and repair assets across a large geography of North America. This includes full pump repair in the field, installation and startup, as well as preventative maintenance practices for install pumping equipment in the field. We have decades of experience serving the oil & gas, power generation, petrochemical and municipal markets. Our experts can extend the life of your equipment with our maintenance programs, in-house repairs, upgrades and replacement parts. We have full capability of in-house machining and repair of pumps and their components.

Pump maintenance is the process of keeping your pumps in good working condition. A thorough checklist that guides the maintenance engineer for pump maintenance can be very beneficial as pump maintenance is essential to keep your pumps running smoothly and prevent them from breaking down. This includes regularly checking and cleaning your pumps and replacing any parts that are worn out.

Modern pumps are essential equipment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. These devices allow companies to move liquids and gases from one place to another, which can be crucial to operations. While modern pumps are reliable and rarely need maintenance, they require some attention over time.

The ideal way of classifying pump maintenance is through the method used for drawing out the maintenance plan. Based on this, the following are the four significant types of pump maintenance:

Corrective maintenance is the most reactive type of pump maintenance, and it involves repairing or replacing parts as needed to keep a pump functioning properly. While this approach may be necessary for some situations, it is often not ideal due to its high cost and disruption of operations.

Preventive maintenance is another common approach to pump maintenance that focuses on proactive measures such as regular inspections and adjustments. This can help avoid potential problems and keep pumps operating at peak efficiency. Using a reliable checklist for pump maintenance, engineers conduct a thorough checking and carry out the needful maintenance as and when needed. This approach is widely used in industries.

Predictive maintenance uses advanced sensors and equipment to monitor the condition of pumps and other components in real-time. This enables users to detect potential problems before they become serious issues that require extensive repairs or replacements. However, this type of maintenance is cost-intensive and unsuitable for small-scale pump systems.

This type of pump maintenance is a newer type of pump maintenance that uses data collected from sensors to assess the condition of pumps and other equipment. This information is then used to develop a customized maintenance plan tailored to the equipment’s specific needs. This approach can be more effective than traditional pump preventive maintenance plans and can help to reduce downtime and costs. But setting up a CBM system can prove to be a costly affair.

Whether you are using one of these approaches or a combination of them, it is essential to ensure that your pump maintenance program is adequately designed and implemented to optimize the performance and longevity of your pumps. Pump maintenance plans are also created based on the system they target, including mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic. Mechanical maintenance typically involves replacing parts that have worn out or broken down due to normal wear and tear. Electrical pump maintenance requires checking the wiring for any signs of damage and replacing fuses if necessary. And hydraulic pump maintenance may involve changing fluid levels or upgrading the oil viscosity depending on the level of use.

The strength and effectiveness of your pump preventive maintenance plan depending on how robust your checklist is. While you would want to include all possible checks in the plan, it is impractical and inadvisable for all routine checks. Therefore the checklist is divided based on the frequency of checks making it more sustainable and effective:

Please note that the pump preventive maintenance schedule for each pump would depend on its design and application, and hence you should always consult the pump manufacturer for the same. However, the above checklist is a general checklist that can guide the process of pump preventive maintenance. A well-maintained pump will last longer and perform better than one not correctly cared for.

Check the manufacturer’s recommendation for service interval schedules. Depending on the type of pump, different servicing may be required at different intervals.

Maintain the proper records for all pump maintenance activity. Good data collection will give you the correct information about the pump’s health and operational condition.

Based on the checklist, pump maintenance may seem a simple task that needs to be done regularly. However, this is not true. Understanding the pump behaviour and performing suitable maintenance activities requires years of experience. Therefore, it is always advisable to hire a qualified expert to carry out pump maintenance due to the following reasons:

Safety – Pump maintenance through a qualified expert, ensures that all safety hazards are identified and eliminated. This keeps you, your equipment, and your employees safe from harm.

Efficiency – Qualified experts know how to service and maintain pumps to operate at peak efficiency. This can save you money on your energy bills and help prolong the life of your pump.

Peace of Mind – Pump maintenance can be a complex task. By entrusting it to a qualified expert, you can rest assured that the job will be done correctly and on time.

Avoid Downtime – Downtime is costly, both in terms of lost productivity and repair costs. Pump maintenance through a qualified expert can help minimize the risk of unexpected downtime.

