Prepare your pumps for the colder weather ahead

25 September, 2015

It’s imperative that businesses see the warmer summer months as a prime opportunity to perform any maintenance on their heating pumps to ensure they will operate efficiently when needed.

The summer months are an ideal time for facility managers to run pump checks and complete any necessary repairs, rather than waiting with baited breath as they switch them back on during the winter months.

In fact, ninety-five per cent of the cost of running a water pump is energy. However, with up to 60 per cent of pumps in plant rooms and pumping operations being obsolete, energy wastage from ineffective heating systems, with spares almost impossible to source, is a cause of unnecessary expenditure in industrial facilities. It is therefore vital to ensure that pumping equipment is working efficiently before they are put into full time use during the colder weather.

Proactive maintenance schedule

Having a proactive maintenance schedule in place during the summer month’s helps operations get back up and running much more quickly during the winter, while avoiding unnecessary and costly repairs.

Factory managers should invest in a comprehensive audit that looks at the pumps, tests their performance and uses data logging to identify current energy use. After looking at operating hours, usage and motor size, the auditor can then identify the highest and lowest energy users, allowing those in charge to make an informed decision about which pumps to focus any maintenance works on initially.

It is also important to remember that if the decision is made that a pump requires replacement, there are key areas to consider over and above the age of the equipment. With an effective asset management programme and evaluation process in place, end users can make informed decisions about pump repair or replacement in terms of system efficiency and whole life costs, as well as the suitability of the site and operation for replacement.

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