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The Difference Between Pump Repair and Upgrade

Posted on by Vulcan Pumps

When it comes to just about any important machinery in your industry, deciding whether to repair or replace something is no easy decision. Repairing something that should be replaced can end up costing you more in the long run, and replacing it too early can result in the exact same outcome. 

Keep reading for important information regarding these two options—as well as the oft-forgotten option of upgrading your slurry pump—so you can figure out what the right solution is for you. Here’s what to know about pump repair and upgrade. 

Repair, Upgrade, or Replace?

The good news? There are several options for improving your pump’s performance. The tricky part, of course, is figuring out what option will balance cost with that improved performance. 

Improving pump performance can look like a lot of different things, including lower energy consumption, lower parts cost, and improved MTBR or MTBPM. While it’s easy to get distracted by these improvements, there’s one thing that should ultimately make your decision: the bottom line. 

Be sure that you understand the specific economic situation you and your pump are in. If you aren’t sure, check with your accounting department! Working together will help you reach the most cost-efficient conclusion. 

Why an Upgrade Might Be the Best Option

Did you know that upgrades can result in significant savings on maintenance and repair. That means reduced downtime as well as reduced environmental risk. Think of it as a repair—but one that improves the efficiency of your pump beyond how it functioned before. 

Some examples of possible pump upgrades include custom coatings, shaft and seal modifications, bearing-house breather, and bearing isolators. Some of these upgrades will have you seeing a return on investment sooner than others, so which upgrades would be most beneficial to you will depend on your unique situation. 

It’s also important to consider that some of the simplest upgrades can provide immense benefits, meaning you don’t have to make a huge upfront investment to improve your pump’s performance! Several of the modifications mentioned above are great examples of small upgrades that make a big difference. 

Slurry Pump Repair and Upgrade With Vulcan Pumps

When it comes to replacement parts and upgrades, Vulcan Pumps has what you need. Our superior range of professional services puts us far above the competition, and you know you’re getting the highest quality parts for your slurry pump. We’ll provide you with the part or upgrade you need and a worry-free, expert installation. If you’re looking to improve your slurry pump’s performance with a repair, upgrade, or full replacement, look no further than Vulcan Pumps! Click here to get in touch with us about our products and services, or click here to check out more helpful industry resources.

Your Guide to HDS Corrosive Applications

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When it comes to slurry, not just any pump will do. Over time, slurry will ultimately break down most standard pumps—you need something stronger. Our heavy duty slurry (HDS) pumps are built right here in the U.S., and are made to withstand HDS corrosive applications. 

Keep reading for more information about HDS corrosive applications and how to handle them. 

The Importance of Performance

If you think a standard water pump is strong enough to continually pump slurry without any problems, think again. Slurry is a unique mixture of very abrasive solids and liquids, and requires a special pump to move. 

You need a pump specific to slurry—and one that will continually perform, resist wear and tear, provide the necessary power, and be easy to maintain. Not all slurry pumps are created equal. Every pumping environment is different, and requires different things out of its machinery. Because of the variety of requirements, you need a variety of pump sizes, types, and mounts. Custom submersible and slurry pumps are a must if you want optimal performance and a long machine lifespan. 

So, When Do You Need an HDS Pump Vs. a Regular Slurry Pump? 

While a slurry pump will perform significantly better than a water pump, sometimes—with certain applications—you need something with extra heavy-duty capabilities. Here are a few examples of HDS corrosive applications:

Applications with a low pH balance or a high amount of chlorides can be very challenging and costly when using a standard submersible pump. Applications with a pH balance of one to four require special materials like casings, impellers, suction liners, and a stand varying from super duplex 2205 and 2507 to Alloy 20. 

In regards to applications with a higher pH balance, you can consider CD4MCUN, 316 stainless steel. In this case, material changes will also need to be made to the machined parts and bolting. 

When it comes to seal upgrades, most applications require a more robust seal, such as the John Crane 5840 in the 2205 material, as well as silica carbide faces. Keep in mind that most standard submersible motor manufacturers don’t make a stainless steel motor with a robust slurry seal option. 

