Finally figured out my suction line issue after a weird vibration

I was working on a small channel project near Mobile last week, and the dredge kept getting this weird shudder every 15 minutes or so. I checked the pump, the engine, everything. Then my new guy, who used to work on boats, pointed out the suction line was too straight off the pump. We added a short, flexible section to give it some slack, and the shudder stopped completely. I'd been running lines tight like that for ages. Has anyone else had a problem like that with rigid piping?

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_singh209d ago

Rigid piping can transfer a lot of pump vibration straight into the hull or frame. That flexible section acts like a shock absorber to stop the energy from traveling. It's a simple fix that saves a ton of wear on everything downstream.

michaeld488d agoTop Commenter

Ugh, my water heater taught me that lesson.

seth_shah9d ago

Yeah, my old car taught me that the hard way.