How to simplify the concepts behind the vast majority of pump maintenance-related issues into an easy-to-recall mnemonic device

1. Getting Your CLAWS
into Pump Maintenance
Brian Gongol, M.Ed.
DJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
October 25, 2023
IAWEA Region 5 Fall Meeting
Huxley, Iowa

2. Let’s talk about
the power of mnemonics

3. What do you teach kids to do in case
their clothes catch fire?

4. What do you teach kids to do in case
their clothes catch fire?
• Stop, drop, and roll

5. What is the first assessment in first aid?

6. What is the first assessment in first aid?
• CAB
• Circulation
• Airway
• Breathing

7. How do you change lanes on the road?

8. How do you change lanes on the road?
• SLY
• Signal
• Look
• Yield

9. Mnemonics reduce what we have to remember
STOP, DROP, AND ROLL CAB
(PREVIOUSLY ABC)
SLY

10. Pump maintenance can also be a mnemonic

11. Think CLAWS

12. Who has encountered
a pump that one day
kept turning but just
stopped pumping?

13. CLAWS
Clearances

14. Centrifugal pumps need tight clearances

15. Gaps between moving parts invite clogs

16. Recirculation cuts into pump efficiency

17. Energy generated by the
rotating impeller has to be
directed or else it will loop

18. An oversimplified view

19. The wearplate keeps the zones separated

20. Cutaway view

21. Small gaps can create big
performance losses

22. Performance losses can accelerate wear

23. Problems with clearances happen slowly,
then all at once

24. Easy clearance
adjustment saves
money

25. Tell the truth:
Are you as good
about checking the
oil in your pumps as
the oil in your truck?

26. CLAWS
Lubrication

27. Lubricants are
modern marvels
▼ Friction
▼ Heat
▼ Wear
▲ Run time

28. Seal oil or grease

29. Bearing oil or grease

30. Free the heat

31. Motor oil or grease

32. Not too much, not too little

33. Changes in
lubricant condition
can warn you of
trouble

34. You know it’s how to make a vehicle last
And it’s how to make your pumps last,
too

35. Ever seen a broken
pump shaft up close?

36. CLAWS
Alignment

37. Misalignment is
usually a transmission
problem

38. Couplings need to be ultra-precise

39. V-belts can forgive, but not if they’re over-tight

40. Laser alignment isn’t
hard to do

41. Precision pump balancing reduces wear,
and every good pump spec admits it

42. Alignment issues grow with
(1) pump speeds and (2) pump sizes

43. Consider the math
• 9.75” diameter impeller

44. Consider the math
• 9.75” diameter impeller
⇒ 30.63” travel per rotation (at the
vane tips)

45. Consider the math
• 9.75” diameter impeller
⇒ 30.63” travel per rotation (at the
vane tips)
• 1150 rpm

46. Consider the math
• 9.75” diameter impeller
⇒ 30.63” travel per rotation (at the
vane tips)
• 1150 rpm
⇒ 69,000 turns per hour

47. Consider the math
• 9.75” diameter impeller
⇒ 30.63” travel per rotation (at the
vane tips)
• 1150 rpm
⇒ 69,000 turns per hour
• 30.63” x 69,000
= 2,113,470 inches/hour

48. Consider the math
• 9.75” diameter impeller
⇒ 30.63” travel per rotation (at the
vane tips)
• 1150 rpm
⇒ 69,000 turns per hour
• 30.63” x 69,000
= 2,113,470 inches/hour
= 33.36 mph

49. Consider the math
• At 1150 rpm, the vane tips are
moving at 33.36 mph
• At 1750 rpm, the vane tips are
moving at 50.76 mph

50. Consider the math
• At 1150 rpm, the vane tips are
moving at 33.36 mph
• At 1750 rpm, the vane tips are
moving at 50.76 mph
• Treat your impeller like you’d treat
your automobile and keep it well-
aligned

51. Who gets the blame
when your pumps
can’t keep up?

52. CLAWS
Wear

53. What wears in a pump?

54. Wear plates or wear rings

55. When they wear out…
• Clearances increase
• Recirculation increases
• Energy is wasted
• Solids get stuck

56. Impellers

57. When they wear out…
• Efficiency decreases
• Performance degrades
• Run times increase

58. Casings

59. When they wear out…
• Pumps leak
• Pressure is lost
• Catastrophic failures occur

60. And also:
Not all castings are created equal

61. Can I help you
experience
fewer clogging
incidents?

62. CLAWS
Solids

63. A problem in wastewater,
but a risk in potable water too

64. Tuberculated pipes
and sedimentation
come for us all

65. Look in low-velocity spots

66. Look in low places

67. Abrasive wear looks different from cavitation

68. Suction-side cavitation

69. Discharge-side cavitation

70. Now that you’ve heard the full
acronym...
Time for the helpful handout

71. Making use of the CLAWS

72. Routine pump inspections: Weekly checks
• Clearances
• Lubrication – if it’s easy to inspect, check it weekly
• Alignment
• Wear
• Solids

73. Routine pump inspections: Monthly checks
• Clearances – if it’s a high-wear application
• Lubrication
• Alignment
• Wear
• Solids

74. Routine pump inspections: Quarterly checks
• Clearances
• Lubrication – checking more often won’t hurt
• Alignment
• Wear – record performance and track trends
• Solids

75. Routine pump inspections: Semiannual checks
• Clearances – the bare minimum if you want to avoid trouble
• Lubrication
• Alignment – for belt drives
• Wear
• Solids

76. Routine pump inspections: Annual checks
• Clearances
• Lubrication
• Alignment
• Wear
• Solids

77. Troubleshooting when problems arise
Most problems
can be traced back
to the CLAWS

78. Even pilots count on quick-reference guides

79. Quick first answers are often wrong

80. Structure your maintenance habits to help practice finding
good answers quickly

81. If it’s one problem, it’s often more than one
Misalignment leads to lubrication problems
Wear encourages problems with solids
Clearance problems accelerate wear
Solids can cause wear which leads to clearance problems

82. Simplifying maintenance thinking helps
prevent catastrophic problems

83. But it only works if you put the idea to use!

84. Keep the CLAWS at the ready
Clearances – Lubrication – Alignment – Wear – Solids

85. Questions?
• Thanks for your time and attention!
• This presentation can be found at
gongol.net/presentations
• Brian Gongol
DJ Gongol & Associates
• 515-979-2837 mobile
• 515-223-4144 office
• brian@gongol.net
• @djgongol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and
Facebook

86. Credits
• Pump alignment images used courtesy of the Gorman-Rupp Company
• Some icons were automatically inserted by PowerPoint
• All other images (including all product-specific and project site photos) are the
original work of the author
• Copyright 2023 by Brian Gongol, all rights reserved