Getting your hands on a motor flange that’s crafted from a material suitable to the application is crucial, as it protects both the seal and the motor flange from corrosion, and helps prevent seal failures. 

You’ll also need to select motor and control cables for your specific application. Most cable materials are suitable, but it’s important that you always check. 

Can Your Pump Handle HDS Corrosive Applications?

The Vulcan HDS slurry pump is a top product for us—and with good reason. They’re made with application-specific metallurgies to withstand both standard and atypical abrasion. Everything about our pumps is high-quality and American-made. Interested in learning more about our HDS pumps? Vulcan Pumps is poised to meet your needs and deliver quality on every front. Get in touch with us today.

Why Maintaining Your Slurry Pump Matters

Posted on by Vulcan Pumps

When it comes to demanding industries like mining, steel production, and power generation, it’s not uncommon for slurry pumps to reach their breaking point before being taken care of. Unfortunately, even though this method of maintenance can lead to serious problems with machinery as well as costly downtime, too many industry professionals opt for this short-sighted way of doing things. 

Keep reading for some expert advice on slurry pump maintenance, and how it will save you time and money in the long run!

The Importance of Maintaining Your Slurry Pump

Aside from helping you avoid even costlier repairs and downtime in the future, proper slurry pump maintenance is crucial to getting the best possible performance out of your machinery. With the proper monitoring, you can be sure you fix little problems before they become big ones. 

Make sure you’re looking out for strange sounds, spikes in things like vibration or temperature, leakage, and more to keep your slurry pump in tip-top condition!

How to Maintain Your Slurry Pump to Avoid Failures

There are several specific things you can keep an eye on to avoid machine failure. Keep reading for a short checklist of things you can look for on your maintenance rounds to make your slurry pump last as long as possible. 

Premature Bearing Failure

Inadequate gland seal maintenance is one of the biggest contributing factors to bearing failure. Applying the right lubrication consistently—and adjusting the seal regularly—can help you avoid premature failure. 

Vibration as an Indicator of Health

Because all machines vibrate, slurry pump vibration can act as one of the earliest indicators of health. When monitoring your slurry pump’s vibration, you’ll want to be on the lookout for any changes. An exponential growth curve in vibration readings typically indicates that the machine is nearing the end of its life—while a sudden spike in vibration typically means a problem that could be solved. 

Throatbush Wear Rate

The throatbush has the shortest life compared to other components in your slurry pump. This means it has a significant impact on the overall efficiency and lifespan of your slurry pump. Adjusting and fine-tuning the throatbush can extend the life of your pump by 50%. 

Use Preventative Maintenance to Extend the Life of Your Slurry Pump

Don’t operate like other companies in your industry. Take the preventative maintenance approach, extend the life of your slurry pump, and avoid costly downtime with maintenance know-how and a trusted maintenance partner. Contact Vulcan Pumps today. 

Ways to Make Your Slurry Pump Maintenance Even Easier

Posted on by Vulcan Pumps

When it comes to slurry pump maintenance, the main components you should be focused on are the seals. Whether you’re talking about packing seals or mechanical seals, this is the part most commonly replaced in slurry pumps. Keep reading for why that is—as well as some expert tips for prolonging the life of your slurry pump seals and avoiding costly downtime. 

Packing & Mechanical Seals

There’s a good reason seals are the most commonly replaced part in slurry pumps. It’s all too easy for abrasive particles to wear through packing or clog up mechanical seal components. If either of these things happen, the life of your slurry pump’s seal can be drastically reduced—leading to downtime. 

In an industry where downtime can cost tens of thousands of dollars, having to replace a seal should be avoided at all costs. But when it’s inevitable, we have some tips to help speed things along. 

Mechanical Seals

When dealing with mechanical seals, it’s usually the installation that’s the holdup. Component seals are easier to install than single-piece cartridge seals, but still come with their fair share of obstacles. For example, when installing a component seal, you have to decouple the power end and—more often than not—move pump components around. 

With large slurry pumps, this takes a lot of time—time you’re paying for. Because split seals have fewer components, they’re the obvious choice for quick and simple installation. And, while a few years ago you’d be sacrificing on lifespan, advancements in split seals design now negate that drawback. 

