mud pump inspection checklist in stock

Created specifically for drilling equipment inspectors and others in the oil and gas industry, the Oil Rig Mud Pump Inspection app allows you to easily document the status and safety of your oil rigs using just a mobile device. Quickly resolve any damage or needed maintenance with photos and GPS locations and sync to the cloud for easy access. The app is completely customizable to fit your inspection needs and works even without an internet signal.Try Template

Fulcrum helps us improve our processes and make our work environment safer by streamlining inspections, surfacing inspection-related insights, and managing follow-up actions. Once you close the loop from action to insight to further action, the possibilities are limitless.

Cavitation is an undesirable condition that reduces pump efficiency and leads to excessive wear and damage to pump components. Factors that can contribute to cavitation, such as fluid velocity and pressure, can sometimes be attributed to an inadequate mud system design and/or the diminishing performance of the mud pump’s feed system.

Although cavitation is avoidable, without proper inspection of the feed system, it can accelerate the wear of fluid end parts. Over time, cavitation can also lead to expensive maintenance issues and a potentially catastrophic failure.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump “knocking,” which typically sounds like marbles and stones being thrown around inside the equipment. However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name “the silent killer.”

Mild cavitation begins to occur when the mud pump is starved for fluid. While the pump itself may not be making noise, damage is still being done to the internal components of the fluid end. In the early stages, cavitation can damage a pump’s module, piston and valve assembly.

The imperceptible but intense shock waves generated by cavitation travel directly from the fluid end to the pump’s power end, causing premature vibrational damage to the crosshead slides. The vibrations are then passed onto the shaft, bull gear and into the main bearings.

If not corrected, the vibrations caused by cavitation will work their way directly to critical power end components, which will result in the premature failure of the mud pump. A busted mud pump means expensive downtime and repair costs.

To stop cavitation before it starts, install and tune high-speed pressure sensors on the mud suction line set to sound an alarm if the pressure falls below 30 psi.

Although the pump may not be knocking loudly when cavitation first presents, regular inspections by a properly trained field technician may be able to detect moderate vibrations and slight knocking sounds.

Gardner Denver offers Pump University, a mobile classroom that travels to facilities and/or drilling rigs and trains rig crews on best practices for pumping equipment maintenance.

Severe cavitation will drastically decrease module life and will eventually lead to catastrophic pump failure. Along with downtime and repair costs, the failure of the drilling pump can also cause damage to the suction and discharge piping.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump ‘knocking’… However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name ‘the silent killer.’In 2017, a leading North American drilling contractor was encountering chronic mud system issues on multiple rigs. The contractor engaged in more than 25 premature module washes in one year and suffered a major power-end failure.

Gardner Denver’s engineering team spent time on the contractor’s rigs, observing the pumps during operation and surveying the mud system’s design and configuration.

The engineering team discovered that the suction systems were undersized, feed lines were too small and there was no dampening on the suction side of the pump.

Following the implementation of these recommendations, the contractor saw significant performance improvements from the drilling pumps. Consumables life was extended significantly, and module washes were reduced by nearly 85%.

Although pump age does not affect its susceptibility to cavitation, the age of the rig can. An older rig’s mud systems may not be equipped for the way pumps are run today – at maximum horsepower.

As it is the case with most equipment, pumps require regular maintenance to keep within peak performance benchmarks. The benefits of preventive maintenance in the HVAC industry have proven to improve asset life cycle, boost CRM, cut excessive repair costs and reduce unplanned equipment downtime.

When talking about pump failure the best remedy is having a great schedule and maintenance checklist in place. In a pump’s life cycle, environmental conditions can often be a major factor in its performance. Some other important maintenance tasks and factors to consider include:

All of these issues can be detrimental to a pump’s performance and cause defects if not resolved with regular maintenance. When considering what to include in your regular maintenance checklist a great place to start is the warranty and manufacturer standards as per pump type. Pump manufacturers often set requirements to follow to ensure the best life cycle for your equipment.

Pump efficiency point is the result of hydraulic, mechanical and volumetric parts to ensure performance is within a desired level. The level of efficiency in a pump is drawn from the units of energy that is required for performance.

