Last summer, we received a phone call from a customer saying that the flange on the pump they had just purchased from us broke after being in service for only 20 days or so. It could be a quality issue, but those are rare. It was more likely there was something more at play. One of our enginee

Progressive cavity pumps have their place in pumping systems. But man, are they a bear to work on. Netzsch just released a new progressive cavity pump design that takes about 90% of the hassle out of maintaining their progressive cavity pumps. WHAT IS A PROGRESSIVE CAVITY PUMP? In case youre not fa

Two split case pumps drastically lost performance and were in dire need of a complete rebuild. But when the Maintenance Manager was told the pumps would need to be removed and taken back to the shop for repair, he hesitated.  At this manufacturing plant in southern Wisconsin, two split cas

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s the mantra we’ve all heard since the beginning of time. In most situations, it’s sound advice. But when it comes to maintaining pumps in your facility, the old adage doesn’t necessarily apply. Over the years, we’ve seen many facilities rely heavily on “reacti

When one of our Service Technicians was called out to look at a centrifugal pump experiencing repeated bearing failures, it took no time at all to diagnose the problem. The pump’s baseplate was by no means affixed to the manufacturer’s floor. There was no grout, not bolts, nothing but pipe holding t

Whenever I need an entertaining story for a blog post, I know I can head out to our on-site service shop and talk to one of the guys out there. They’ve been in the business for a long time and are never short on stories to tell. Some are hilarious, some are down-right disgusting. Though their storie

A Wisconsin power company was experiencing problems with a forced draft fan on a boiler. The forced draft (FD) fan is responsible for supplying combustion air to the boiler. It was noisy, and not just squeak and creak noisy, not diesel engine noisy, we’re talking headache-inducing-ear-drum-popping L

The clarifiers at your wastewater treatment plant have been a main staple of your process for many, many years. Since they were installed, theyve probably been your most reliable piece of equipment. Slowly rotating, 24/7, day after day, year after year, rarely (if ever) causing issues in your s

When a Michigan wastewater treatment plant noticed their clarifiers skimmer arms were scraping the bottom of the tank, they knew something was wrong. But what they didnt realize was how wrong things had become. By the time Cranes technical resources were called in, not only were the races in th

I had the pleasure of taking a short road trip to Manitowoc last week with Vern Frahm, a 39 year Crane service team veteran. I enjoy travelling with Vern because I get to pick his brain for stories and knowledge to share on the Crane’s Fluid Connection blog. Last week, he did not disappoint. Vern t

Lubrication plays a significant role in maintaining rotating equipment. It minimizes friction and prevents wear by separating parts that move next to each other, like ball bearings. So, when it comes to lubrication, more is best, right? Actually, over greasing motors and components is a common pract

In our eBook 36 Ways to Kill Your Pump, we uncover several reasons why bearings fail prematurely. Symptoms of bearing failure include flaking, pitting, unusual wear patters, rust, corrosion, etc., but if cared for properly, bearings can offer substantial service life even under the harshest conditio

Tiny flakes of metal and paint float to the top of a small screw pump at a wastewater treatment plant in upper Michigan. Over time, the gear box has become louder, the capacity of the pump has reduced, and the bearings need replacing yearly. The operator knows the signs the mid-70s era pump is demon

Manually cleaning weirs on clarifiers is common practice in many municipalities. But when Dan Buehler came on board as Wastewater Superintendent at the wastewater treatment plant in Port Washington, Wisconsin, he couldnt believe what he was seeing.  Request a consultation with one of our clari

Recently, a Crane sales engineer and I toured a manufacturing facility in southern Wisconsin. As we walked through their shop filled with air-operated double diaphragm pumps waiting for repair, I noticed they were covered in product. Failure after failure caused unplanned downtime, and to add insul

Everyone agrees that reactive maintenance is probably the worst pump reliability strategy. Maintaining equipment only after it breaks can mean unexpected downtime, emergencies, rush charges, overtime, and replacement of expensive parts. The best pump reliability strategy is not either preventive or

I received a call from one of our account managers the other day. He told me he was on his way to Kimberly with a pump that I just had to see. I met him in the receiving area to see what he brought back. When he dropped the tailgate, I saw a pallet with a baseplate and motor, and miscellaneous boxes

Have a pump that makes popping sounds, or sounds like its pumping marbles? If so, you may have a cavitation problem. Pump cavitation can cause a number of issues for your pumping system, including excess noise and energy usage, not to mention serious damage to the pump itself.  What is pump ca

A cold-storage facility recognized an issue concerning a failed mechanical seal on a Goulds 3196 ammonia pump. Because ammonia centrifugal pumps are critical to maintaining temperatures at a cold storage facility, identifying the problem and appropriate solution was dire. The facilitys maintenance d

During the spring of 2020, we saw facilities close with little to no notice. Many of those facilities will soon re-open. It’s unlikely that these facilities shutdown with proper equipment or facility preparation. This will certainly cause some problems when it comes to starting equipment back up aga