The only thing to keep in mind with split seals is that they don’t have the same features that a heavy-duty cartridge seal has. All this means is that you have to be extra mindful of your slurry pump environment. Have a clean flush available, and brush often to limit the amount of particulate that can get into the seal chamber. 

Replacing Packing

When it comes to packing, the most common obstacle is the lantern ring. Because lantern rings can easily get clogged, removing them isn’t easy and takes a lot of time. Not to mention, they can easily get off-axis and bind up in the stuffing box. 

To avoid these problems, a lot of slurry pump maintenance involves leaving the lantern ring in place and only replacing the rings above it. The best way to avoid these problems? It’s pretty simple—don’t use a lantern ring. 

The first three packing rings do the majority of the heavy lifting. The bottom rings mostly serve to keep solids out. If you use a throat bushing with built-in flush ports, you won’t need to remove the lantern ring when you repack! Also, you’ll be able to use less packing. 

Stay on Top of Slurry Pump Maintenance

At Vulcan Pumps, we work faster—and are more flexible—than the competition so you can get back to work. Whether you need USA-made products and parts, industry resources, or sump service, you can rely on us to get the job done right. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. 

Our CombiTherm Product Lead-Times

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You can blink and the world changes around you. Recent world events have set the stage for changes the world over—geographic, economic, and (unfortunately for so many) personal. Geopolitical conflict carries a ripple effect that isn’t contained in isolation. For many of our industry partners, they are understandably concerned about product logistics due to worldwide tensions. We are here to bring about confidence in our CombiTherm product lead-times despite current events, and reassure those who rely on our pumps, parts, and products. 

We Deliver When Others Don’t

The road to CombiTherm products is still open. CombiTherm hot oil and hot water pumps transfer bitumen, emulsions, and virtually every other liquid element inherent to makeup. A great asset of these pumps is their ability to replace most industry-leading pump brands and integrate seamlessly into pump systems. Being inventoried in North America, CombiTherm pumps offer quick and easy delivery when OEMs and other major manufacturers are unable to offer replacement pumps on short notice. 

As the master distributor of CombiTherm pumps in the U.S. and Canada, Vulcan Pumps is uniquely poised to deliver high-quality hot oil and hot water pumps right to your business. No need to worry about a short-notice replacement or costly OEM component: We have your industry part, pump, and product needs covered. 

Why You Can Count on Our CombiTherm Flow Product Lead-Times

The benefit of being a local provider of CombiTherm products is short lead-times and trusted expertise. Vulcan Pumps can offer quick shipments right from stock; in fact, our CombiTherm hot oil and hot water pumps are available for immediate shipment. There’s no need to worry about long and drawn out CombiTherm product lead-times when buying from us. We are here and ready to do business with you. 

If you’re in the market for OEM or aftermarket hot oil and hot water pumps, look no further than Vulcan Pumps. Contact us to start your shipment, resume processes or bring them back to scale, and/or ramp up production. We understand the concern current events have instigated: We are committed to doing our part to do right by our industry partners. We can offer product peace of mind in otherwise volatile circumstances. May lasting peace soon return to the global stage. 

Diamond Seals for Submersible Motors

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The seal’s the deal. When pumping slurry, a quality seal makes a big difference. It helps ensure a long-lasting pump that withstands slurry’s highly abrasive nature. Vulcan Pumps utilizes John Crane Diamond® seals in our pumps so seal failure doesn’t upend your processes. We want your seals (and pumps) to last. 

The Difference Diamond Seals for Submersible Motors Can Make

Submersible motors are submersed in abrasive material such as slurry for extended periods of time. It doesn’t take much to realize how this setting could affect materials. Without high-quality components, motors and pumps inevitably face wear and/or breakdown in these kinds of highly toxic conditions. The pump seal is an integral part of this equation: It prevents leakage and contamination, helping to maintain the integrity of the pump and motor. 

Seals are made up of a rotary seal face and driving mechanism, which adopts the same rotation as the pump shaft. Seals also consist of a stationary seal face, which combines with the rotary and maintains integrity via a gland or stuffing box cover—as well as a tension assembly (metal bellows or springs) that’s designed to keep the faces positioned tightly together. 

