Home > Case Studies > Safeguarding Communities Through Efficient Wastewater Management
Home > Case Studies > Safeguarding Communities Through Efficient Wastewater Management
On December 13th, a significant spike in peak acceleration and velocity readings at Altoona Water Authority, a public wastewater facility in Altoona, PA, caught the attention of SMARTdiagnostics. Thanks to the rapid response from SENTRYsolutions, plant operators were prompted to inspect the dryer motor and potentially grease the inboard bearing.
To get to the bottom of the issue, KCF proposed a test to monitor the motor’s performance. On December 16th, the motor was run unloaded for an hour, revealing a concerning amount of excess grease in the motor bearings. Conversations with site mechanics revealed the root cause: staff had been mistakenly removing the case vent plug instead of the grease drain plug during maintenance. This simple oversight led to significant over-greasing of the inboard bearing, jeopardizing the health of the equipment.
After talking to the mechanics, we found out they were removing the wrong plug on the motor when greasing. They removed the case vent plug on the bottom of the motor, not the grease drain on the bearing housing.
Altoona Water Authority Employee
Thanks to vigilant real-time monitoring and immediate action, the plant not only protected its operations and its people, and saved significant costs, but also ensured that essential services continued to flow to the community. This incident serves as a powerful reminder of how crucial it is to remain diligent in the wastewater industry, safeguarding both equipment and community well-being.
Customer Savings: $14,904 in the first 30 days of a $199 Pilot
Learn more about gaining a competitive edge with the most advanced, comprehensive machine health optimization platform.