In the water sector, we often talk about resilience, sustainability, and operational excellence. But at the heart of every treatment plant or pumping station lies a simpler reality: if pumps don’t run reliably, nothing else does. Yet many of the maintenance practices still used today were designed for a different era, with fewer regulatory demands, lower safety expectations, and far less pressure on asset performance.
Across Australia and New Zealand, utilities face a familiar set of challenges: ageing infrastructure, rising energy costs, and the need to minimise downtime while protecting both workers and the environment. Balancing these pressures is no small task and nowhere is that tension more evident than in the maintenance of pumps.
Traditional packing has served the industry for more than a century, but its limitations are becoming harder to overlook. Frequent live adjustments, continuous leakage, and worker exposure to spray, heat, and pinch points are routine realities. What begins as a leakage rate of 10–15 drops per minute can quickly escalate into litres, creating slip hazards, corroding plinths, and contributing to compliance issues. These are risks no modern utility should accept.
Mechanical seal replacement presents its own challenges. On large pumps, the process often involves lifting heavy motors, disconnecting pipework, and working in confined spaces. As utilities push toward safer and leaner operations, practices that require extensive disassembly feel increasingly out of step with today’s expectations.
Fortunately, smarter options are now widely accessible through companies like Chesterton. Split mechanical seals allow teams to replace seals without dismantling equipment, cutting downtime from days to hours and significantly reducing manual handling. For pumps that must remain packed, Chesterton’s AMPS™ (Automated Mechanical Packing System) actively controls gland pressure, eliminating the need for workers to reach into running equipment and sharply reducing water loss.
Chesterton’s ARC Industrial Coatings also add another dimension to improvement. By restoring worn pump internals and protecting against abrasion and corrosion, ARC coatings help recover lost efficiency while extending asset life.
Smart maintenance is no longer an upgrade. It is a strategic advantage. With Chesterton innovations improving safety, efficiency and asset life, utilities now have practical tools to meet the rising demands of modern water management. Progress starts with the pumps.
To learn more, download the full e-book and explore the technologies helping water utilities modernise pump maintenance.