Zen and the art of pump maintenance

Gone are the days of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Superintendents are taking a more proactive approach in maintaining the equipment that is the lifeblood of their livelihood. For example, a simple issue with an irrigation pump and playing conditions can quickly deteriorate – leading to a landslide of negative possibilities.

For starters, locating an authorized service provider is paramount in the continued health of your irrigation pump, says H. Rex Hansen P.E., western regional sales manager for Rain Bird-Golf Division.

“The best thing a superintendent can do is to connect with a qualified ASP who can assist with annual check-ups, diagnostics and preventive maintenance,” Hansen says. “A good ASP will have experience with the pump station at your course and historical records of past maintenance provided.”

Additionally, in colder climates, superintendents will need to deal with seasonal winterization and spring start-up. “The water in all pressure transducer tubes should be drained and the pressure transducers should be removed and stored for the winter,” he adds. “In the spring, use the (Variable Frequency Drives) in manual mode to fill your mainline slowly and avoid pressure spikes. This will help extend the life of your irrigation system as well as your pump station.”

Regardless of location, in-season attention goes a long way toward maintaining a healthy system.

“During the season, it is advisable for the superintendent to regularly visit the pump house while the system is on and pressurized,” Hansen says. “Use all of your senses to survey the conditions. Is the (pump motor) cycling too often? You may have leaks in your mainline. Is there evidence of water on the skid? The packing may need to be adjusted. Do the motors make unusual noises? The bearings might be worn or the system may be out of balance. This isn't a comprehensive list, but it highlights the importance of regular pump station visits.”

A routine preventative maintenance program should be developed and preferably include a checklist, says Tom Hoesly, technical operations manager for Pump Service Network, a division of Watertronics.

“The check list should include areas to record vital information such as power, performance, physical inspection, electrical inspection and test data,” Hoesly says. “Comparison checks of the data will help in determining if the station may be showing signs of performance issues or if the station has issues and to what extent.”

A full preventative maintenance check should be done at least twice a year, he adds.

Other components may need maintenance based on experience, Hoesly says. “Pressure relief valve and filter maintenance will depend on water quality and other factors, and may even change based on the time of year,” he says. “Algae blooms have a definite influence on the frequency of maintenance needed.”

Safety must be observed, first and foremost, when doing maintenance of any kind, Hoesly stresses. “A superintendent should develop safety procedures and make sure they are followed,” he says. “Safety equipment should be easily available and in good condition. Experienced service providers should be used on everything but the most basic tasks.”

And, like Hansen, Hoesly places great importance on regular in-season visits to the pump house.

“At least once a week someone should spend time in the pump house listening and observing the pump station running,” he says. “Listen for odd noises, vibrations, running water, and be aware of different odors than normal.”

Wally Dowe, superintendent and director of golf course maintenance at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Ariz., has three Rain Bird pump stations. Twice a year he schedules a visit from Desert Pump Tek to perform preventative maintenance, which includes: cleaning filters, changing oil, checking all electrical cabinets for any loose connections or wiring issues, checking flow on all pumps to see if pumping capacity is declining, checking packings and replacing as needed, checking bonnets on the clay valve, replacing diaphragms in the pressure regulator valves, taking amps readings, checking vibrations on the pump motors, and checking programming to ensure there are no changes.

Unusual smells and atypical noises can often be indicators of larger problems, making periodic visits to the pump house even more important.

Visual and/or audio inspection are important weapons in Dowe’s arsenal. He is looking for excessive vibration on the motors, a decline in pumping capacity of the pumps and ensuring there is a balance of hours on the motors.

“(I) try to keep motor hours balanced so one motor does not get all the hours,” he says.

All parts are not created equal, just as different systems require particular attention. While there are certain constants, something may need to be proactively replaced and/or upgraded on one pump, but not another.

“Packing and seals should be checked regularly,” Hansen says. “On vertical turbine pumps, whenever the motor is pulled for servicing, it is a good idea to pull the pump too. Check the strainer basket for clogging and check for obvious signs of pump wear. Check out the deck and skid; prep and repaint any areas where corrosion is starting.”

Regardless of wear, Dowe proactively replaces diaphragms in the pressure regulator valves, which doesn’t allow them to deteriorate and negatively affect performance.

In addition to mechanical seals, motor oil, filter screens, stuffing boxes, and any other items that have a limited life expectancy should be replaced before the need is obvious, Hoesly says.

“Motor and pump control systems need to be upgraded before they fail,” he says. “Technical advances in PLC’s and other electrical components make original parts obsolete in 8-10 years.”

Unfortunately, what may be obvious to one superintendent, is often overlooked by another. It’s not always about the system, itself.

“A clean and well-lit pump house can make a world of difference,” Hansen says. “Replace burned out light bulbs, remove cobwebs, repair any holes that would allow critters to enter the pump house. Make sure the door fully closes and can be locked.

“I often uncover issues by running trending reports at the Central Control computer,” he adds. “Needless to say, this only works if the communication between the pump house and the superintendent's office is in working order.”

Another area to check is the inlet pipe system, Hansen says. Is the box screen clogged? Is the inlet pipe crushed?

In Hoesly’s experience, cleaning of pressure-relief valve components are often overlooked.

Preventative maintenance is good. However, preventative maintenance done wrong can be more harmful than helpful. Hansen rattled off some common mistakes superintendents often make when trying to be proactive.

“Over tightening the packing; a small amount of leakage around the seal is normal,” he says. “Avoiding the pump house because it's overwhelming [and] ignoring pump motor cycling; it's more cost effective to fix mainline leaks than replacing motors.”

The most common mistake superintendents make is in not contacting qualified technicians to perform maintenance when appropriate, Hoesly says. Likewise, preventative maintenance checklist data needs to be recorded and compared to previous reports so that trends can be found. “Is the pump still producing the same amount of flow? Is the voltage and amperage for each pump still the same? Are pressure transducers reading correctly?” he says.

Dowe has seen colleagues make crippling mistakes, such as skipping preventative maintenance service to save money, not cleaning filters regularly or simply not having a thorough preventative maintenance service scheduled on a regular basis.

System efficiency is not to be overlooked, Hansen points out. “Older stations may have less-efficient motors than modern, high-efficiency or premium-efficiency motors,” he says. “Also, as the pump turbine wears in normal usage, you will experience degradation of hydraulic efficiency. These two factors rob the course of electrical energy and expense.

“It's a good idea to have your authorized service provider conduct an efficiency audit to ensure you're not wasting money on electricity,” Hansen adds. “The results of this audit can help the superintendent determine if it is time to replace the system, or at the very least, modify the flow management tables on his central control software.”

Rob Thomas is a Cleveland-based writer and frequent GCI contributor.