Compliance – Pump maintenance through a qualified expert can help ensure that your pump complies with all relevant safety and environmental regulations. This can save you from costly fines or penalties.

The majority of reliable pump manufacturers offer pump maintenance as a part of their service. Therefore, it is always a good practice to hire them to execute the pump maintenance of your site. They will also be able to create an effective schedule and an exhaustive checklist that your site engineers can follow for pump inspection. Ensuring that pump preventive maintenance is done at the right time in the right way will make your overall system more reliable and efficient.

A mud pump is a piston driven pump design that can produce high-pressure operations to safely transfer high viscosity fluids over an extended depth. The mud pump has many applications in industrial service, but it has proven to be invaluable in many drilling operations. Let"s take a look at mud pumps and why they are such a good fit for the industries they serve.

A Mud pump is a reciprocal pump design utilizing a piston in a cylinder to transfer fluids under high pressure. A mud pump can generate up to 7,500 psi (52,000 kPa) during normal operations. Mud pumps are a positive displacement design.

Mud pumps are available in a variety of configurations and sizes. However, mud pumps tend to be one of two main types: the duplex and the triplex. The duplex mud pump features two pistons (or plungers) in constant action to move the fluid.

The triplex mud pump has all but replaced the duplex version in most applications, although you will still find the latter in use in some smaller countries. The triplex mud pump features a triple piston (plunger) design that is more efficient than the duplex design.

The latest designs of the mud pump are the quintuplex and hex versions. As the name suggests, these designs feature five or six pistons in a reciprocating design. Although not in widespread use as compared to the triplex design, these mud pumps spread the pumping action across the rotational cycle, creating less mud noise. This allows for better measurements and logging to take place while in operation.

There are two main parts to a mud pump: the fluid end and the power end. The fluid end is where the actual pumping takes place. The components of the fluid end consist of valves, pistons (or plungers), and liners.

Since the fluid end is in constant contact with the material being pumped, most modern designs allow for quick replacement of worn components as needed. This dramatically extends the life of a unit without having to completely replace the pump.

The power end of a mud pump is responsible for taking the input power, typically through a driveshaft, and converting it into the reciprocating motion needed for the pistons. In most mud pump applications, the power end uses a crosshead crankshaft for this conversion.

Rotational power is supplied to the mud pump through an external power source. The power end of the pump converts this rotational energy through a crankshaft to a reciprocating motion that moves the pistons.

Due to the pressure and material being pumped, most mud pump applications can create a lot of vibration. To combat this, many mud pump applications incorporate pulsation dampeners. These are typically used on both suction and discharge sides of the pump.

In some cases, a positive displacement pump may pull the fluids at a pressure lower than its vapor pressure. When this happens, damaging cavitation can take place. In these cases, a charge pump might be required at the inlet side to maintain a positive pressure on the suction stream.

When selecting a mud pump, there are two main parameters to be used, pressure and displacement. Pressure is the net pumping pressure that the pump can safely provide. The requirement for pressure increases as the drilling depth and fluid (or slurry) viscosity increases.

Displacement is the volume of fluid that the pump can transfer within a given time period. In most applications, this is rated as discharged liters per minute.

Mud pumps are ideal wherever a lot of fluid needs to be pumped under high pressure. They are considered an essential part of most oil well drilling rigs. Mud pumps can deliver high concentration and high viscosity slurry in a stable flow, making them adaptable to many uses.

Mud pumps are an invaluable tool when high pressure and high viscosity fluids are needing to be transferred. Mader Electric, Inc. specializes in mud pump repair and installation, as well as pump training. Contact us to see how we can help with your pumping needs.

Triplex plunger-type mud pumps feature a reciprocating, positive displacement pump design utilizing three plungers to safely transfer high-viscosity fluids under high pressure over an extended depth. Although they have many industrial applications, these pumps have become an essential part of oil well drilling rigs where they’re used to provide smooth discharge of mud and debris from oil wells.

In addition to their use in drilling and well service operations, mud pumps are also frequently used to handle corrosive or abrasive fluids, as well as slurries containing relatively large particulates, in applications like commercial car washes, wastewater treatment, cementing, and desalination operations.

DAC Worldwide’s Representative Triplex, Plunger Mud Pump Dissectible (295-418) is an economical, conveniently-sized triplex plunger-type mud pump assembly that teaches learners hands-on maintenance activities commonly required on larger mud pump assemblies used in upstream oilfield production operations.