However in centrifugal pumps, the inner workings of the pump will drive the motor. Essentially this means the mechanical energy is transformed to hydraulic energy and electrical energy is transformed to mechanical energy. This means that for a centrifugal pump you will find your level of efficiency sits at either 75% or higher in larger pumps and around 60% in smaller pumps.

As a part of your work order management for your pump maintenance schedule, you need to do some research behind what factors you need to consider that will be most detrimental to your pump’s health. When you create your ultimate guide to maintenance, your aim is to reduce your unplanned downtime and improve your standard of service by keeping a regular schedule.

When trying to determine the frequency of your maintenance checklist, you need to consider the factors that will impact your pump listed in the beginning of this article. If you have a higher quality pump that is used every day and is largely impacted by elemental factors, you will need to have more regular services in place. The warranty and safety standards will also have an impact here, depending on your pump type and according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The more thorough your maintenance is, the better service you can provide. While a large maintenance schedule can seem daunting to your maintenance team, the assistance of checklists can ensure no step is missed no matter how big or small. Having a checklist in place will also provide consistency across your team and ensure each pump may receive the correct care it needs.

The main area for concern in centrifugal pumps is the lubrication. As centrifugal pumps rely heavily on correct lubrication to work, maintenance is important to ensure pumps aren’t under or over lubricated, which can cause damage. When you have over lubrication your pump will create too much heat and can result in frothing the oil.

Getting your maintenance plan right means you consider all these above factors and are able to incorporate them into your pump checklist and schedule.

For this checklist, you want to schedule a quick inspection of your pumps to avoid damage and wear. The main reason for having a daily checklist in your schedule is to catch those pesky issues that can turn into defects and pricey repairs if not caught early on.

Generally your quarterly maintenance will be done with the change of the season and can include varying tasks due to elemental factors. The severity of your pump environment will also affect the consistency and schedule of your pump maintenance program. Will your pump be exposed to extreme heat or extreme cold temperatures?

In your annual preventive plan, you will generally go into more detail and evaluate pump performance. Each year you should take a record of your annual operations and benchmarking data that might include:

For your routine maintenance schedule for your centrifugal pumps you need to make sure you have a solid system in place where you can reliably plan and train your team. Having a great software in place will also give you the ability to structure your maintenance program according to the manufacturer’s instructions and adhere to your customer contracts.

Job management software like FieldInsight gives you the ability to keep your centrifugal pump maintenance in perfect balance. With FieldInsight, you also gain access to the five primary automations in your business:

03/05/2011 8:19 AMHello my friendsDo you know any standard for inspection a pump ? ( when it is on service) thatexplain what is important parameter of inspection a pumpCan you upload it ?Thank you

• #2 "Re: Question About Inspection A Pump" by Noudge79 on 03/05/2011 7:36 PM (score 1) • #5 "Re: Question About Inspection A Pump" by brich on 03/06/2011 7:34 AM (score 1)

Re: Question About Inspection A Pump 03/05/2011 10:19 AM Contact the pump manufacturer. What means, "on service"?

Re: Question About Inspection A Pump 03/05/2011 7:36 PM 1)Install a Differential Pressure gauge between suction and discharge line. Head delivered of the pump is the Pressure difference between those points. You monitor it. Normal pump would maintain a constant DP (Head). If DP is lowering that means somethings wrong with your pump. (Check the impeller, motor, bearings)

Re: Question About Inspection A PumpJoin Date: Jun 03/05/2011 11:10 PM2008 Need more details . General inspection includes physicalLocation: Oman inspection, abnormal sound, vibration, controls etc. Ensure that the preventive maintenance is carried out as per the manufactures recommendation.Posts: 347

Join Date: Oct 2. the OEM hand book for installation and servicing2009 3. check the RPM, intake & discharge pressure with the OEMLocation: UK pump curve

Posts: 314 and if the pump is still under the OEM warrantee, then ask them for the EXACT specifications you need & if you are havingGood Answers: problems then get them to honour their contact commitment to fix your problem (if you have one), if not covered by the24 OEM then still ask for the details, pump curves etc.. so you can compare you findings with that of the pump curve.

