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PSA: Dialing back the cutter RPM on soft sediment cleared up my jams

We were working in a silty area and the suction line kept plugging every few minutes. Another operator on site said to try reducing the cutter speed just a little. I gave it a shot and the flow stayed consistent for the rest of the shift! No more stopping to clear blockages, which was a huge relief.
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5 Comments
aarons36
aarons363d ago
Actually @rose_hart31 it breaks up the material better at lower speed.
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rose_hart31
Hell yeah, that trick works like a charm. Slowing the cutter lets the pump keep up instead of just churning mud into a plug. It's one of those simple fixes you only learn from getting stuck in the muck.
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lisa_hart
lisa_hart3d ago
My buddy was drilling last summer and kept getting clogged pumps. He was running the cutter too fast, just making a thick paste that blocked everything. After wasting half a day, an old timer told him to throttle back. Slowing it down let the slurry flow clean, and he finished the job in no time. Sometimes the best tricks are the simplest ones.
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the_lucas
the_lucas3d ago
So wait, is clogging pumps really that big of a deal? Seems like people just overthink simple stuff sometimes.
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the_reese
the_reese3d ago
Wait, he lost half a day just from running the cutter too fast?
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