For example, mud pump assembly is used on well sites maintain downhole backpressure, to lubricate the rotating drill bit, and to help recycle and remove rock debris resulting from drilling activities. These heavy-duty, high-pressure pumps require regular refurbishment, inspection, and repair in the field.

DAC Worldwide’s dissectible mud pump assembly is a realistic sample that’s similar in geometry, design, and operating characteristics to the larger varieties learners will encounter on the job. DAC Worldwide chooses popular name-brand pumps for its dissectibles to ensure industrial and oil and gas training relevancy.

Using the dissectible mud pump, learners will gain hands-on experience with the operating principles, regular maintenance activities, and nomenclature/parts identification at a more convenient scale in the classroom or lab.

Technical training is most effective when learners can gain hands-on practice with industry-standard components they’ll encounter on the job. The Representative Triplex, Plunger Mud Pump Dissectible features a wide variety of common, industrial-quality components to provide learners with a realistic training experience that will build skills that translate easily to the workplace.

The Representative Triplex, Plunger Mud Pump Dissectible is a sturdy unit with a complete triplex, reciprocating, 20+ bhp plunger pump with .75" plunger, 1.5" stroke, and 3" cylinder sleeve. The unit allows for complete disassembly, assembly, and inspection, including removal of plungers, packing, and valves.

The dissectible mud pump comes with a formed-steel, powder-coated baseplate. It can also be mounted on a compatible DAC Worldwide Extended Electromechanical Workstation (903). Each unit comes with the manufacturer’s installation and maintenance manual.

Many things go into getting the most life out of your mud pump and its components — all important to extend the usage of this vital piece of equipment on an HDD jobsite. Some of the most important key points are covered below.

The most important thing you can do is service your pump, per the manufacturer’s requirements. We get plenty of pumps in the shop for service work that look like they have been abused for years without having basic maintenance,  such as regular oil changes. You wouldn’t dream of treating your personal vehicle like that, so why would you treat your pump like that.

Check the oil daily and change the oil regularly. If you find water or drilling mud contamination in the oil, change the oil as soon as possible. Failure to do so will most likely leave you a substantial bill to rebuild the gear end, which could have been avoided if proper maintenance procedures would have been followed. Water in the oil does not allow the oil to perform correctly, which will burn up your gear end. Drilling mud in your gear end will act as a lapping compound and will wear out all of the bearing surfaces in your pump. Either way it will be costly. The main reasons for having water or drilling mud in the gear end of your pump is because your pony rod packing is failing and/or you have let your liners and pistons get severely worn. Indication of this is fluid that should be contained inside the fluid end of your pump is now moving past your piston and spraying into the cradle of the pump, which forces its way past the pony rod packing. Pony rod packing is meant to keep the oil in the gear end and the liner wash fluid out of the gear end. Even with brand new packing, you can have water or drilling fluid enter the gear end if it is sprayed with sufficient force, because a piston or liner is worn out.

There is also usually a valve on the inlet of the spray bar. This valve should be closed enough so that liner wash fluid does not spray all over the top of the pump and other components.

Liner wash fluid can be comprised of different fluids, but we recommend just using clean water. In extremely cold conditions, you can use RV antifreeze. The liner wash or rod wash system is usually a closed loop type of system, consisting of a tank, a small pump and a spray bar. The pump will move fluid from the tank through the spray bar, and onto the inside of the liner to cool the liner, preventing scorching. The fluid will then collect in the bottom of the cradle of the pump and drain back down into the collection tank below the cradle and repeat the cycle. It is important to have clean fluid no matter what fluid you use. If your liners are leaking and the tank is full of drilling fluid, you will not cool the liners properly — which will just make the situation worse. There is also usually a valve on the inlet of the spray bar. This valve should be closed enough so that liner wash fluid does not spray all over the top of the pump and other components. Ensure that the water is spraying inside the liner and that any overspray is not traveling out of the pump onto the ground or onto the pony rod packing where it could be pulled into the gear end. If the fluid is spraying out of the cradle area and falling onto the ground, it won’t be long before your liner wash tank is empty. It only takes a minute without the cooling fluid being sprayed before the liners become scorched. You will then need to replace the pistons and liners, which is an avoidable costly repair. Make a point to check the liner wash fluid level several times a day.

