It can be overwhelming to find the right products for your facilities. From knowing the capabilities of each pump or compressor to learning how to keep it in its best-performing condition, it can be challenging to know what choices to make. Northwest Pump wants this process of understanding and fulfilling your needs as quickly as possible, so here is a simple guide to one of our popular brands of pumps and reciprocating air compressors: Blackmer.
Blackmer Products & What They Do
Blackmer specializes in pumps and reciprocating air compressors. Their pumps come in several types: sliding vane, screw, regenerative turbine, and centrifugal pumps. Sliding vane and screw pumps are both types of positive displacement pumps, which are best for maintaining a consistent flow and pumping a wider range of liquids such as oil, gas, and slurry– to name a few. Centrifugal and regenerative turbine pumps are different kinds of pumps that work when paired with the optimal pressure and thinner, non-volatile liquids.
Gas Compressors are like air compressors. However, the only difference is that air compressors take the surrounding air and compress it for later use. Gas compressors can compress a variety of gasses, not just air.
Blackmer offers all of its pumps and reciprocating air compressors in several types of materials. This means that your pumps and compressors are optimal for the specific work they will be performing. There are iron pumps for non-corrosive liquids and stainless steel pumps for corrosive liquids. There are pumps for high volume, heavy-duty use and are best for working with high temperatures that would damage regular equipment.
Blackmer Product Maintenance
Every piece of equipment needs regular upkeep to keep running at its best, and Blackmer is no exception. However, Blackmer offers support to its customers via Blackmer+. This app is for manufacturers who want to know what is happening inside their facilities. It allows the user to see what Blackmer equipment they have on the floor, datasheets for the specific parts, and schedule routine maintenance. Additionally, Blackmer & Northwest Pump customers in Oregon and Washington can be safe in the knowledge that our service teams are Blackmer certified. Finally, these Blackmer pumps are compatible with Chesterton’s Safe Certified Sensors, which means that when paired, you will not only have diagnostic data but also prevent emergencies before they happen.
Next Steps
Want to learn more about Blackmer products for yourself? Check out their Youtube here for videos on how their products work, tips and tricks, and more.
Want to see what Blackmer can do for your facilities? See it for yourself on our online store here, or reach out to our sales team here, or call 1-800-452-PUMP.
Avoiding faults and errors should always be top of mind when running large facilities. These mishaps lead to loss of production, unnecessary costs for repairs or replacement parts, and potential safety hazards for workers. While routine maintenance can lessen some of the likelihood of these errors from happening, the Chesterton Connect™ Intrinsically Safe Certified Sensor can help monitor equipment before the accident occurs.
The Chesterton Connect™ Intrinsically Safe Certified Sensor is designed to connect to machinery in hazardous environments and monitor their process pressure, process and surface temperatures, and vibration. All the data is then recorded and can be accessed through a Bluetooth-enabled app on a smartphone, Chesterton Connect. When a threshold is reached, an alert is sent to this smartphone, and the unit’s LED light display will activate- that way you and your workers onsite know when and where a problem is about to occur.
With the data saved, you can export the information, allowing for analysis and preventing further malfunctions. Through the Chesterton Connect cloud platform, you can monitor the health of your equipment via an easy-to-use dashboard 24/7. The app allows analysis of variances and trends, adds notes, and takes action to increase uptime and productivity.
The device is installed via a magnetic base and a cable that can plug into several locations. This ensures that Chesterton Connect Intrinsically Safe Certified Sensor can closely monitor any machine’s problem areas.
This sensor is rated for Class 1/Division 1, Class 2/Division 1, and IP66 for outdoor use. In other words, this product was designed for work environments filled with gas, vapor, and dust in mind. Chesterton Connect™ Intrinsically Safe Certified Sensor also has safety features preventing the product from becoming a source of ignition.
Keep your workers and your facilities in the best conditions possible!
Click here for a free demo on the Connect IIOT solutions from Chesterton.
Questions? Contact us at sales@nwpump.com or 800-452-PUMP to find out more about purchasing or installation.
During normal operation, municipal wastewater like many plants utilizes large rotating equipment to move fluid (wastewater) throughout various processes within each treatment plant. Large equipment repair and ultimately disassembly leads to reduced equipment availability, additional labor needs, lifting & rigging, incidental component replacement, and disruption of nearby plant and services, just to mention a few challenges faced. These critical equipment disassembly costs can be dramatically reduced with the A.W. Chesterton 442C XL Cartridge Split Mechanical Seal advantages. This seal delivers ease of installation and use, without equipment disassembly. In customer terms, the A.W. Chesterton 442C XL improves reliability and reduces maintenance costs.
