Why Is Pump Maintenance Vital For Your Building?

What problems can unmaintained pump systems cause?

Performing periodic maintenance on a pump system is a proven way of reducing the likelihood of unexpected issues or premature failure. In your building or facility, failure or issues with pump systems can hugely impact the day-to-day running and put occupants/visitors welfare at risk.

Like all heavy machinery, pump systems require recurrent care to continue to operate efficiently. All pump systems consist of mechanical parts and these mechanical components will wear over time as a result of the demands and load of the system. Many businesses are guilty of overusing pumps (sometimes constantly) and failing to seek maintenance. The result? Issues that continually go unmonitored and unrepaired.

Components such as mechanical seals are the most common cause of pump downtime. Found in most building service pumps, mechanical seals are exposed to massive amounts of friction. A mechanical seal that is replaced at the first sign of failure, or better on a planned maintenance programme, can save costly downtime and further damage to the pump shaft and motor if left to leak for a long period of time.

A worn mechanical seal can also increase noise levels (which can cause disruption), enable leakages and the vibration of the parts can reduce the life expectancy and lead to bigger problems.

Leaking pipework and seals are also common as a result of years of neglect and a lack of TLC. A broken three-inch pipe could lose as much as 1000 litres of liquid per minute which could lead to flooding and long periods of inconvenience as well as high costs for infrastructural and furnishing repairs.

The free circulation of water does not only result in higher levels of wasted water but dodgy non-return. Gate valves may also let water flow freely, increasing the risk of issues like legionella—a huge issue for duty holders, especially in medical, residential and food production environments where standards must be maintained.

How does this impact the building users? 

Whether your pump systems serve a hospital, stadium, retail centre, office complex or hotel, problems with the system are impairing. With such high demand so often required in these sectors, the responsibility to provide users with reliable facilities and maintain product quality is imperative.

Unmaintained pump systems can increase downtime, incur immense costs, waste resources and production, put lives at risk and ruin businesses/buildings.

Why should you ensure pump systems are maintained?

Managing a building is all about keeping people happy. Of course, the pressure is always on to make sure that residents, visitors, patients and employees can do their jobs or go about their daily lives. Reliable and secure pump maintenance can help alleviate that pressure.

Well-maintained pump systems are less likely to develop unexpected issues or fail at the worst possible time. This offers peace of mind at any time, even when your pump systems are working under a maximum load.

In the long term, pump maintenance is critical for longevity and reliability. Not only does it extend the life of a system but regulated maintenance can reduce energy consumption, save money and improve safety and efficiency throughout.

How did pump system maintenance save a company £100K a year? 

A Holiday and Caravan park with 26 pumps on-site in all shapes, types and sizes were experiencing failures regularly. A lack of maintenance had resulted in poor repair and condition of the pump systems.

Some pump systems were operating at a reduced rate due to blockages, others had little to no management and pumps were overflowing. Several of the control panels had failed or had faulty components. Not only did it make operation hard but it was a clear fire hazard.

The Holiday Park was being forced to make numerous callouts. This was very costly and life was increasingly unpleasant for everyone involved.

What did Dura Pump do? 

Dura Pump visited the large site and performed a site assessment. Based on our findings, we recommended a 3-year maintenance package.

On the first visit, we assessed and serviced every single system to identify all faults—including current and any potential risks. From there, based on a 30 point checklist, we scheduled maintenance for the years going forward in order of urgency to create a full plan of pump repairs and remedial works.

By solving the urgent issues first, we quickly reduced the primary numbers of breakdowns and callouts to make instant savings.

The result

Since the maintenance began breakdowns on-site have stopped and overall costs have reduced. The site is still serviced regularly and recommendations are made when necessary.

The customer now has a healthy system, reduced breakdown costs and the park users are a lot happier. The Holiday & Caravan Park now saves £100K a year as a result of maintenance performed by Dura Pump.

Prevention is better than cure

Why wait for pump system failures to happen when you can prevent them with maintenance? If you allow your system to fail completely, finding the cure will be more expensive, take much longer to fix at a critical stage and the results could be overall catastrophic.

What if you experience an unexpected problem that threatens the running of your building? If you had the security of a maintenance package, then you could have it rectified in no time.

Choosing to invest in a pump maintenance package with a pump expert like Dura Pump is the only way to ensure your peace of mind. Every pump and system requires a specialist service and our engineers are qualified and experienced in the maintenance of virtually every manufacturer’s products.

Our Proserv maintenance packages are specifically designed to save you money, reduce energy consumption, extend the life of your system and make protecting your assets simpler. Dependent on your requirements, we can offer fixed-cost services and 24/7 support to make sure we’re there whenever you need us—an essential when you’re in services such as hospitals, prisons and hotels where activities never cease.

Do you want to experience complete system cover and reliability at a fixed cost? Contact us now for an initial discussion on 01604 648 800 or email mail@durapump.co.uk