Drilling fluid — whether pumping drilling mud, straight water or some combination of fluid — needs to be clean. Clean meaning free of solids. If you are recycling your fluid, make sure you are using a quality mud recycling system and check the solids content often throughout the day to make sure the system is doing its job. A quality mud system being run correctly should be able to keep your solids content down to one quarter of 1 percent or lower. When filling your mud recycling system, be sure to screen the fluid coming into the tanks. If it is a mud recycling system, simply make sure the fluid is going over the scalping shaker with screens in the shaker. If using some other type of tank, use an inline filter or some other method of filtering. Pumping out of creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds can introduce plenty of solids into your tanks if you are not filtering this fluid. When obtaining water out of a fire hydrant, there can be a lot of sand in the line, so don’t assume it’s clean and ensure it’s filtered before use.

Cavitation is a whole other detailed discussion, but all triplex pumps have a minimum amount of suction pressure that is required to run properly. Make sure this suction pressure is maintained at all times or your pump may cavitate. If you run a pump that is cavitating, it will shorten the life of all fluid end expendables and, in severe cases, can lead to gear end and fluid end destruction. If the pump is experiencing cavitation issues, the problem must be identified and corrected immediately.

The long and the short of it is to use clean drilling fluid and you will extend the life of your pumps expendables and downhole tooling, and keep up with your maintenance on the gear end of your pump. Avoid pump cavitation at all times. Taking a few minutes a day to inspect and maintain your pump can save you downtime and costly repair bills.

Heavy Machinery is the most expensive construction equipment you own. It’s also the costliest to repair or replace. This guide will show you how to save money and extend the life cycle of your equipment with regular maintenance best practices.

We’ll identify commonly overlooked areas of maintenance, and identify simple things you can do to greatly impact the long-term value of your most vital equipment. Even the most powerful and dependable Cat® machinery requires basic attention to ensure it provides the exceptionally long service life and unmatched productivity of Cat construction vehicles.

Being proactive in your heavy equipment maintenance schedule helps prevent expensive downtime. Regular maintenance helps predict when failure is likely to occur, allowing you to find a solution to problems before they happen.

An example is an $80,000 machine that requires approximately $24,000 in maintenance and repair costs during 5,000 operating hours. By implementing sound preventive maintenance tips, this maintenance cost drops by 25 percent to $18,000.

A successful preventive maintenance program extends construction equipment life and minimizes unscheduled downtime caused by equipment breakdown. Benefits from a proper PM program include:

Preventive maintenance is more than regular maintenance like lubricating and changing and filters. A proper preventive maintenance (PM) program is all-inclusive. It’s an intentional approach to equipment management from the time equipment is purchased until the end of its useful life.

Sudden failure is when machinery breaks without warning. Usually, the reason is obvious. The part is then fixed or replaced, and the equipment is returned to service.

Intermittent failure happens sporadically. This stoppage happens randomly, and it can be difficult to identify the cause. Intermittent failure is frustrating, costly in downtime and usually can be prevented by anticipating the cause and addressing it during maintenance.

Gradual failure is entirely preventable by doing routine maintenance and inspections. Wearing parts and components are noted to be near the end of their lifespan and are replaced before failure occurs.

Thermally induced failure is where extremes in temperature cause break-downs in the equipment. This usually happens during large temperature fluctuations such as when a machine is being started in cold weather and is being warmed up. It also occurs when equipment is overheated. Extremely hot or cold periods can be prepared for during maintenance, and thermal failure can often be prevented.

Erratic failure is the most difficult to predict and detect. This occurs at random times and under varying conditions. Most erratic machinery failures are the result of sudden overloads on hydraulic or electrical systems. With electronic components, many erratic failures come from software or hardware malfunctions that are preventable by using diagnostic equipment during regular machinery maintenance.

Anticipating failure is at the heart of all preventive maintenance programs. Thorough knowledge of your machinery’s systems is the key to anticipating what’s likely to fail if proper maintenance is ignored. Cat Preventive Maintenance Agreements from MacAllister Machinery help you anticipate and predict problems before they leave your equipment inoperable.

Thorough product knowledge is invaluable when it comes to implementing an effective preventive maintenance program. Often, gaining this vital information is as simple as finding it in the machine’s equipment manual that has been researched and documented to isolate issues and prescribe the proper preventive maintenance.

Owner’s manuals are also a great source of troubleshooting information. Not only do manuals prescribe maintenance steps and techniques, but they often have bullet-point itemization or flow charts of what to do during malfunctions.