Diamond seals for submersible motors provide pristine durability that offers unmatched gain for industrial equipment reliability. For years, manufactured diamonds have been used in abrasive applications and for cutting instruments. With ultrananocrystalline technology (UNCD®) technology, harnessing one of Earth’s hardest materials for use in mechanical seals is not only possible: It’s beyond profitable for systems. It drastically improves mechanical seal reliability and performance in challenging applications, including those involving abrasive slurry, weak lubricating liquids, and liquids that exceed their atmospheric boiling points. 

Diamond-treated seals manage abrasive and erosive conditions with much less effort, and UNCD® technology innately possesses a low coefficient of friction, which reduces heat production and energy use. This translates to significant improvements in mean time for mechanical seals, pumps, and more. 

Why We Choose John Crane

John Crane Diamond® seals offer our pumps the time-tested use they need. John Crane is also the sole manufacturer that integrates UNCD® technology directly into their process, offering premier seal and face treatments. Vulcan Pumps is all about quality—in each and every part of the project cycle, including in regards to seals. That’s why we trust and use John Crane seals in our pumps.

The seals, themselves, offer enormous cost and energy-efficient benefits. They improve durability through top-tier chemical stability and hardness. They enhance reliability and function through appropriately applied crystallinity, consistency, and adhesion. They help maintain production and keep integral equipment running optimally. They also lower costs courtesy of cooler running faces, reduced power, and less service life maintenance. Much like our pumps, John Crane seals demonstrate value time and again. 

Contact Vulcan Pumps

Every component of our pumps matters to us: That’s why we use diamond seals for submersible motors. Contact Vulcan Pumps for quality, U.S.-made pumps able to stand up to your applications and processes. We are a local, on-hand manufacturer and distributor you can trust.

Why Is a Slurry Pump Necessary Over a Standard Water Pump?

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Slurry pumps and water pumps are not one and the same, which rings true for other pumps as well. Each serves a different purpose, which helps to inform why they’re not interchangeable systems. But why, exactly, is a slurry pump necessary over a standard water pump in certain, specific applications? Read on for the full answer. 

Know the Difference Between Slurry and Water Pumps

As mentioned, a slurry pump differs from a water pump in many key ways. First, slurry pumps and water pumps (as their names suggest) pump different materials. Slurry pumps pump mixtures of fluids not present when pumping hot water, hot oil, or thermanol, which can include or involve gravel, copper, sand, alcohols, acids, petroleum, abrasive mixtures, and more. Slurry pumps are specially made to handle these abrasive and/or caustic materials, having replaceable, durable, and robust pump parts. 

On the other hand, hot water pumps are able to bear high temperature pressure, but don’t have the hydraulic capacity to pump solid or slurry particles effectively. Hot water pumps also lack the ability to stand up to the highly abrasive and corrosive nature of slurries. 

Why a Slurry Pump Works for Intended Use

What makes a slurry pump so effective at handling slurry? It has many wear-resistant properties, including a bigger impeller diameter, bearings, shafts, and internal system. It also typically boasts heavy-duty construction—much more so than standard water pumps possess. 

Due to this, slurry pumps can transport solid and slurry materials more effectively and efficiently. The other core component to slurry pump success is the utilization of centrifugal force. Centrifugal force propels material(s) outward from the center of the pump. Centripetal force does the opposite: It propels material(s) toward the pump center. However, slurry pumps have to perform on a centrifugal basis. This is due to the way in which forces produce velocity to the slurry, which fast tracks material transportation. Operationally, a centripetal pump would render ineffective for slurry, causing the slurry and solids to conglomerate together rather than flow freely. 

Means for Slurry Pump Implementation

There are three main ways to pump slurry based on what the specific situation calls for. These are semi-dry, dry, and wet. Semi-dry installations are almost exclusively used for dredging applications that utilize horizontal pumping orientation. Dry installations are when pump drive and bearings stay out of slurry, and the “wet” end is free from liquid and stands on its own. Here, the wet end comprises the impeller, shell, suction liner or hub, and shaft sleeve. For wet installations, which Vulcan Pumps specializes in, the slurry pump and drive are wholly submersible. This is essential for a range of slurry pump applications, including those done underwater. 
Vulcan Pumps’ HDS submersible slurry pump is built for long-lasting use through quality assured, U.S.-made manufacturing. Contact us for more info on this product, and how our locally inventoried parts and fast lead-times can benefit your operation.

