Peristaltic pump nightmare

Unpredicted hose failure!

Hoses fail, not just because they reached the end of their life, but often because of an insufficient amount of knowledge. (or shall we say knowledge transfer?)

What do we know about rubber?

1- Rubber is moving like a liquid when pressure is applied. When you tighten a hose clamp on the hose, the rubber is moving away.

2 – Rubber has shape memory. For example think of your car tyre, if you let the air out and let it stand for a few weeks, with the weight of the car on top of it…. When you fill it back with air, the tyre remains out of shape for a while.

Well, what can we do?

1- Hose clamps or pressure fittings need to be tightened on a frequent base. This prevents the hose from being pulled into the pumphouse.

2 – When a pump is stopped for a longer period of time it is a good practice to remove the rollers or pressing shoes. Reinstall the rollers or pressing shoes when needed. This prevents the pump from vibrating during the restart of the pump.

There are more unpredicted failures…. Do you know these? Please tell us!