As for standards... that will depend on what type of pump you have, who made it and what standard they made the pump too! You can try API standards for pumps.. google it..

Pump manufacturer curves, flow meter and a current probe are your best bet. supposing that the pump is working normally.Join Date: Aug 2006 __________________Location: Santiago Never trade luck for skill.Chile.

praneethsuddapall #7Browser Re: Question About Inspection A Pump 03/07/2011 6:32 AMJoin Date: Nov 2010 simply you go to a mechanic give him his fare and sayPosts: 6 your problem thats it there ends the matter

Instead of using paper checklists when out in the field, drilling contractors and rig inspection services can generate a new inspection form from anywhere and the results are saved electronically.

Specifically designed for drilling companies and others in the oil and gas industry, the easy to use drilling rig inspections app makes it easy to log information about the drill rigs, including details about the drill rigs operators, miles logged and well numbers. The inspection form app covers everything from the mud pump areas and mud mixing area to the mud tanks and pits, making it easy to identify areas where preventative maintenance is needed. The drilling rig equipment checklist also covers health and safety issues, including the availability of PPE equipment, emergency response and preparedness processes, and other critical elements of the drilling process and drill press equipment.

A pump that lets you down when you need it most causes obvious losses of time and money. Not so obvious, but every bit as costly, are losses you can incur with pumps that operate at less-than-peak efficiency. A pump laboring under the handicap of a suction line air leak, a corroded discharge line or a clogged impeller uses excessive energy, takes longer than necessary to do the job, and subjects parts to undue stress, causing premature failure.

A 6-inch gasoline-driven, self-priming centrifugal pump operating at 25% less than peak efficiency through an eight-hour day uses approximately 8.8 gallons more fuel than a pump operating efficiently. At $2.00 per gallon over a 40-hour week that’s $80.00 per week LOST! And that figure doesn’t include additional service costs!

Gorman-Rupp wants to keep your pump performance efficient. If you already own Gorman-Rupp pumps, you know how easy they are to service, so there is really no reason to let them deliver less than their best.

If you don’t own Gorman-Rupp pumps, you’ll find our 9-point checklist helpful because today every penny of profit counts, and we want your pumps to work as efficiently as possible.

Indications that your pump isn’t operating at peak efficiency may not be dramatic, but they’re easily recognized. Look for these signs of inefficiency:

There is a noticeable difference in pump flow. Has the discharge flow visibly decreased? Is it taking your pump longer to do the same job than it used to? The slow-up might be caused by a collapsed suction hose lining, a leaking gasket, a plugged suction line, or a damaged or worn impeller or wear plate.

Your pump isn’t re-priming as rapidly as it once did. Most commonly, slower re-prime can be attributed to excessive face clearance. If this is not the cause of your slowdown, check the following: Is the seal leaking? Are all hardware at gaskets tight? Is the suction check valve sealing properly? Is the cutwater section of the volute badly worn? Is the recirculating port clogged?

Your pump is making excessive noise. Does it sound like a bunch of marbles rattling in a can? This may be an indication of cavitation and could be caused by a suction lift that’s too high, a suction hose that’s too long or plugged or that has a collapsed lining, a clogged strainer, a combination of any of these, or perhaps a problem on the discharge side of the pump. Failing bearings can also cause excessive noise.

Your pump is clogging frequently. The suction check valve may be clogged, the strainer may be too large or too small, face clearance could be too wide, or the strainer may be stuck in mud, plugging the suction side.

Your pump is overheating. Very likely the flow of liquid into or out of the pump is being restricted. Improper impeller clearance could be slowing re-priming, or the suction strainer may be clogged.

Although this list is not a complete guide to pump inspection and service, it does cover the more common conditions that can impair pump efficiency. Keep in mind that excessive wear could also be the cause of any of the problems in the above paragraphs.

Check for air leaks. Using a vacuum gauge, make sure that the suction line, fittings and pipe plugs are airtight. Most Gorman-Rupp pumps have a tapped hole for easy connection of a vacuum gauge. Use pipe dope to seal gauge threads and pipe plugs. Replace leaky seals and badly worn hoses.

