How Critical Pump Failure Was Avoided With i-Alert2 Technology

Two split case pumps drastically lost performance and were in dire need of a complete rebuild. But when the Maintenance Manager was told the pumps would need to be removed and taken back to the shop for repair, he hesitated. 

At this manufacturing plant in southern Wisconsin, two split case pumps, responsible for circulating water in the cooling tower, had experienced some performance issues. They weren't delivering nearly the amount of flow and pressure that they should have been. The Maintenance Manager, wanted the pumps to be rebuilt in place, but the damage was too extensive.

The first pump had wear rings that were completely worn out, pieces of metal had dislodged and bounced around, damaging the internals, and the entire rotating element needed to be rebuilt. This was far too large of a job to be done onsite. The Maintenance Manager didn’t want the pump to leave the plant, because if the pump in service went down, the entire plant would go with it.

His Crane Engineering Account Manager had a solution that would allow the Maintenance Manager to keep a very close eye on his working pump’s condition and ward off potential failure. He installed an ITT i-Alert2.

ITT’s i-Alert2 is a condition monitoring tool that combines Bluetooth and sensor technology to monitor machine health. It takes 24/7 readings, monitoring vibration and temperature, allowing early detection of machine failures. See the demo video we shot at Tech Expo.

The Maintenance Manager was already familiar with vibration analysis because they had vibe analysis technicians onsite. But to monitor the condition of this very critical pump, they would have to be there 24/7. Knowing that the i-Alert2 would gather data about the pump’s condition all day, and all night, he agreed to try it.

The Maintenance Manager was quickly able to see when process conditions were causing higher than normal vibrations and temperature concerns. He was able to use the data to make adjustments to the process in real time, keeping the health of the pump in check, and allowing him to keep the pump running without his back up.

After about a week of use, the Maintenance Manager found the tool to be invaluable. He decided to keep the i-Alert2 he used on the critical pump, then ordered 6 more to put on every end suction pump and split case in the plant. He plans to use more on fans and other rotating equipment as part of a larger predictive maintenance program.

Have critical equipment that needs constant monitoring? Request an i-Alert2 demo! We gladly provide technical demonstrations to businesses and municipalities in Wisconsin and upper Michigan.