Any machinery with moving parts will require periodic maintenance and your pressure pump is no different. Pascali pumps are designed and manufactured to last many years but even the greatest machines in the world won’t survive neglect and abuse.
Below are some pump maintenance checks you can perform on a regular basis to ensure that your pressure pump keeps functioning optimally for a long time. Getting in the habit to check your pump regularly will help you identify potential problems early, avoiding more expensive repairs than if you just forget about your pump.
Protect your pump
The first step in maintaining your pressure pump is to protect it from the elements. Invest in a cover for the pump to keep rainwater and dust out. Keeping direct sunlight off the assembly is also a good idea because sunlight can damage some plastics over time.
Check for leaks
Regularly check for any water leaks from your tank to the pump and throughout the whole system. Fixing small leaks early can avoid it developing into bigger leaks down the line. The pump and motor should never stand in a puddle of water and should also be installed above possible flood levels in case of a heavy downpour.
Listen for noises
Listen to the pump while it is running to hear if there are any strange noises. A variety of things can cause unusual sounds coming from the pump, including leaves or sticks stuck in the impeller or a cooling fan scraping the inside of the housing. Check if insects or rodents haven’t decided to nest next to your pump causing possible future problems.
Keep it clean
The water entering your pump should ideally be at room temperature and free of any debris, so if you are collecting rainwater from your roof, install a filter system to keep any leaves, twigs, and other foreign matter out of the tank. It is inevitable that dust that settles on your roof during the dry months will wash into your gutter system and eventually into your tank. This should settle to the bottom of the tank and can be cleaned out every couple of years, depending on the level of build-up.
Keep it cool and steady
Check the mounting points of the pump to ensure it is still secure and that there isn’t excessive vibration. Make sure that there is adequate airflow around the motor from the cooling fan.
You can also consider protecting your pump from electrical surges with a surge protector installed on your distributor board.
Do all these regular maintenance checks, and your water pressure booster pump can perform for many years to come!
For more on the subject, check out this interview with Charlie du Plessis, Technical Advisor at Pascali.
