Water Truck Pump Maintenance Made Easy
Keeping a keen eye (and ear) on your equipment and your water pump’s performance is crucial to keep it running smoothly. Our Ledwell Truck Experts have put together a clear guide to help you maintain your water pump maintenance effectively.
If something doesn’t look quite right or you just want to double-check a step, don’t sweat it. Give us a call or shoot us an email and we’ll walk you through it. We stand behind our products every step of the way.
Water Pump Truck Maintenance Observation Checklist
1. Vibration
- While all machines produce some vibration, excessive vibration can shorten your pump’s lifespan.
- If you notice excessive vibration, stop operation immediately, identify the cause, and fix it.
2. Noise
- Listen closely for unusual sounds, especially when the unit is under load.
- Identify the cause of the noise and take corrective action promptly.
3. Operating Temperature
- Expect the pump bracket to be warm during operation (up to 150°F is normal).
- If the temperature is excessively high, stop the operation, find the cause, and correct it.
- Keep an eye on bearing temperatures, especially after packing; excessively hot bearings may need replacement.
- The pump should run at the temperature of the water it’s pumping.
4. Stuffing Box
- Check that the stuffing box and gland are not overheating during operation.
- If heating is detected, adjust gland nuts evenly until water leaks in droplet form – 40 to 60 drops per minute.
- Periodically verify cool operation and adjust gland nuts, as necessary, for proper lubrication.
Packing A Water Pump
Starting A New Pump
- Before starting the pump for the first time, loosen and retighten gland nuts finger-tight.
- Allow the packing to leak liberally initially, then gradually tighten gland nuts until leakage is 40 to 60 drops per minute.
Repacking
- Follow illustrations for proper repacking procedures.
- Ensure adequate drainage in cold/wet weather to prevent freezing damage.
- Provide shelter for the unit if possible and ensure proper ventilation.
- Consider using a space heater to prevent condensation and corrosion in severe weather conditions.
Water Pump Packing Replacement Procedure
Removal
- Unfasten the hardware holding the Packing Gland in place and slide it back on the shaft.
- Remove packing rings using commercially available Packing Hooks.
- Remove any remaining rings, including metallic ones, in the same manner.
Repacking
- Clean the shaft sleeve and Packing Gland before installing new rings.
- Install new packing rings over the shaft sleeve, rotating each ring joint 90 degrees during installation.
- Gently and evenly tighten gland nuts to seat the rings without over-tightening.
- Start the pump and allow the packing to leak initially.
- Gradually tighten gland nuts until leakage is 40 to 60 drops per minute.
Ledwell Made Guarantee
We back every product with the Ledwell Made Guarantee.
When you become a Ledwell customer, one of the many services you can expect is express shipping. You don’t have to wait for parts. We manufacture more than 85% of our parts in-house and ship 99% within 24 hours of your request.