Check the suction hose lining. The rubber lining in a suction hose can pull away from the fabric, causing partial blockage of the line. If the pump develops a high vacuum but low discharge pressure, the hose lining may be blocking suction flow. Replace the hose.

Check the suction strainer. Frequent inspection and cleaning of the suction strainer is particularly important when pumping liquids containing solids. Always use the proper size strainer to prevent the pump from clogging.

Check the impeller vanes, wear plate or wear rings. The removable cover plate on many Gorman-Rupp pumps provides quick, easy inspection of the impeller and wear plate. These components should be inspected every six months or sooner, depending on pump application. They are subject to faster wear when pumping abrasive liquids and slurries. Gorman-Rupp wear plates and wear rings can be replaced without replacing expensive castings.

Check the impeller clearance. Pumping efficiency will be reduced if the clearance between impeller and wear plate or wear rings is beyond the recommended limits. If the clearance is less than recommended, components will wear by rubbing, causing excess work for the engine or motor. Check the impeller clearance against the pump manual specifications and adjust it if necessary.

Check the seal. Many Gorman-Rupp pumps are equipped with a double seal which is lubricated under pressure by a spring-loaded grease cup, or an oil-lubricated seal for long, trouble-free service. Some pumps are equipped with a single seal that is lubricated by the liquid being pumped. Sand or other solids can cause rapid wear of the seal faces. Check and replace the seal if worn. Replace the seal liner or shaft sleeve if they have scratches.

Check the bearings. Worn bearings can cause the shaft to wobble. Eventually the pump will overheat, and sooner or later it will freeze up and stop. Replace bearings at the first sign of wear.

Check the engine or motor. The pump may not be getting the power it needs to operate efficiently. The engine may need a tune-up, or the motor may need service.

If your submersible pump is operating at a reduced capacity, it could be caused by a worn impeller, excessive impeller clearance, low or incorrect voltage, or it could be running backward. A discharge head that’s too high, a clogged or kinked hose, or a clogged strainer could also be responsible for reduced flow. Use an amp meter and volt meter to determine if the pump is getting the proper power it needs to operate efficiently. Normal amp readings are provided in the manual accompanying your pump.

If your diaphragm pump isn’t pumping as it should, check the diaphragm, suction and discharge check valve flappers and seats, and replace any worn parts. Check suction hose fittings for leaks, and check the plunger rod for proper adjustment.

Before we dive into our recommended centrifugal pump maintenance schedule, let make sure you a good grasp of how the pump itself works. In its simplest form, a centrifugal pump is made from a housing with an inlet and outlet. There is an impeller that is located inside the housing, and a motor or drive that is responsible for rotating the impeller. The pumps casing (outer shell) is designed to create a gradually widening channel which is known as the volute. When the motor (or drive) rotates the impeller it is creating centrifugal force.

● On the other side, the volute causes the fluid to slow down and the pressure inside the pump’s housing begins to increase. This increase in pressure forces the liquid out the discharge (outlet) of the pump and then on to the piping systems of the process.

Casing (Volute)– As we learned earlier, this acts as a pressure containment vessel. It directs the flow of liquid in and out of the centrifugal pump. It slows down the speed of the fluid while increasing the pressure within the casing.

A routine centrifugal pump maintenance program not only extends the life of your system, but also reduces operating costs. Consistent maintenance also ensures there is enough maintenance history recorded to identify the source of the problem faster.

Maintenance Programs for centrifugal pumps can be grouped into three categories: routine, quarterly, and annual maintenance. Routine maintenance is the process of setting a schedule to inspect, log, and repair components. This focuses on components that are leading indicator of potential failure.

○ During downtime, inspect the pump’s packing to make sure there is adequate lubrication. If the packing looks compressed and dry, replace the packing and add lubricant per the operation manual.

○ Imminent pump failure can be detected by monitoring overall pump vibration. Excessive vibration can result from a change in pump alignment, bearing failures, cavitation, and obstructions in the suction and discharge lines.

