My sand pump lost prime 3 times in one shift last Monday in Galveston

I was running the cutterhead in some heavy clay mixed with shell and the pump kept losing prime. First time I figured it was just air getting in from the suction line. Second time I checked the gasket on the suction hatch and it looked fine. Third time I got frustrated and just let the pump run dry for a few seconds while I jiggled the line. That actually worked but I know it is bad for the pump. Now I am wondering if I need to adjust my ladder depth before starting the pump again. Has anyone else had this issue with sandy clay mixes down on the Gulf Coast?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_martinez3515d ago

Why would you blame the ladder depth when it sounds like your suction line is the real issue here? If you jiggled the line and it brought the prime back that points to a loose connection or a pinhole leak more than anything with the ladder. Fix that first before you start messing with depth and risk digging your cutterhead into something worse.

elizabethhart15d ago

Man I remember this one time on a job in Port Arthur, the pump kept spitting out mud like it was mad at me. Turns out a crab had crawled into the suction line somehow. No joke. Thing was just chilling in there. Probably not your problem but hey, stranger things have happened on the coast.