Rant: Dropped $200 on a 'vibration monitor' for the dredge pump and it died in 3 weeks

The thing was supposed to warn me before bearing failure but stopped reading after 21 days. Sent it back and got a refund but now I'm running blind until the replacement shows up. Anyone else get burned by those cheap sensor kits from that online industrial supply place?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela58721d ago

Remember reading a technical bulletin from one of the pump manufacturers about this exact issue. They said those cheap wireless monitors can't handle the constant vibration and heat from industrial use. The circuit boards just cook themselves. I went with a plain old mechanical vibration switch years ago after hearing similar stories from a friend who runs a gravel pit. It's not fancy but it's been going for four years without a single problem. Sometimes the simple stuff really is better than these newfangled digital gadgets.

evan_green5221d ago

Did you try a simple screw-on vibration switch as a backup? I run a cheap mechanical one inline with the sensor now after my first wireless unit crapped out after a month. Those all-in-one kits are hit or miss, I've had way better luck buying the accelerometer and display separate from different suppliers.

gracec1621d ago

Actually, mechanical switches have their own problems too. I had one seize up from dust getting into the mechanism after about six months at our facility. The screw-on types can be great but they need regular cleaning or they get stuck in the on position, which kind of defeats the whole purpose. That said, you're totally right about the all-in-one kits being a gamble. I run a separate accelerometer from Omega (not cheap, but reliable) wired to a simple PLC display I pieced together. The wireless ones just can't handle the heat from big motors, no matter what the specs say.