○ The difference in pressure read by the suction and discharge gauges will provide the total developed head pressure of the pump. Confirm this reading is within the pump’s designed performance. You can find this on the manufactured website or your operation manuals.

For oil-lubricated pumps, as a rule of thumb, you should change the oil after the first 200 hours of operation for a new pump. Then again after every three months or 2,000 operating hours, whichever comes first. Your operation manual will have specific instructions for oil change intervals and oil grade.

For grease-lubricated pumps, as a rule of thumb bearings should be greased every three months or 2,000 operating hours, whichever comes first. Your operation manual should have specific instructions for grease intervals and grease grade to be used.

Keep a log of your pump’s performance at least once per year.Performance benchmarks should be established early on in the life of the pump. At a minimum, the benchmarking data should include head pressure, flow rate, motor amp draw, and vibration at each bearing.

Uncouple from pump & overspeed turbine. Ensure that trip valve will stop turbine with steam supply valve (throttle valve) fully open. Compare tripping speed with previous records. Adjust trip mechanism & repeat procedure. Follow manufacturer’s instructions when making adjustments.

Where the process will allow it, test run the turbine coupled to the pump. When not possible, run the turbine uncoupled. With a tachometer − verify proper governor operation & control. Determine if hand (booster) valves are completely closed when required to carry load. This influences steam economy.

Even armed with these best practice centrifugal pump maintenance schedules, you may run into issues that require some extra help. That’s where we come in. Reach out to the experts at Rasmussen Mechanical Services and ensure your system is running the way it should. Call us at 1-800-237-3141, emailsales@rasmech.com,orcontact usonline.

Gas and oilfield safety inspections are critical for maintaining a safe working and operating conditions in the field. The oil and gas extraction industry has its fair share of hazards, but luckily you can avoid most with some critical planning, innovative training, and regular safety inspections. To help your business maintain the utmost safety and regulatory compliance, we’ve created the ultimate Gas and Oilfield Safety Inspection Checklist based on OSHA standards and requirements. It’s the perfect tool to help your team stay on top of preventive action and dispense with accidents and injuries through intelligent prevention.

A Gas and Oilfield Safety Inspection Checklist is a critical tool required by all gas and oilfield extraction companies to assure OSHA compliance and, more importantly, safe working conditions for workers. Our checklist is free, downloadable, and ready to print and use in the field today.

In this guide, we’ll review the basics of the Gas and Oilfield Safety Inspection Checklist. We will check some of the best practices and reveal a perfect solution for maintaining strict adherence to safety, inspection, documentation, and trend analysis. Let’s get started.

The Gas and Oilfield Safety Inspection Checklist is composed of multiple segments to maintain a uniform and standardized inspection process. We’ve briefly outlined each section below to aid in training and inspection process recognition. Feel free to bookmark this page to help train your team on inspection protocol. Here’s an outline of each segment:

Administrative Information – The vital information detailing the operating company, rig identification, location, and further details to help organize inspection reports.

Generator and Electrical Systems – Compiling critical information regarding the electrical systems of the site, this section holds all the vital inspection checkpoints needed to maintain safety.

Fire Protection – Fires are one of the most critical and hazardous incidents possible at any gas or oil extraction site. This section provides the appropriate inspection points to aid in fire prevention on site.

Hoisting Equipment – Hoist equipment is required at oil and gas extraction sites for operations, and this section includes critical inspection points regarding this equipment.

Hot Work – Again, dealing with fire prevention, hot work procedures on a gas and oil extraction site pose incredibly hazardous conditions. This section deals with those critical inspection points about hot work procedures.

Explosives and Perforating Operations – As you understand, explosives and perforating operations pose extreme risks. This section delves into the inspection points critical to managing explosive and perforation procedures.

The concept behind using our Gas and Oilfield Safety Inspection Checklist is to maintain the highest safety standard. Secondary to this is compliance with regulatory requirements.

Our downloadable checklist is based primarily on OSHA standards. Further inspection points might be necessary depending on your site-specific conditions and regional regulatory requirements, so we recommend confirming inspection points against local regulations. However, if OSHA standards are enforced on-site, our checklist should work well to help your team prepare for OSHA official inspections.

