Can we talk about suction line blockages in fine sand?

I spent three full shifts trying to figure out why my dredge was losing vacuum on the Mississippi River job near Baton Rouge. Turned out a small piece of cloth got sucked into the intake and wrapped around the pump impeller. Nobody mentioned checking that as a step in the manual. Has anyone else wasted a whole day on something this simple?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sean1mo ago

Three shifts on a cloth snag? Man that sucks but come on lol. You didn't check the intake for debris before you started? That's like first day stuff on any dredge. I'm not saying it isn't annoying but calling it a "blockage in fine sand" makes it sound way more dramatic than a rag in the pump. Cloth gets sucked in all the time on jobs with trash in the water, it's not some mystery of the trade. You probably kicked yourself after finding it but that's an hour fix not a lost day.

umab351mo ago

Yeah, I mean, calling it a "blockage in fine sand" is a bit much. Just say you sucked up a rag and move on.

ross.river1mo ago

Had a buddy spend half a day chasing a "clog" that turned out to be his own glove.