Another valuable resource for getting to know your machines inside out is to involve the machine operators. Unless you’re on the controls on a daily basis, you’re not likely to have the intimate knowledge of each machine’s idiosyncrasies and quirks. Daily operators get a “feel” for the machine. Operators sense when something’s amiss, and they’ll tell you. Listening to them and appreciating their input is a wise preventive maintenance strategy.

Stopping operation and dealing with a suspected problem between scheduled maintenance periods can be an enormous savings in failure costs and subsequent losses.

Knowledgeable machinery operators are more productive and cause less wear on machinery than untrained workers. Knowledgeable operators are also going to be safer to themselves and others working nearby. Properly trained operators will be more respectful of their equipment and more likely to look after it before, during and after construction duties. That’s going to save you money in repairs and replacement.

Operator training should be built into your preventive maintenance program. Operators have to know more than just how to start and run their machinery. They need to be aware of what routine, day-to-day maintenance tasks are required and how to perform them without fail.

Operator training can include a review of the operator’s manual, demonstration of the systems and all controls. Testing can be a part of training as well to ensure operators have acquired the right skills including pre and post operation maintenance tasks.

All Cat equipment we handle at MacAllister Machinery is supplied with detailed manuals from the factory that include a heavy equipment maintenance schedule. This extremely valuable resource has been painstakingly assembled through the knowledge, talent and experience of Cat designers and engineers. No one knows more about the right maintenance intervals for their machinery than Cat.

Factory-recommended maintenance intervals are a minimal standard and are based on normal operating conditions. This may vary depending on local climate and specific site environmental concerns like dust, mud, humidity, ice, snow, rain and excessive temperature fluctuations. It can also vary according to the operator load that’s put on the machine.

Following factory-recommended maintenance intervals and keeping precise records is important not just for economical operation of your machinery, but also to protect your warranty.

Keeping detailed service records is an important component in your preventive maintenance plan. It’s impossible to mentally keep track of what type of servicing has been done on your machinery, and that includes when maintenance was done and when it needs to be done again.

Documented service records let you keep an accurate picture of a particular machine’s history. Routine and regular interval servicing should be written in a booklet kept in your maintenance facility or even in the machine itself. This should include the date, what type of servicing was performed, what parts were replaced, when the next regular servicing is required and notations as to any peculiarities or irregularities that were observed.

Service records don’t just provide a chronological record of the maintenance of machines. Detailed maintenance records give you documented proof that your machinery has been maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. This is important for daily operations, but it also strongly supports any warranty claim where there may be a dispute that mechanical failure was caused by neglect to perform the required maintenance.

Documenting your service tasks can be done by using a pen on paper ledger. It can be on a computer file using a spreadsheet or stored in a manual file kept in your office drawer along with other paperwork associated with the machine. Small booklets placed on the machine are common. Whiteboards on office walls are another simple and proven technique for seeing heavy equipment maintenance schedules at a glance.

A heavy equipment maintenance checklist is highly recommended to aid in remembering tasks and ticking them off as servicing is complete. Organize check-sheets with each itemized task associated with certain intervals. That might be daily, monthly or seasonally. It also may be according to machine time where certain hourly milestones need specific attention.

Documenting your machinery servicing lets you plan for future tasks. This includes being reminded to order replacement parts, fluids and filters, as well as scheduling maintenance that needs outsourcing to a dealer where shop-time is required or a dealer site visit is requested.

Lights:If your vehicle has any lights — headlights, brake lights, warning lights, etc. — they should be inspected to ensure they are working properly. Any burned-out bulbs should be replaced.

Air filter:Check the oil filter to see if it is dirty and needs to be replaced. These filters should be replaced regularly anyway, but a dirty filter can make your engine run poorly.

Covers and guard:Any existing safety covers or finger guards should be inspected to ensure they are in good shape. Any damaged covers should be removed and replaced.

Preventive maintenance can help catch small problems before they become big ones that might completely sideline your equipment. It might take a few extra minutes every day, but it’s worth it in the long run.

MacAllister Machinery provides site inspections and in-shop service as part of our preventive maintenance programs included in a Customer Value Agreement. We also provide diagnostic technology with technical analysis to thoroughly inspect each major system of your machine. Including this extensive computer diagnostic lets you automatically record if you’ve completed maintenance tasks like scheduling fuel, oil, coolant and hydraulic fluid sampling.