Completing a paper inspection report is wise, but if your team tends to get more oil than ink on the paper, you might want to look at different solutions. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing to help you remove the paper from your operations and step into the digitally efficient future of inspection documentation.

Let’s get to know 1st Reporting – an application we created to replace paper forms and checklists efficiently. It’s an app that works seamlessly with your company’s computers, smartphones, tablets, and laptops to provide your crew with a robust digital reporting platform. Our app even works with the Microsoft Teams® environment, so you don’t have to worry about missing a custom notification you set to let you know when your team completes a report.

Experience the convenience of digital reporting with custom reports and forms you can create in the 1st form builder – so every form and every checklist is precisely the way you want it. Also, our app uses the latest cloud computing technology, so your report creators, inspectors, and team members can use the report seamlessly from anywhere. If they don’t have a stable internet connection, it’s no problem, and they can still complete a report in the app on their device. Once their device acquires a stable connection, it will upload the locally-stored form information to the secure cloud. That way, you never have to worry about team members’ incomplete reports due to internet connectivity.

You may have realized how robust our 13-page inspection checklist is compared to others in the industry. However, if you don’t enjoy reviewing page after page of dirty paperwork to discover trends in your operations, you may consider trying our app, 1st Reporting.

Completing trend analysis on multiple extensive reports and documents is a laborious process most of us cringe at, at the best of times. Furthermore, you need a digital solution if you have various audits to review or if time is of the essence. Unfortunately, our checklist can’t help with trend analysis if you use a printed paper version of our Gas and Oilfield Safety Inspection Checklist. But while we’re here to help you, let’s discuss the solution to your trend analysis dilemma. Again, let’s see how our app, 1st Reporting, can save you hundreds of hours of combing through paper reports and documents.

Is your basement dry? You might want to thank your sump pump. It works hard to keep your basement and possessions dry every rainy (or melty) season. It detects when water is threatening your basement, then pumps it out before it rises above the floor level.

But in order for your sump pump to function at its best, it’s important to give it a thorough check a couple times per year. At the very least, make it a habit to check your sump pump every spring to make sure it’s working. That way, the risk of a surprise puddle in your basement stays low. Cross these simple tasks off your cleaning to-do list and enjoy the year while staying flood-free.

While your sump pump might seem like a complicated machine, it only takes a little bit of effort and know-how to see if it’s running like it should. Check out these tips on avoiding any potential sump pump breakdowns.

Make sure your sump pump is totally upright. Your sump pump should be sitting on sold, even ground. Any sort of leaning can shift the water in the pump’s pit and put unnecessary pressure on its components.

Open it up.Take the cover off the sump pump pit or basin and have a look inside. Clear any debris, mud or rocks that you find, as any foreign items can clog your sump pump and cause an overflow.

Double-check the drain hose. Check and make sure the drain hose is connected, and that it’s not blocked or frozen. A clogged drain hose can cause your sump pump to run continuously, as it won’t be able to dispose of the water that’s filled its pit.

Clear out the inlet screen. Make sure the inlet screen is allowing water to enter your sump pump’s pit. If your inlet screen is blocked, water won’t be able to make its way into the sump pumps pit and could lead to a basement flood.

Keep it afloat. Your sump pump’s float controls when it will turn on and pump excess water out. Make sure the float component can move freely and isn’t blocked. A malfunctioning float can cause your pump to not run when it’s supposed to, or run constantly, eventually burning out your pump’s engine.

Make sure it’s flowing away from your house.The next time you hear your sump pump running, go outside and make sure its discharge pipe is pumping the water away from your home at a safe distance. If it’s too close, the water could seep back into your pump, causing your pump to run continuously and inefficiently. And the more your sump pump runs, the more likely it is to burn out early in its life span.

And while you don’t want your discharge pipe too close to your house, shed, garage or other structure, make sure it stays on your property. You’ll have some unhappy neighbors if your sump pump is pushing all your excess water onto their lot.

