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Just realized my pump strainer basket was the reason for my suction headaches
On a job in Mobile last spring, my 10-inch cutterhead dredge kept losing prime every couple hours. I checked everything obvious, the lines, the seals, even thought the pump itself was going. Turns out, a tiny piece of plastic bag had gotten past the main grate and was stuck in the secondary strainer basket, flapping over the intake port with the flow. Cleared it, and she ran smooth for the next three days straight. Anyone else had a weird blockage that drove them nuts?
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rosecarr5mo ago
That "flapping over the intake port" is the worst. It creates just enough of a seal to kill your prime, then shifts and lets it catch again. I always pull and rinse the basket first thing now, even if the main grate looks clear. Those little bits of trash are sneaky. What did you end up using to clear it, just a hook or something?
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laurablack5mo ago
Yeah @rosecarr, I just used a bent coat hanger to fish it out. Worked fine once I got the angle right.
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thomasb413mo ago
I have to wonder if pulling the basket first thing every time is overkill for most situations. That sounds like a specific problem from a particular brand or setup, not something that happens with every little floaty bit.
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hannah_craig5mo ago
Wait, you rinse the basket every time?
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