Employee Spotlight
Laura Silveira is the voice you hear when you call SDI in the morning, so you might
have talked with her at some time. She has worked for us since 2006 and
has an extensive background in retail operations. Laura serves as our Purchasing Agent,
working with our many vendors helping to keep SDI competitive in the
marketplace and parts ready to ship to our customers. Laura and her husband Tony live in Tulare which is just south of Visalia. She is the proud mother of two daughters and doting grandmother of three. |
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Greetings!
Welcome to Autumn and the September issue of the SDI Email Newsletter. If you have topics or ideas you would like to see integrated into future newsletters please email me at sam@sprayingdevices.com with your suggestions. |
Diaphragm Pump Maintenance
August's newsletter talked about the key differences between diaphragm and
centrifugal pumps. Both types are reliable, time tested designs used
around the world in a variety of applications.
Hypro D30 Pump
 | As mentioned in August, there is a trade-off between both types
of pumps. The diaphragm pump offers higher pressures at lower flow rates than centrifugal pumps. Another area that should be considered when deciding on a pump is the maintenance involved.
Regular maintenance interval recommendations vary by the manufacturer of the pump. Most suggest changing the oil at the same time as a change of diaphragms. They also suggest checking for wear on the intake and delivery valves particularly if you are pumping liquids that are abrasive. As a general rule, depending on your use patterns, you want to do an extensive pump check at least seasonally.
The key wear area on a diaphragm pump is the diaphragm itself. Because
of their design, a diaphragm pump can be run dry for an extended period
of time without damage as long as the suction is not blocked.
A
clogged or blocked suction can cause the diaphragms to tear or develop
holes. If that occurs, spray material can enter the gear box of the pump
and the oil in the gear box can
contaminate your spray solution. A contaminated gear box can cause other
problems with the pistons, crank shaft or other internal components.
How
do you monitor the health of your pump diaphragms? Most oil bath
diaphragm pumps have an oil sight cup. This part allows you to easily see the amount of oil in the pump and will readily indicate if Oil Sight Cup
 | you are having a
diaphragm problem.
If the oil is clear and not cloudy,
everything is just fine. Conversely, if the oil looks milky or cloudy
you have a problem. Depending upon how long the problem has been
occurring, this could be evidence of a need for a diaphragm replacement or
other damage.
We carry a complete supply of replacement parts and those not in stock can be ordered. There is good maintenance and rebuild information in the owners manual for your specific pump. If you
are missing your manual, give us a call and we can email you a
replacement or direct you to more information on your individual pump.
Next month we'll cover maintenance on centrifugal pumps.
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That's it for this edition of the SDI Email Newsletter. I am proud to note that this edition marks our one year anniversary of our newsletter. Thank you for your suggestions and encouragement. Please keep sending in your comments and ideas for topics you'd like to see included!
Thanks!
Sam Bennet
Spraying Devices Inc.
800-564-7548
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