Perhaps nothing is so important, and so often overlooked in machinery maintenance, as fluid levels. Analyzing engine oil, fuel, coolant and hydraulic fluid tell an internal tale describing the health of your machine. These analyses are also indicators of maintenance effectiveness and predictors of potential failures.

Condition monitoring should be an overall part of your preventative maintenance plan to prevent breakdown and avoid unnecessary repair costs that rob you of efficiency and profit. Partnering with MacAllister Machinery delivers the support you need to complete projects on time and under budget. Cat Condition Monitoring is a proactive approach to collecting and analyzing data crucial to the health of your fleet.

Equipment Inspections — The most effective way to identify maintenance issues is through frequent inspections. We’ll not only assist in analyzing data collected, but we’ll also train your team to learn how to spot and correct maintenance issues before they contribute to costly breakdowns and repairs.

Historical Data — Cat condition monitoring includes collecting, organizing and responding to equipment service reports and historical documentation. We analyze the data and make accurate recommendations for maintenance, inspections and repairs that reduce operating costs and increase lifecycle performance.

Site Assessment — There are many internal and external factors that combine to impact your bottom line. Site condition assessment evaluates everything from long-term equipment performance and maintenance history to work environments and seasonal weather conditions for deeper insight into how to be more productive.

Regular care and preventive maintenance of machines are priorities for heavy equipment. That includes routine machinery maintenance you do as the owner as well as outsourced maintenance with assistance by Cat equipment professionals like you’ll find at MacAllister Machinery.

MacAllister Machinery offers an all-in-one solution for managing your fleet of Cat equipment at a cost that makes sense for your budget. It’s called a Cat Preventive Maintenance (PM) Agreement, and it will keep your equipment operating at peak performance through comprehensive preventive maintenance

As your authorized Cat dealer for Indiana and Michigan, we offer state-of-the-art capabilities in preventive maintenance. We’ll assist in analyzing your heavy equipment, applications and requirements to help build a customized plan to improve the efficiency of your fleet, save you money and improve your ROI. Fill out a MacAllister Machinery contact form today to request maintenance on your machinery.

Designed for the sole purpose to bore and dig through the earth, these machines are subject to a unique set of vibrations, physical stresses, wear and tear. This means an equally unique set of preventative maintenance actions are called for — ones with a clockwork-precise schedule of inspections, testing, cleaning, lubrication and disposable part replacement.

There’s simply no better way to control costs, reduce risk and maintain productivity and compliance on a jobsite than through such programs. For land and underground drilling equipment especially, it’s crucial to monitor interconnected systems and components — mechanical or otherwise — according to their pre-scheduled servicing and repairs so idle times are reduced and the likelihood of machine overhaul mitigated.

The best drilling equipment maintenance schedule is tailored for you. You must consider your average work environment, climate, machine load cycles, operating times, regulatory requirements, manufacturer recommendations and more to draft maintenance primed for success. Once done, your fleet stands to reap the following rewards:

Compliance comes into play here, too. Preventative maintenance schedules build proper fleet documentation and reporting into daily operations, helping bolster your compliance efforts.

It’s no surprise that preventative maintenance and inspections directly correlate with reduced machine downtime. You have a better read on your equipment, preventing small, incremental flaws and damage from scaling into serious — and costly — concerns. This, in turn, allows for better management of all equipment assets, including scheduling more strategic operation times, servicing and complementary outsourced repairs without stalling project timelines and workflows.

Investing up-front in preventative and predictive maintenance translates into value down the road. With your inspections, you can accomplish real, value-based metrics, like cutting down on idle times and saving money on fuel costs by employing better total-engine hours. In controlling such variables, you minimize some of the most expensive yet pressing dents in your bottom line. You also catch and fix the smaller problems before they turn into bigger ones, not only preserving but in some cases restoring equipment reliability.

The combined efforts of drilling equipment maintenance are worth their salt. You create tighter, more compliant operations, improve on strategic project management and encourage technical expertise and buy-in from your crew. Yet alongside these logistical improvements, inspections and maintenance court improved documentation and reporting. All this maximizes fleet functionality and keeps your drill rigs doing what they were built to do, day after day.

