Good periodic maintenance is the best investment to extend the life of both the diaphragm pump and the sprayer.
Maintenance aims at taking care of the efficiency of your pump, improving its operation and life.
By reducing faults, you can also reduce operating costs, which are increasingly higher in the event of a pump failure. Operations such as periodic diaphragm replacement are investments in the life of your sprayer and avoid higher and unexpected costs.
Planning time and costs for routine maintenance is easy and profitable in the long term.
Without maintenance, your pump may have problems such as the break of valves and diaphragms, supporting feet, or irreparable damage such as seizure of the mechanical components.
If you experience these problems, it means that maintenance was not performed correctly or regularly.
In this article you will find the routine maintenance procedures, these are very simple and fast operations but if carried out continuously they greatly improve the performance of your diaphragm pump, thus reducing the operating costs of your sprayer.
Tightening
For a correct tightening it is necessary:
- to check that the pump is firmly secured to the sprayer’s chassis
- to check that the fittings are connected to the pipes of the circuit without any leakage of liquid or air suction
Flush
After each use, flush the inside of the pump thoroughly with clean water. Most chemical attacks occur when chemicals are allowed to settle inside the pump.
Special attention should be paid to rinsing the filters, as obstructions can cause serious damage.
Oil level
Oil has a double purpose:
- lubricate the mechanical parts
- act as a hydraulic support for the diaphragms in the delivery phase.
Therefore, always keep the level indicated in the compensator and, if necessary, top up to reach the appropriate level.
Pressure accumulator (or pulsation dampener)
The pressure accumulator is designed to reduce pulsations.
Every 50 hours of work, the air charge inside must be checked and, if necessary, the pressure must be reset by means of a pump.
To set the pressure correctly, refer to the specific literature for the model of your pump.
Routine maintenance
Every 300 hours of operation, you must replace the diaphragms and check the condition of the valves, in particular springs, plates and rings. Also check if it is necessary to change the oil.
These checks must also be carried out at the end of the season or after 300 hours of operation (whichever comes first).
Winter storage
Every 300 hours of operation, you must replace the diaphragms and check the condition of the valves, in particular springs, plates and rings. Also check if it is necessary to change the oil.
These checks must also be carried out at the end of the season or after 300 hours of operation (whichever comes first).
Power take-off
Always check that the cardan shaft is correctly sized in relation to the type of machine and pump. You should also ensure that the PTO is always properly lubricated.
To learn more, read also: DIAPHRAGM PUMP TROUBLESHOOTING: HOW TO FIX MOST COMMON PROBLEMS
or download the complete Comet guide: