Winter is coming: precautions to protect your pumps
Now that we are running up to December, the weather in the Northern hemisphere is slowly getting colder and colder. Although Western Europe has been fortunate with a reasonably mild fall, we are expected to get a harsh winter this year, meaning that it is good to prepare for the cold season. Being pump people, this means that we need to take precautions to protect our equipment. This applies to the units that are out in the field, but even more so for the pumps that are stored in the yard for the winter season. Not preparing the equipment for winter can lead to serious damage to the engines and/or the pumpends, so making sure that everything is in perfect shape will prevent damage and the resulting downtime and costly repairs. As the pumps are designed to be easy to drain, the procedure is pretty straightforward and can be done be any mechanic using common sense. Frost will affect the properties of any fluid inside your pumpset: Water in pumpends: When the pump is being stored for winter, it is absolutely crucial to ensure that it is completely drained of all water. This means that with centrifugal pumps the pump casing ánd the priming system needs to be drained and checked to see if all water is removed. In case of the piston pump, all chambers of the pump should be drained, including the cylinders, the stone catcher and the valve chambers. Not draining the pump correctly in case of frost can lead to cracked pump casings! Fluids in engines: As with cars, it is important to ensure that all fluids in the engines (in case of diesel driven units) are suitable for use in sub-zero temperatures (below 32 degrees F). This means that one should check whether or not engine coolant (in case of fluid cooled diesels), engine oil and also the diesel used can handle the local conditions. In case of any doubts, please consult local suppliers and ensure that the correct coolant, oil and diesel is used. Batteries: Last but not least: If you own diesel driven pumps, it is important to check the condition of the battery. When temperatures drop, the performance of the battery will be reduced significantly. Particularly batteries that are older may fail without warning, resulting in problems starting the pumps. Should you be running the pumps on an auto start/stop system, this small failure could result in major damages. Please consult your local battery supplier on how to check the battery performance and in case of doubt replace the unit. Also, if you are in an area where severe winter conditions are forecast, you may want to opt for a more powerful battery to prevent problems. Should you have any questions concerning draining your pump equipment or concerning preparing your diesel engine for winter, please feel free to contact your BBA representative or alternatively one of our sales offices. | |||||||
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