Peanut butter. Jellies and jams. Salsa. Latex paints. These are thick, highly viscous products that can put your equipment under heavy load. If your company relies on positive displacement pumps to push high-viscosity products like these from one storage tank to another, you can’t afford to take unnecessary chances with flimsy equipment that isn’t up to the task. But, before you contact your Alfa-Laval, Viking or WCB dealer, have you considered the advantages of a high-quality reconditioned positive displacement pump? Stay with us as we explore the advantages of choosing a quality reconditioned positive displacement pump, and the multi-stage process we use to ensure customers get a product they can trust.
Strength and Reliability Under Load
Whether you need to replace a worn out positive displacement pump, or you need additional pumps to expand your production line, you obviously want high-quality equipment. But, getting a reliable positive displacement pump doesn’t have to cost your company an arm and a leg. In fact, a professionally reconditioned pump could be just as reliable as brand new pump – and be up and running in two weeks or less.
Downtime is Money
Forgive the cliché, but bear with us. Your production line is full of wearable equipment, and breakdowns are inevitable. So, when a piece goes down, you need to get it replaced or repaired as quickly as possible. Let’s assume for a moment that cost is not a consideration you have to worry about. Even in this unlikely scenario, you may still have to wait up to six weeks for delivery of your new positive displacement pump. Now, hopefully your entire production line doesn’t come to a complete stand-still with the failure of a single pump. But, just think about how much more product you could produce in the time it takes for your new pump to be installed.
Reconditioned Positive Displacement Pumps: The Proof is in the Process
Some equipment companies think reconditioning a positive displacement pump is about polishing it up and slapping on a fresh coat of paint. Before you commit to purchasing from any vendor, make sure you understand their reconditioning process. As for the reconditioning process at Zwirner?
The Zwirner Reconditioning Process:
Electrical Motor Testing: This is where it all starts. Before we do anything else, we make sure the motor that drives the positive displacement pump operates the way it’s supposed to. If the wiring is bad or if it’s pulling too many amps, we don’t go any farther until these problems are resolved.
Gear Drive Evaluation & Repair: The gear drive is essential for ensuring your pump runs at the correct output RPM. So, we’ll make sure that the gear drive is operating properly and that there are no flaws that could cause your pump to run too fast or too slow. Rotor/Head Tolerance Check: If necessary, we’ll re-machine the head to ensure proper clearances in the wet end. Mandatory Bearing Replacement: Some equipment companies will simply eyeball the bearings and leave them alone if they pass a visual inspection. At Zwirner, we insist on replacing all bearings with new, sealed bearings – regardless of how good the current bearings look. Mandatory Gaskets & Seals: These are wearable parts, and they are prone to deterioration and failure over time. None of our reconditioned positive displacement pumps leave our warehouse without brand new gaskets and seals. Period.
Miscellaneous Motor Repairs: From defective junction boxes, broken fans or rusted-out fan covers, we hunt for any other problem areas and then replace or repair the parts in question. Stainless Steel Restoration: Because many of our customers use their positive displacement pumps to produce food, we make sure all stainless-steel surfaces are clean and polished. And, if any stainless-steel component – the like the impeller, for example – is worn or damaged, we replace it. Stripping and Re-painting: We put this part of the process last, not because it isn’t important, but because how our pumps look is of little consequence if they don’t work right. That being said, when it’s time to re-paint a positive displacement pump, we do so using high-quality epoxy paint to extend the life of the paint job, giving you more bang for your buck. Final Testing & Shipping: It’s one thing for a pump motor to work properly when we run it without a load on the bench. But, that doesn’t tell us anything about how it will run when it’s doing the heavy lifting on your production line. That’s why all of our reconditioned positive displacement pumps go through a final round of testing designed to simulate the stress of pumping a high-viscosity product. If everything checks out, it gets prepped for shipment and loaded onto a truck at no additional cost to our customers. But if not, the pump doesn’t leave our facility until it passes.
Learn More About Reconditioned Positive Displacement Pumps from Zwirner Equipment
Located in Hartsville, TN, we have more than 30 years of experience serving a variety of industries requiring sanitary grade-stainless-steel equipment. Learn more about our reconditioned positive displacement pumps or contact us today for a quote. Call Today
Stay with us as we explore the advantages of choosing a quality reconditioned positive displacement pump, and the multi-stage process we use to ensure customers get a product they can trust.
