Shoutout to the guy who showed me his dredge pump wear plates after 200 hours

I used to run my pump till it started losing pressure, then swap parts. Saw a guy at the yard in Mobile with plates that had maybe 1/8 inch left on them after 200 hours, but his discharge was still strong. He showed me how he checks gap every week with a feeler gauge and rotates the plates at 100 hours. That little habit kept his pump running clean twice as long as mine. Has anyone else found a simple maintenance check that pays off way more than you'd think?

2 comments

2 Comments

scott.jana13d ago

Oh man, that's such a good point. I had a buddy who ran a little irrigation pump for his farm, and he never once checked the impeller or any of that stuff. Just ran it until it sounded funny and then wondered why it died every single season. He finally let me take a look at it and the wear ring was basically gone, like smooth metal on metal. After he started checking it every couple weeks and keeping a log, that same pump made it three years before he had to touch it. It's wild how just a few minutes of attention can save you all that downtime and money.

river32013d ago

See the same thing with engine oil. People wait for the light to come on before they check it. By then it's already too late. Little things like that add up across everything you own. I've got a neighbor who replaces his air filter every spring like clockwork on his truck. His 2005 truck runs better than most 2015 trucks around here. The difference between wearing stuff out early and getting the full life out of it is just paying attention on a regular schedule.