OEM SPX Flow Hot Oil and Hot Water Pumps

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When manufacturing high-quality boilers, every component matters. But so does the price point. So, the question often becomes this as an OEM: How do you effectively marry the two to remain market competitive? For some, the answer is seemingly elusive. However, the right distributor makes all the difference. With Vulcan Pumps, you can secure a quality, cost-effective, primary unit pump—at a fraction of the lead-time, cost, and without compromising on product integrity. 

Application-Ready Hot Oil and Hot Water Pumps

The 150-pound, 232 PSI CombiTherm and 300+pound, 560 PSI CombiTherm+ hot oil and hot water pumps see use in highly specific, high-temperature settings free from caustic and/or acidic conditions. These pumps offer niche industry use, including in thermal oil/hot water and heat transfer, asphalt production, marine, food production, boiler/reactor, paper and wood-based applications, rubbers and plastics, and other air-cooled thermal pumping and thermanol pump applications. These pumps can handle temperatures up to 662°F of glycol and hot water mix. 

All this said, not only are the SPX Flow line of hot oil and hot water pumps application-ready: They are also able to be quickly and cost-effectively supplied to meet ongoing OEM requirements and ensuing consumer assurances. With one-year service life guarantees for your consumers standard, you need a pump that lasts as long as what’s advertised—and then some. Vulcan Pumps offers hot oil and hot water pumps at a competitive price point and with fast delivery for an in-budget and on-time manufacturing process. 

We Help Provide Much-Needed Market Efficiency

Vulcan Pumps is in the pump business to help you manufacture quality, meet market benchmarks and metrics, and stay continually competitive. Many OEMs have a time finding a distributor that hits everything on their checklist. Many distributors have offerings out of price range, lack customer service, and/or have long lead-times that don’t work for your manufacturing process. Vulcan Pumps offers a partnership for OEMs that meets your requirements and more. We are even able to fully replace or interchange European-spec DEAN and SIHI pumps to your benefit. With us, you are not limited by pump brand—and have increased flexibility in this area. 

Partner with Vulcan Pumps

Vulcan Pumps is the master distributor for SPX Flow CombiTherm and CombiTherm+ pumps in North America (excluding Mexico). While this distinction positions us as a major player in specialized pumps and pumping systems, our compelling customer service is what really helps to set us apart for our OEM partners. Contact us to learn more about how we can provide quick delivery, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service for your manufacturing needs.

Aftermarket SPX Flow Hot Oil and Hot Water Pumps

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When you’re in the field with a broken down hot thermal centrifugal pump, you can be hard-pressed to find a suitable replacement. You could try and reach out to the OEM or another manufacturer, but the turnaround—by itself—could cost you significant time and money. What you need is a reasonable pump replacement, fast. Vulcan Pumps offers aftermarket hot oil and hot water pumps well-suited to replace many different manufactured thermal pumps. 

About Our Hot Oil and Hot Water Pumps

Vulcan Pumps’ hot oil and hot water pumps are available in two main types: CombiTherm and CombiTherm+. Specific application requirements will inform which type is right for your site. For instance, the foot-mounted, 150-pound CombiTherm pump is used often for hot oil – asphalt applications as it excels at pumping therminol to heat up asphalt. 

Our CombiTherm pump is a 150-pound, foot-mounted flange pump at 232 PSI. The pump ensures process temperatures are uniform and damaging heat stays clear of seal bearings and faces, which avoids the need for external cooling when used properly. Core features include the throttle bush, journal bearing, and seal placement—all of which work to decrease circulation and temperature along the pump. 

The pump works well in a number of industry settings and applications, including food preparation, asphalt, roofing and roads, rubber and plastics, paper and wood, and high-temperature hot water heating systems. 