Give your sump pump a test run. Fill the pit with a bucket of water to turn your pump on. Watch it carefully to see if it’s getting rid of the water, then check the discharge pipe outside to make sure it’s disposed of properly. If the pump doesn’t run, make sure it’s plugged in and its power cord is in working order.

Plan for the unexpected. Having a backup battery or generator can be crucial if a strong rain storm comes complete with a power outage. And eventually, your sump pump may give out without the help of a power outage. To avoid the stress of trying to buy and install a new sump pump while the water seeps closer and closer to your basement, have a backup sump pump handy — and be sure to test it regularly, too.

Call a professional. You’ve checked the power cords, discharge pipe, inlet screen and every other piece of the pump, but still can’t figure out what’s wrong. It’s time to call a professional! Risking your basement and everything else in it isn’t worth maintaining your pride as a handyman or woman — get it fixed and fast!

Your American Family Insurance agent can help you plan for the unexpected with sump pump failure and water backup coverage, which is designed to mitigate the cost of repairs caused by water leaking into a home due to a backed-up drain or an overflowing sump. Get in touch with them and make sure you’ve got all the coverage and peace of mind you need.

To edit or add additional checks to any of the checklists n Rig Maintenance, editing is done in the edit section and linked to the checklist. You can add to or edit any checklist in the editor.

The maintenance checklist, implemented a few months ago, covers equipment to monitor on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. An area is devoted to tracking service truck miles, rig miles and hours, as well as welder hours to know when an oil change is needed. The goal is to not let any maintenance task fall by the wayside.

Months into implementing the maintenance checklist, Baker is seeing his drill crews take ownership by noticing minor issues on their four drill rigs and making note of them. The crews then look at the list and fix the issues during half a day in the shop while they’re in between jobs, or at a jobsite when time allows for it.

“Hydraulics, pumps, and motors have an ISO cleanliness code on the oil,” Baker explains. “If you run that hydraulic system within that cleanliness code at 70 degrees in a controlled environment, you’re going to get 10,000 hours out of your pumps.

“When putting the pumps on mobile equipment, it cuts it in half, so you get 5000 hours on pumps because they’re working in the extreme heat, cold, and dirt. As long as you maintain that cleanliness code in your oil, you can expect 5000 hours, but as soon as you go one code dirtier in your oil, you cut that in half. If you can operate one code cleanlier you can double it, and so we’re trying to operate in a manner that is not necessarily normal in an effort to try and get our equipment to last longer. Ultimately, it reduces our cost of maintenance.”

Sprowls, president of the Ohio Water Well Association, also shared how hydraulic oil in the GEFCO 40K came back with elevated metal content. He says nothing indicated that the hydraulics were acting up, but the oil sample prompted further investigation which revealed a hydraulic pump failed prematurely.

Sprowls stresses that maintenance needs to be intentional where time is made for it. He makes a point that being proactive is less stressful than reacting to an engine replacement in a customer’s front yard. After all, it’s much easier to work on the machines in a climate-controlled shop or gravel lot with no mud.

“What I’ve done for routine items is put a value on them that is relevant to our industry,” he shares. “Most drilling is accounted for by the foot, so I will analyze what kind of drilling I’m doing and put a footage on it. For example, I grease the rig every so many feet of overall drilling. If I’m mud drilling, the mud pump and swivel get greased very well, no matter the footage. Air drilling may be more frequent on the swivel due to the temperatures.

“The main reason Layne is dedicated to a robust equipment inspection/maintenance program is the safety of our employees,” Snelten says. “If we can keep our equipment safe to operate, it reduces the hazards to our employees and helps prevent injuries. They go home to their families at the end of the day in the same condition they came to work.

Layne rolled out a new maintenance program in 2021 for its several thousand pieces of equipment—drill rigs, pump rigs, trucks, trailers, and support equipment—and for the roughly 350 field staff who operate them.

The program consists of daily, monthly, and annual inspections of the drill rigs, pump rigs, and service trucks. Inspection items include fluid levels, wire ropes, sheaves, frame welds, controls, emergency stops, etc. A copy of the inspection goes to the field superintendent and mechanic and repairs