A.W. Chesterton 442C XL Cartridge Split Mechanical Seal design incorporates features that protect the precision lapped, split faces, incorporates an adjustable gland that makes for easy adjustment to suit your equipment bolting pattern, and does not require the pump to be disassembled to maintain. Since the pump remains assembled during the seal installation, the pump remains aligned. This is a double feature, eliminating pump disassembly time and reducing the complex startups process.
As of this blog, A.W. Chesterton is now supplying this technology in a much larger range of sizes. The latest developments have raised the bar and the range significantly to fit rotating equipment shafts from 5.00” up to 7.75”. This increases the application opportunity to reduce downtime and increases productivity.
This new size range with the 442C platform is finding success and continued proven reliability in many industries and applications. A.W. Chesterton 442C XL Cartridge Split Mechanical Seal assures the plant personnel time-savings and a reliable sealing solution. With over 10,000 Chesterton split seals installed and operating globally, you can be confident in implementing this technology.
Split seals can be installed on small and large pumps across your site. Common applications can be found in the following industries:
Power Industry
Such as River Water Intake Pumps, Water Turbines and Raw Water Pumps
Chemical Processing
Such as Cooling Water Pumps, Rotary Filter and Reactors
Water Processing
Such as White Water Pumps, Utility Water Pumps and Sewage Pumps
Learn more about the benefits of A.W. Chesterton 442C XL by contacting your local Northwest Pump branch: 800-452-PUMP or sales@nwpump.com
When you are in the market for ISO 8573-1 Class Zero air quality it is important to understand the difference between an “oil-free” air compressor and an “oil-less” air compressor. This is especially critical in the 30HP and under compressor market. “Oil-less” and “oil-free” are not interchangeable terms. The primary differentiator is the presence of oil in the machine and the impact that it has on air quality over time. Here is what you need to know to make the best decision regarding how to achieve your ISO 8573-1 Class Zero compressed air quality.
Rotary Screw Oil-Free Compressors – Almost without exception, an oil-free rotary screw compressor does indeed have oil in it. The oil is sealed in the gear box to provide lubrication to the gears and bearings, but is sealed from the air chamber in order to prevent it from getting into the compressed air stream. As the units age, the seals do harden and wear out due to heat and shelf life. Therefore, as they age, oil will migrate into the air stream and negatively impact air quality. As this happens, air end “slippage” increases and inter-stage temperatures will creep up. Most people do not discover that their air quality has been compromised until the compressor reaches cessation on a high inter-stage temperature shutdown. By then, many pints, quarts or even gallons of oil may have migrated into the process air and piping. Also, most oil free screw compressors (with the exception of the Sullair DSP) have a vented gear box that exasperates oil laden vent air into the compressor, right near the intake filter. The vent on the gearbox adds oil vapors, which are almost immediately sucked back into the air filter and introduced to the air stream. So they are “oil-free” because they do not have oil in the air stream by design. But they are not truly an oil less solution. Mitigation of air contamination, oil maintenance and disposal, and oil leakage containment all must still be considered when applying an oil free rotary screw compressor technology.
Reciprocating Oil-Free Compressors
Reciprocating compressor designs are sold in either oil less or oil free up to about 50HP. They can also be configured into duplex, triplex or quadraplex packages to get up to cover air demands up to about 450 CFM. “Oil-free” compressors in the reciprocating market, like the screw market, do actually have oil in them. They use an extended connecting rod in an extra-tall block known as a “distance piece”. This configuration lengthens the distance between the oil sump and the compression chamber. They usually include extra oil rings as well to help prevent the oil in the crank case from migrating into the air stream. However, over time; oil and compression rings wear out in a reciprocating compressor just like they do in a car engine. So over time, oil will begin to migrate past the rings and into the compression chamber and eventually into the air stream. Most oil free compressor users do not discover their oil contamination problem until they notice a drop in system air pressure related to worn out rings. So once again, the oil free technology still comes at the cost of air and piping contamination, oil maintenance and disposal, and oil leak containment.
Oil-less Reciprocating Compressors
The true oil-less reciprocating compressors, like our Champion V & W, or the MTO II series air compressors have no oil in the crank case at all. They are a 100% true oil-less design and come in simplex, duplex, triplex or quadraplex packages including NFPA 99 compliant packages for hospital grade air. This technology is far more costly, but it provides the true outcome that the customer is aiming for: ISO 8753 Class 0 air quality, and reduced maintenance associated with lubrication systems.
Oil-Free Scroll Compressors
Scroll compressors, like our Sullair model SRL, should really be called oil-less to distinguish them from the oil-free style compressors mentioned above. Like the oil-less reciprocating, the oil less scroll compressors contain no oil at all. They are built on a platform of low maintenance intervals, and guaranteed air quality for life.
