Ran my dredge pump dry for 6 months before a foreman yelled at me

I was on a job near Baton Rouge pulling sand from a tight channel, and I kept hearing this weird chatter from the pump housing. Thought it was just rocks or debris, you know? Then the foreman came over and shut me down, pointed at the seal water line that was completely blocked off. Turns out I was running without any lubrication on the shaft seal, just grinding metal on metal the whole time. That repair cost us $3,800 and three days of downtime. Has anyone else had a senior guy call them out on some basic thing you thought you knew?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_lopez481mo agoMost Upvoted

3 days of downtime over a blocked seal water line is crazy, but I've seen guys run pumps dry for years without issues if the seal type is different. Classic case of one foreman's "basic thing" being brand new info to someone else.

claire_ramirez221mo ago

Honestly, that foreman probably saved you from turning your pump into a purse-sized paperweight. Ngl, I've seen guys treat seal water like an optional feature, like GPS on a horse and buggy. Meanwhile, the pump's screaming louder than a toddler denied candy and everyone's just shrugging. Bet you felt real smart when you saw that bill, huh? Classic case of learning the expensive way.