If you want to ensure that your electric concrete pump is safe to use, then it is important that you maintain it correctly. You should always use the correct pump for the job, and make sure that it is positioned in a safe, stable area so that people can work around it comfortably.
In addition, you should ensure that the pump and the boom are inspected on a regular basis. An electric trailer concrete pump should be inspected after every 500 hours of operation, and at least once per year. The inspector should be trained in the care and maintenance of pumps. These guidelines are simply minimum recommendations, and an older machine or one that is used in harsh operating conditions may require more frequent inspections.
Regular Care and Maintenance
In addition to the full inspection, the concrete pump operator should carry out routine inspections on a weekly basis, and keep a log of any work that is performed. If there are any issues with the device, these should be recorded and fixed promptly.
Important maintenance tasks include:
- Visual inspections of the concrete boom, the supporting structure and the vehicle that it is mounted on (in the case of a mobile concrete pump).
- Vehicles should have their braking system serviced and tested at least twice per year.
- The receiving hopper should be inspected to ensure that it is in good structural condition.
- The pump’s water supply and pipes must be tested to ensure that they are free from leaks and damage.
The concrete pump and the placing boom should be cleaned out periodically. This is a specialist job, and usually it would be performed by the operator, but if the operator does not have the skills to do this they can call in an expert to offer assistance.
Before any work is done on or in the receiving hopper, it is important that the pump operator turns off the engine and removes the keys to ensure that it is not accidentally restarted. They should also vent the hydraulic pressure, as well as ensure that the agitator control lever has been put into the neutral position.
Concrete pump operators should be mindful of the type of concrete that they are working with. Different types of concrete have different densities and the additives that are placed in the concrete can have an effect too, both in terms of health and safety requirements while the pump is in use, and the potential damage it can do to the pump and the resulting maintenance requirements. Good electric concrete pump manufacturers will take these factors into consideration when designing a concrete pump.
Foamed concrete and similar varieties such as air-entrained concrete could be problematic for pump maintenance – if there is even a partial blockage in the pump then the concrete could become compressed while passing through the pipeline. For this reason, it is important that pump operators ensure that the pressure is properly dissipated from the pipeline before the pipe is opened. Make sure you get the concrete pumping machine from a reliable concrete pump supplier.
Proactive care and maintenance will ensure that the pump is safe to use, and that it lasts for many years.