Flexible Impeller
Flexible Impeller
(OP)
I have a customer destroying nitrile impellers almost every week. We draw fluid from a roughly 10' diameter tank through a 1" line into the 3/4 port on the pump. The tank is within 20 feet of the pump. Any ideas on the cause and hopefully a solution?





RE: Flexible Impeller
Seriously, you are giving us no information on the pump, rpm's, fluid, solids, anything... Throw us a bone please!
Give some info and you might get help.
<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying " Damn that was fun!" - Unknown>>
RE: Flexible Impeller
RE: Flexible Impeller
Could it be cavitation?
<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying " Damn that was fun!" - Unknown>>
RE: Flexible Impeller
RE: Flexible Impeller
So as long as there is a guarantee of flooded suction, the problem lies on some flow obstruction I guess.
As a side comment, I once had a centrifugal pump impeller destroyed couple times due to cavitation (much larger that what you have). Took us about a week to find the issue. Bugs!!! Bugs falling into the tank were sucked into the lines and a particular type of beetle always plugged it. It had a pretty hard shell.
<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying " Damn that was fun!" - Unknown>>
RE: Flexible Impeller
have you a filter upstream of the pump?
What is the type of impeller of the pump, is it a submersible waste water pump?
for waste water fluids, you have typically three or four type of impellers (closed with 3 or 4 vanes, open, open similar to screw for example).
depending on the content in fiber, sand, solid content etc you need to go with the right impeller type and metallurgy.
RE: Flexible Impeller
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Flexible Impeller
Johnny Pellin
RE: Flexible Impeller
RE: Flexible Impeller
Ted
RE: Flexible Impeller
RE: Flexible Impeller
RE: Flexible Impeller
This impeller would probably not respond well if it was spun backwards. Is there any chance that this could be happening?
Johnny Pellin
RE: Flexible Impeller
RE: Flexible Impeller
Ted
RE: Flexible Impeller
I would agree with Johnny Pellin - any chance of the pump running backwards at any stage and rubber is very tolerant to cavitation damage?