How Predictive Maintenance Systems Can Extend Equipment Life In Your Commercial Wash Operation

​Commercial wash operations face a mounting range of operating pressures and expenses, and there are certainly efficiencies to be gained by investing in more sustainable energy use, water recycling, and other measures. However, another, sometimes overlooked area in which savings can be made is lifetime maintenance. Commercial wash systems require regular servicing, maintenance, and repairs in order to maintain their energy efficiency, output, and sustainability, as well as to avoid downtime. These costs can add up over time, so how can savings be made in this area?

Predictive maintenance strategies give businesses a sophisticated alternative to conventional, or ‘reactive’ approaches to maintenance (basically, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’). Let’s look at what this could mean in practice for your operation.

What Is Predictive Maintenance Technology?

The point of predictive maintenance is to predict future faults before they occur and take the appropriate measures to prevent them. This avoids the need to repair or replace something when it has already broken, and has the potential to save you considerable time, inconvenience, and capital long-term. Predictive maintenance follows the straightforward health maxim that prevention is better than cure. It does this through a network of continuous monitoring systems and sensors that collect operational data from critical equipment components. Sensors measure parameters including vibration patterns, temperature fluctuations, electrical current variations, and fluid pressure changes, among others. Some systems then use machine learning software to analyse this data and identify patterns of impending failures, so you can plan your maintenance schedules accordingly. The benefits of getting this right are manifold, significantly reducing downtime, emergency shutdowns, and secondary damage to downstream components.

How Data-Driven Interventions Can Extend The Life Of Your Equipment

So, how does predictive maintenance technology apply to the specific components used in commercial wash systems, especially those most susceptible to wear-related failures?

1. Pump systems

Wash system pumps operate under high pressures, putting them at significant risk of cavitation damage. Conventional maintenance strategies don’t have an answer to this. Many businesses either replace components prematurely to avoid failure or risk a catastrophic failure during peak operational periods. This isn’t an ideal choice. Predictive monitoring systems monitor pump performance according to discharge pressure stability, flow rate consistency, and motor current draw patterns to identify gradual performance degradation trends such as seal wear, bearing deterioration, and impeller erosion. This takes the guesswork out of maintenance, empowering your team to schedule repairs during planned downtime that does not disrupt your workflows.

2. Water recycling equipment

Modern water reclamation and recycling systems come with a range of advanced and complex filtration, separation, and treatment systems, requiring precise operational parameters. Any component failure or degradation can compromise overall water quality, potentially affecting wash performance and environmental compliance. By monitoring filter differential pressures, membrane performance indicators, and chemical dosing accuracy, predictive maintenance systems give you early warning of membrane fouling, filter loading, or any dosing system malfunctions that could undermine water quality, allowing proactive interventions to extend your asset’s service life.

3. Chemical dosing

Automated chemical dosing systems give you a more consistent and predictable approach to wash quality, standardising sanitiser, detergent, and rinse aid volumes across your fleet and giving you a uniform approach to cleanliness and hygiene. However, pump damage, valve deterioration, and sensor drift can undermine this approach, resulting in incorrect chemical concentrations. This can increase your chemical composition (and expenditure) and impact wash performance. Continuously monitoring your dosing pump performance, including your valve operation cycles and concentration feedback systems, will help identify any components approaching failure or end of life, allowing scheduled replacements before your wash quality deteriorates.

Find Out More

Predictive maintenance is a strategic investment in operational efficiency for commercial fleet operators. If you would like to find out more, please contact the team at Britannia Wash Systems today by clicking here or by calling 01789 339153.

​Image source: Canva