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Got a stuck cutterhead moving again with a trick from an old hand in Galveston Bay
Three years ago on a job in Galveston Bay, our cutterhead jammed solid on some heavy clay. An old operator on the crew, Frank, told me to reverse the swing for about 30 seconds while pulsing the cutter drive. It sounded wrong, but it broke the suction and got us going in under a minute. Anyone else have a good trick for breaking a suction seal in sticky material?
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martin.riley1d ago
Never thought to try that on a dredge pump.
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beth2762d ago
Frank's trick reminds me of a similar jam we had with a pump. The foreman had us cycle the discharge valve open and shut real fast, which seemed to make the problem worse at first. It actually built up just enough pressure to blow the clog clear. Sometimes the fix feels wrong until you see it work.
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alicecraig2d ago
Always figured you had to push through a jam, but that reverse swing trick works. Frank showed me the same move on a mud job last year. Changed how I handle sticky clay now.
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