Our CombiTherm+ pump is a center-mounted, 300+ pound flange pump at 360 PSI. While both CombiTherm and CombiTherm+ can handle the same kind of hot oil, water, and/or glycol applications, CombiTherm+ has the capacity to handle the most stringent requirements. It’s built to handle hot water glycol mixtures, and is specifically made to eliminate expensive mechanical seal and seal support systems. CombiTherm+ boasts key service-life features, including a high efficiency impeller, single mechanical seal balanced with EPDM O-rings, optimized cooling fans, and life-saving magnetic drain plug for seals and bearings. 

Why Vulcan Pumps

Vulcan Pumps is the North American (excluding Mexico) master distributor for the SPX Flow CombiTherm and CombiTherm+ lines of hot oil and hot water pumps. Our pumps can replace common DEAN and SIHI varieties. 

However, our major claim to fame shines through in our competitive price, quick delivery, and quality customer service. Not many do what we do and serve who we serve, which makes our bedrock mission all the more important: Helping get your application back on track. Whether you’re in bread manufacturing, wood processing, or somewhere in between, we can supply an aftermarket, replacement pump that meets your needs—fast. 

What Makes or Breaks a Slurry Pump

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With how crucial slurry pumps are for certain industries, the stakes for a good one are great. Applications that aren’t well-served by a quality slurry pump experience disruption, breakdown, and increased maintenance and/or replacement costs. This being said, there are a handful of key aspects that inform a slurry pump’s performance—in layman’s terms what “makes or breaks it.” Here’s a helpful primer on these aspects, as well as what makes them so important to the success of a slurry pump. 

#1: Design

Intuitively, design is among the most critical aspects of a slurry pump. It has to be in order for the slurry not to wear down or downright destroy the impeller and other key components. 

Slurry is often highly abrasive and/or corrosive and, for this reason, slurry pump design has to be top-notch. Slurry also has a high possibility for the presence of unexpected solids, which has a chance to clog up or bottleneck pumps—potentially affecting the volume and causing loss of suction. The right slurry pump design is critical to keeping volute integrity (over time) in the most abrasive settings. 

#2: Construction

Design’s close counterpart, construction, is also top of list for slurry pumps. Abrasive-resistant metallurgies must be utilized if applications are heavily harsh and/or caustic. 

Typically, a high chrome is the preferred construction material for highly abrasive settings. In these cases, Vulcan Pumps builds our submersible slurry pumps with metallurgy 28% chrome iron, ASTMA532. 

Additionally, we manufacture duplex stainless steel construction pumps for slurry that exhibits both an abrasive nature and low pH. Good examples of where this construction is necessary are places with a high presence of chemical or chloride concerns. 

#3: Seal

Pump seal loss of function can have a devastating effect; oftentimes, motor manufacturers offer a generic seal, which can prove ill-suited for specific applications. Per application needs, the ideal seal is absolutely necessary. Often seals need to incorporate hard set, tungsten or silicon carbide faces in order to avoid cracking. 

At Vulcan Pumps, we partner with U.S.-based John Crane Co. for the most robust, application-made seals and seal designs. This ensures top quality from the get-go. 

#4: Size & Power

Slurry pump power and size is also a critical element that can inform the success of the pump for the application. With the abrasiveness of slurries, a pump must be of adequate size to operate slow enough to extend pump life. Ideally, a pump will be set to run between 900 and 1200 RPM; more than this can wear out the pump at its wear points through abrasive blasting. 

#5: Method of Use

The deployment or use method for the pump is the final key aspect to ensuring slurry pump success. Submersible pumps, the kind Vulcan Pumps specializes in, are pumps completely submerged in a liquid. This avoids the requirement for priming, as the pump is immersed in the liquid being pumped. Other pumping setups may involve priming (or be self-primed) or have additional needs prior to pumping. Knowing which pumping method the intended application calls for helps the pump be most effective and last longer. 

Find Your Ideal Submersible Slurry Pump

Vulcan Pumps offers top-of-the-line, U.S.-made submersible slurry pumps—with parts inventoried locally in the Southeast. Contact us to see how our pumps can best meet your application needs.