Honestly, I think everyone is wrong about running the dredge pump at full tilt for big sand jobs.

Last week on the Mobile River, we were pulling for a big sand deposit and the foreman insisted on keeping the pump at 100% all day. By Thursday, the impeller was shot and we lost 8 hours of prime time waiting on a barge delivery for the new part. The vibration was crazy, like the whole rig was shaking itself apart, but he just kept yelling to push through. I've found running at 85% gets you 90% of the material with way less wear. Has anyone else had a pump blow out from being run too hard for too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_stone25d ago

Used to believe you had to run wide open for max production. Saw a pump housing crack clean through from the stress last season, changed my whole view. Your 85% rule sounds about right for saving the gear and still getting the job done. That vibration is a killer warning sign they just ignore.

spencerward4d ago

Yeah, that tracks with what I saw on the Pearl. Pushing past the sweet spot just tears things up. @betty_stone2 is right about that vibration being a final warning. We dialed it back to about 80 and the pump ran smooth for the whole two week job.