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A pump which cavitates, has high vibration, or needs an overhaul rather than a seal change is not going to allow a seal to reach its design life of more than 3 yr of continuous service. To obtain maximum seal life, a pump and seal support system must be operating properly.
Modern mechanical seal designs can be extremely cost effective and reliable when installed on correctly sized and maintained pumps. While all of the conditions which must be considered to attain a minimal seal service life cannot be covered, there are typical problems that everyone encounters when installing seals.
Mechanical seals are precision devices, with faces lapped within one micron flatness (Fig. 1). Seals can be very costly, and the installation procedure can determine how much of the dollar value spent is actually realized. With the increase in multicraft personnel doing seal installations, correct procedures become even more important to obtain reliability and value. Poor installation, even with newer cartridge seal designs, is still one of the major causes of short seal life and accounts for up to 20% of seal failThe old mechanical seal should be disassembled to determine the cause of failure, unless the causes are obvious. A few minutes taken here can dramatically improve the life of the next installation. Many times, old seals can be field repaired with a kit (Fig. 2). New seals may require installation of different O-ring compounds, based on the failure analysis.
O-rings
Proper elastomer material choice is essential to seal operation. Temperature limits and chemical compatibility must be checked. Charts are available from seal and O-ring manufacturers. The O-ring selected must be correct for the products being sealed and any cleaners used to flush the system. Be careful to only use the O-ring lubricant supplied with the new seal.
O-ring damage can easily occur. Cutting or nicking is a common problem, especially when the O-ring is compressed in its groove and must slide over holes, snap-ring grooves, key-ways, slots, or threads. Ensure that all surfaces are properly deburred and feel smooth to the touch. It is sometimes possible to cover obstructions with thin tape or plastic wrap to ease installation.
Be certain that O-rings are in their proper position, in grooves or counterbores. Some seal designs...