If a customer has a critical need for truly Class 0, oil free air quality, they should strongly consider using either an oil less technology like the Sullair SRL scroll package or Champion V & W series. These technologies are admittedly limited to the 100HP and below Class 0 oil free market place. So in the event that an “oil free” solution like the Sullair DSP must be used, or is already in place; customers should consider installing early detection of oil content to prevent piping and process contamination. Air quality monitoring systems like our Beko Metpoint OCV will ensure that they maintain air quality that is in compliance with ISO 8573 for oil free quality air.
Looking to switch over to oil-free or oil-less air compressors? Northwest Pump sells air compressors in the Seattle and Washington regions, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Reach out to Northwest Pump today –sales@nwpump.com or call 1-800-452-PUMP.
This new acquisition of Air Compressor Service (ACS) expands our Industrial portfolio and assists in our growth in the Seattle area.
Northwest Pump has purchased the Assets of D.R. Smith Co., Inc. dba Air Compressor Service of Everett, WA, right outside of Seattle, effective May 1st, 2021. Founded in 1990 by Dave and Rick Smith, Air Compressor Service (ACS) is a sales and service company of Air Compressors and related equipment.
When looking at an acquisition in addition to being profitable we try to find companies that have a similar commitment to customer service and a culture that will fit into our employee-owned company. ACS fits on all three levels. After going through the process and interviewing all the employees we have decided to add on their whole team, giving us 3 new Service Technicians, 1 Service Coordinator and 3 Sales members to add to our Industrial Division and continue our goal of expanding to new markets and locations.
We will be adding the current ACS location as our 18th location. The new branch is located at 1420 80th St SW STE E, Everett, WA 98203. Phone number is 425-290-1888. Unlike most equipment distributors, ASC’s objective is not to sell as much equipment as they can. Their philosophy is to partner with ourcustomers to help salvage net profit. In the long run, helping you to succeed in your business will help us succeed also.
ACS looks for long-term relationships with customers built on a foundation of earned trust, respect for our expertise, quality service and exceptionally well-designed and manufactured Gardner Denver products. ACS insures your compressed air system operates at its optimum efficiency and provides you favorable life cycle cost.
For more information on Air Compressor Service, and what we offer in and around the Seattle area, please reach out to sales@nwpump.com and we can assist in all your air compressor needs.
As of April 16 2021, Northwest Pump became an official distributor for A.W. Chesterton Company. Northwest Pump will now supply Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana and Idaho* with Chesterton’s sealing solutions, ARC Industrial Coatings, Industrial lubricants/MRO products, and IIoT products. A.W. Chesterton is a world leader in helping industrial companies and manufactures improve the reliability and efficiency of their rotating, stationary, and fluid power equipment platforms.
Chesterton’s portfolio includes:
Mechanical Seals for pumps, agitators, mixers and other rotating equipment.
Polymer Seals for hydraulic and pneumatic actuated cylinders and presses.
IIoT Products – Smart Sensor solutions for remote equipment and process monitoring/data collection (pressure, temperature and vibration) to improve operations for equipment such as pumps, agitators, mixers gear boxes and fans.
*Covered counties include Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Benewah, Shoshone, Latah, Clearwater, Nez Pierce, Lewis & Idaho
Worldwide Service to All Major Industries:
Chemical Processing
Commercial Water
Food & Beverage
Manufacturing
Marine
Mineral/Ore Processing
Mining
Oil & Gas
OEM, Engineers, and Contractors
Pharmaceutical
Power – Fossil
Power – Hydroelectric
Power – Nuclear
Pulp & Paper
Steel
Wastewater Treatment
Wood-Based Panel Industry
Contact our sales staff at sales@nwpump.com or call 1-800-452-PUMP to learn more about A.W. Chesterton and their sealing solutions and lubricants for your industries applications!
Blackmer specializes in pumps and reciprocating air compressors. Their pumps come in several types: sliding vane, screw, regenerative turbine, and centrifugal pumps. Sliding vane and screw pumps are both types of positive displacement pumps, which are best for maintaining a consistent flow and pumping a wider range of liquids such as oil, gas, and slurry– to name a few. Centrifugal and regenerative turbine pumps are different kinds of pumps that work when paired with the optimal pressure and thinner, non-volatile liquids.
This sensor is rated for Class 1/Division 1, Class 2/Division 1, and IP66 for outdoor use. In other words, this product was designed for work environments filled with gas, vapor, and dust in mind. Chesterton Connect™ Intrinsically Safe Certified Sensor also has safety features preventing the product from becoming a source of ignition.
