Submersible Pumps & Overheating – Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Most people think that when it comes to buying equipment bigger is always better

When it comes to submersible pumps, this isn't necessarily true. You don't want a large pump that is far too big for the job you need it to do. For a start, it's expensive. More importantly, it can also end up costing you money in breakdowns.

We often see overheating issues arise when a pump is what we call, Running on the Snore.

Running "on the snore"

We call it running or pumping "on the snore" when water levels fluctuate, and the pump starts to suck in air. This happens if the pump doesn't have consistent water flow.

If your submersible pump is designed to pump 10 litres a second, but the water comes in at only 8 litres a second,  it will pump air for part of the time.

The problem is that if it doesn't have enough water, it won't have enough fluid to keep the motor cool. In circumstances like this your pump will overheat, and breakdowns can occur.

Keeping Submersible Pumps Cool

What do you do if you inherit a pump that is operating in those circumstances? You will have to regularly shut it down to let it cool. Delays like this are inconvenient and can also be very expensive in lost production time.

Submersible pumps work at their best when they are underwater all the time. If you know there's going to be an issue of fluctuating water, a smaller pump is better because it won't be sucking air as much as a pump with a greater capacity.

If there's not a lot you can do about fluctuating water, then you try having two or more small portable pumps so that they can be swapped around and given a chance to cool.

We take great care when assessing the needs of our customers. We try very hard to match a pump closely with the circumstance in which it will be operating. There are several variables that we consider, and matching the pump size to the job size is right up there.

It is certainly the case that when it comes to submersible pumps, bigger is not necessarily the way to go. If you are having trouble with pump performance, maybe you need to check out our constant improvement methodology. This approach could take your dewatering system to a higher level of professionalism.

The PumpEng Way

PumpEng works closely with the industry to continually improve underground dewatering. Our purpose is to provide a Good Day at Work for your people by guiding them to Use the Right Pump for the Job so that pumps don’t fail. A pump that doesn’t require replacement and repair generates benefits beyond just reducing maintenance costs. It also means that you limit the number of times an operator needs to interact with water and electricity. There’ll also be a reduction in labour costs and the potential for production delays. All these benefits have significant implications for your underground mining operation.