When I was doing my last job my pump started acting up. It lost prime once in the middle of a job which it has never done unless it ran dry, but there was still plenty of mix in the tank. I put a water hose to the pump input and push a little water into the pump as it runs and it always fixes it if the pump runs dry. At the end of the job I still had about 15 gallons left and when I got back to my rig and the ball valve was turned off, the pump was still running. I’m guessing that would be the pressure switch failing and the pump doesn’t realize there is max pressure so it keeps running? I’ve never had to troubleshoot a pump so I’m guessing here. The motor was not running 100% smooth, so I’m also guessing the switch was feeding faulty information and the pump was just freaking out? Does this sound like a pressure switch or other faulty item?
Thanks in advance!
David Rhodes said
May 19, 2017
Hey Troy,
You may be experiencing an air leak(suction side). Air leaks are more difficult to trace, check all of your fittings and hose camps on the suction side of your system. Also, look for air bubbles in the lines.
Hope this helps!
David
Jeffrey Kirby said
May 19, 2017
the Pressure switch can "move" on you, or so it would seem. righty tighty, lefty loosey. 1/16" allen key. but--when it needs adjustment, the pump is generally surging or shuts off at an excessive pressure (over 80). if it can't reach the pressure setting to shutoff, it can run endlessly but that is a rather large deviation from the 80 psi setting
Troy Layman said
May 19, 2017
Thanks David,
Someone else said it could also be a diaphragm failure, crack or pinhole but I didn't see any fluid leaks that I recall. What you said crossed my mind when this started. I was pulling a hose off my rig and it snagged on elbow at my bulkhead. I didn't think I pulled hard enough to crack the bulkhead fitting or elbow, but armed with what you said I'll go back and connect a separate section of hose to the cam lock and see if it draws out of a 5 gallon bucket like it should. ~Thanks again David~
Troy Layman said
May 19, 2017
Jeffrey Kirby wrote:
the Pressure switch can "move" on you, or so it would seem. righty tighty, lefty loosey. 1/16" allen key. but--when it needs adjustment, the pump is generally surging or shuts off at an excessive pressure (over 80). if it can't reach the pressure setting to shutoff, it can run endlessly but that is a rather large deviation from the 80 psi setting
Thank you Jeff. You answered while I was replying to David. I've got more allen wrenches than any one man should have, but probably no 1/16" I'll try this as well. While at the job sometimes the pump would run weak, then catch back up. I thought I had this in my original post but I didn't. It's kind of hard to do effective troubleshooting remotely without all the information.
Jeffrey Kirby said
May 19, 2017
you can replace the valve body and the diaphragm (rarely needed) but you will eventually throw away a pump that runs, but has gotten weak, or it just stops running. keep a spare on the truck. quicker to change a pump that has issues and repair later.
Troy Layman said
May 20, 2017
True, thanks Jeff,
My new pump will be here Tuesday and if the problem isn't an air leak I'll see if I can repair my current pump. I've never torn a pump apart so it will be interesting. I already had plans to get a new pump and move the existing pump to a booster pump sort of set up for when I need it so if the pump can be repaired that's a step closer. It was the original pump that came with my demo equipment I was able to pick up from Steve at JRC and it pulled a stout 24.9 amps.
Troy Layman said
May 24, 2017
David,
Yep, I traced the issue down to an air leak. The problem ended up being the bulkhead fitting had cracked at the bottom of the elbow. I guess it may have already had a very small crack, and when I caught the elbow the other day with my hose it cracked it open enough that I was barely pulling mix from my tank. The bulkhead fitting was made in China and from Home Depot. It wasn't Polypropylene, which is probably part of the reason it broke down because I didn't pull on it very hard when it broke.
I'm looking at Polypropylene bulkhead fittings now to keep on hand. Is there a preference between EPDM and FKM gaskets? Both seem to be suitable for bleach but I figured I'd ask.
David Rhodes said
May 25, 2017
Hey Troy,
Glad I could help. I prefer using the Banjo brand bulk head fittings, they seem to hold up very well.
David
Troy Layman said
May 30, 2017
Thanks David,
I ordered a couple Poly Banjo bulkheads and elbows to replace this cheap bulkhead when the season slows down. I had a Banjo elbow I put back in place during the repair.
Good morning all,
When I was doing my last job my pump started acting up. It lost prime once in the middle of a job which it has never done unless it ran dry, but there was still plenty of mix in the tank. I put a water hose to the pump input and push a little water into the pump as it runs and it always fixes it if the pump runs dry. At the end of the job I still had about 15 gallons left and when I got back to my rig and the ball valve was turned off, the pump was still running. I’m guessing that would be the pressure switch failing and the pump doesn’t realize there is max pressure so it keeps running? I’ve never had to troubleshoot a pump so I’m guessing here. The motor was not running 100% smooth, so I’m also guessing the switch was feeding faulty information and the pump was just freaking out? Does this sound like a pressure switch or other faulty item?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Troy,
You may be experiencing an air leak(suction side). Air leaks are more difficult to trace, check all of your fittings and hose camps on the suction side of your system. Also, look for air bubbles in the lines.
Hope this helps!
David
the Pressure switch can "move" on you, or so it would seem. righty tighty, lefty loosey. 1/16" allen key. but--when it needs adjustment, the pump is generally surging or shuts off at an excessive pressure (over 80). if it can't reach the pressure setting to shutoff, it can run endlessly but that is a rather large deviation from the 80 psi setting
Someone else said it could also be a diaphragm failure, crack or pinhole but I didn't see any fluid leaks that I recall. What you said crossed my mind when this started. I was pulling a hose off my rig and it snagged on elbow at my bulkhead. I didn't think I pulled hard enough to crack the bulkhead fitting or elbow, but armed with what you said I'll go back and connect a separate section of hose to the cam lock and see if it draws out of a 5 gallon bucket like it should. ~Thanks again David~
Thank you Jeff. You answered while I was replying to David. I've got more allen wrenches than any one man should have, but probably no 1/16"
I'll try this as well. While at the job sometimes the pump would run weak, then catch back up. I thought I had this in my original post but I didn't. It's kind of hard to do effective troubleshooting remotely without all the information.
you can replace the valve body and the diaphragm (rarely needed) but you will eventually throw away a pump that runs, but has gotten weak, or it just stops running. keep a spare on the truck. quicker to change a pump that has issues and repair later.
My new pump will be here Tuesday and if the problem isn't an air leak I'll see if I can repair my current pump. I've never torn a pump apart so it will be interesting. I already had plans to get a new pump and move the existing pump to a booster pump sort of set up for when I need it so if the pump can be repaired that's a step closer. It was the original pump that came with my demo equipment I was able to pick up from Steve at JRC and it pulled a stout 24.9 amps.
Yep, I traced the issue down to an air leak. The problem ended up being the bulkhead fitting had cracked at the bottom of the elbow. I guess it may have already had a very small crack, and when I caught the elbow the other day with my hose it cracked it open enough that I was barely pulling mix from my tank. The bulkhead fitting was made in China and from Home Depot. It wasn't Polypropylene, which is probably part of the reason it broke down because I didn't pull on it very hard when it broke.
I'm looking at Polypropylene bulkhead fittings now to keep on hand. Is there a preference between EPDM and FKM gaskets? Both seem to be suitable for bleach but I figured I'd ask.
Hey Troy,
Glad I could help. I prefer using the Banjo brand bulk head fittings, they seem to hold up very well.
David
I ordered a couple Poly Banjo bulkheads and elbows to replace this cheap bulkhead when the season slows down. I had a Banjo elbow I put back in place during the repair.