What to Log in Your Pump Room and Why It Saves Real Money
If you only capture data when something breaks, you’re paying retail for reliability – and your energy bill is higher than it needs to be. For critical assets like your metering, booster, or transfer pumps, waiting for failure is an expensive strategy that burns power and labour.
The good news?
You don’t need a complex new SCADA system or an expensive historian. At Vissers Sales Corp, we’ve seen the most effective reliability programs start with a simple, two-minute process kept by your operators – the humble shift log.
This simple shift log catches trouble early, trims energy bills, and turns guesswork into confident decisions. Here are the five essential fields that matter.
The 5 Fields that Save Real Money
Log these five data points once per shift for each critical pump
- Suction Pressure (psi): This is the early warning system. A falling suction pressure suggests clogged strainers, empty day tanks, or suction leaks. Failing to catch this immediately risks cavitation and catastrophic seal damage.
- Discharge Pressure (psi): This confirms the pump is meeting its system setpoint. A consistent drift low suggests leaks, worn impellers, or fouled injectors, while a drift high indicates closed valves or downstream blockages.
- Speed (%) or rpm: This measures the Variable Frequency Drive’s (VFD) effort. If the pump’s speed climbs to maintain the same discharge pressure, something upstream or downstream is adding resistance, costing you power.
- Strainer Differential (psi): The most overlooked money saver. Rising numbers mean you are literally burning extra kilowatt-hours (kWh) to push liquid through dirt. Cleaning strainers based on this trend, rather than a fixed schedule, delivers instant energy savings.
- Don’t skip human intuition. Observations like rattling or a foamy sight glass offer crucial context to the numbers and help maintenance to act faster.
How to Spot Drift Early (And Act on It)
You’re looking for small, steady changes against yesterday’s baseline. Post these simple “If X, then Y” patterns in your pump room for fast action.
If Suction is Down 3-5 psi vs. Last Week,
Action: Likely a dirty basket or air ingress. Clean the strainer; check suction fittings.
If Discharge is Steady, but Speed is Up 5–10 Points,
Action: The pump is working harder. Suspect fouling downstream, mis-set back-pressure valve, or impeller wear.
If Strainer Numbers Creep Up, Shift After Shift.
Action: You are paying for friction. Clean it now and document the before/after to see your kWh consumption drop.
Turning Logs into Maintenance and Energy Wins
Your log is just data until you link it to action. This process delivers two major benefits:
- Condition-Based PMs: Replace outdated, time-based routines like “clean every two weeks” with condition-based triggers like “clean when suction falls by 5 psi”. You cut emergencies and wasted labour.
- Quantify Energy Savings: After a strainer clean or VFD retune, note the new speed % or kW at the same discharge pressure. Even a 5% speed reduction saves approximately 14% power (the cube law). Add this math to your monthly report to justify the program.
A shift log is a process, not a piece of paper. Vissers Sales Corp. specializes in optimizing pump systems to ensure maximum reliability and minimum operating cost. Ready to stop paying for reliability problems and start investing in efficiency?