How to install positive displacement blowers like a pro

It’s like Christmas morning as you open the box of your new positive displacement blower.

You marvel at its gleaming silver finish.

Next, you admire the three lobe construction, which is a thing of beauty. Not to mention its jumbo cylindrical roller bearing. It almost brings a tear to your eyes.

You skim through the instructions thinking that installing one of these the second time around should be easier, right?

But, all systems are not go when the internal monitoring system shuts off. Then the engine won’t start. Before you know it, hours pass you by and you’re surrounded in scattered parts with a whole day of production lost.

Turn your negative installation experience into an easy fix. Ben Kice held a presentation to the International Association of Operative Millers last December recommending ways to solve the four most common positive displacement blower (PDB) installation problems.

Take a hard stand on Soft Foot

The most common problem when installing a PDB is what is known as Soft Foot, which is when a disproportionate amount of load is applied when the unit is mounted.

A workaround solution to this issue is to install shims underneath the base of the PDB prior to bolting it to the floor. Use a feeler gauge between the PDB base and the floor to ensure an accurate application of shim stock.

Think ‘One Direction’ (and no, we’re not talking about the British boy band)

Valve alignment is vital to ensure proper connection and operation of the PDB. Conduct a valve circle check to ensure that its function, fit and form are in prime shape.

Since check valves, pressure relief valves and vacuum relief valves flow is unidirectional (as in ‘one direction’), make sure to position the valves accordingly based on its unique specifications.

Lighten the load

Another troublesome snag during installation that happens is excessive overhung load.

Excessive overhung load is notoriously pegged as a neglected detail that causes drive system and equipment failures when extreme force is demanded upon a shaft.

Depending exactly where on the shaft the load is delivered, too much force can result in cracked or damaged drive shafts.

Prevent drive shaft failure by estimating the overhung load and ensuring that it falls within the acceptable range permitted by the manufacturer’s regulations or warranty guidelines.

As a measure of preventative maintenance, document frequent shaft, bearing and/or coupling failures, as well as when it operates normally.

Location, location, location

Set the scene for peak PDB performance by knowing where to locate the pressure, vacuum and temperature controls on the unit’s instrument panel.

Proper pressure and temperature settings are crucial in safeguarding an accurate assessment of potential over-pressure or over-temperature conditions of the PDB’s internal structures.

Reverse this error by not relying on UV meters or infrared thermometers (which can give imprecise readings) but rather, calculate a detailed alignment of each pressure, vacuum and temperature device to fall within half a foot of the air inlet.

Want more empowering advice?

Let Aerzen Canada Blowers Compressors Inc. guide you in all your industrial blower, vacuum pump and screw compressor needs.

As a forerunner in oil-free air and gas duty applications, Aerzen Canada is fully equipped in both high-end technology based products and customer service excellence — that includes our technical support, fully staffed with factory trained engineers and technicians to answer all your PDB questions.

Come by and see us in our Montreal warehouse weekdays from 9-5 p.m. or visit us 24/7 at www.aerzen.ca.

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