The benefits of drilling equipment inspections are compelling. As your fleet’s first line of defense, inspections initiate the early part of a machine’s broader maintenance schedule. They get real eyes and real hands on your machines, where you can assess everything from corroding steel drill lines and auger or drill bit wear to weakened safety cages. Regular inspections also manage and mitigate a range of concerns on drilling sites everywhere, from daily operations to personnel and project management.

From field and fleet managers to drill operators and specialty contractors, a crew immersed in standard preventative maintenance routines is a crew that’s safer, well-rounded and maintains integrity and project ownership.

Dedicating time to proper inspection and basic maintenance tutorials is only the beginning. Roles should be delegated, with a few crew members responsible for specific and target inspection domains. These roles should be well supported and fully trained, with test runs and audits to assure each crew person is ready to perform their part of the inspection.

Routine inspections satisfy another fleet benefit — they allow for a thorough and accurate documentation of an entire suite of equipment, tools, drill bits and attachments linked with the drilling rig. Routine inspections incorporate inventory cataloging into the maintenance process as a whole. Just as you’re reviewing an actual rig, you’re examining its accessories with equal attentiveness — then logging their conditions and reports accordingly.

A diligent on-site maintenance program for drilling equipment can seem daunting, even with its litany of benefits and cost-savings. These specialty machines take a lot of up-front capital investment, but that investment pays for itself with proper care and maintenance.

For mines and quarries, construction, geo-surface exploration and more, drilling equipment maintenance plans would be remiss without scheduled reviews on the following critical components and consumables.

Drilling motors are the pulse of the drilling machine. They not only deliver a broad range of power for direct-drive machinery, but they must withstand the vibrations and elemental forces of the environments in which they’re deployed. Unexpected engine malfunctions — or total failures — are too costly to risk.

Given the diversity of powering components for land drilling equipment, a one-size approach never fits all. Your preventative maintenance on mechanical drilling engines or motors assesses its core components, from bores and strokes to flywheel teeth. It also includes regularly scheduled oil inspections and cooling fluid inspections, if part of an engine’s model. All of this adds up to ensure you have a fuel-efficient and maximum output-generating engine, one that also maintains Tier 2-4 Final standards.

Drawworks play a critical role in the lifting and vertical movements of drilling rigs. Across models and brands, drawwork design typically comes fabricated as a large mechanical winch or crankshaft, which can be powered by hydraulics, motors or even pneumatics, depending on drill size and function. This winch gathers the drilling line and must maintain smooth, even rotations without seizing or interruptions.

The mud circulating system of your drilling equipment is part of its larger circulation mechanical network. Depending on your drilling unit and its application, the mud circulating system could be as basic as mud pumps, a suction line and possibly a shale shaker. Other, larger machines might include circulating systems with a series of pumps, lines, hoses, valves and swivels, plus other centrifugal pumps that distribute mixed drilling fluids. In either case, your mud circulation pipes must be regularly checked for leaks, cracks and deposit buildups. These could indicate problems from pressurization imbalances to unit overpumping.

Fuel tanks and water tanks, plus the lines, valves, filters and pumps associated with each, are imperative to maintain. Particularly with the high-impact vibrations of drilling equipment during field deployment, the smallest fractures cause significant operational and compliance ramifications if unnoticed until too it’s late.

Preventative maintenance plans should also adopt periodic oil analysis as part of wider fuel inspections. Whether done internally or through a fuel inspection partnership, this servicing could also bolster general fluids analyses important to keeping machines at peak performance.

Drill bits come in dozens of geometric shapes, tip configurations and sizes to tackle the gamut of land drilling applications. What’s more, specialty drill bits for boring machines can be notoriously difficult to source on-the-fly, making preemptive inspections of all your equipment’s drill bits that much more important so your team can make replacement orders accordingly.

The diversity of hydraulic or pneumatic systems built into drilling equipment emphasizes the range of motions and power required from these machines. As such, properly inspecting their parts should be a standard inclusion in drill maintenance.

From hydraulic or pneumatic-powered winches to motors, rams and cylinders, these systems routinely help power the pumps that power or augment heavy hoisting movements. Direct-coupled systems and auxiliary pumps are easy to inspect and log the conditions of, maintaining once again your thorough attention to detail and the high standards you set for your crew and fleet.

Our drilling technicians average 20 years in the business. You won’t find a better team in North Carolina and the broader southeast to be your single-source provider of routine maintenance, emergency and accidental repairs, plus sourcing and acquiring parts for nearly two dozen industrial equipment brands, large and specialty.