McLanahan's Sand Dewatering Screen Troubleshooting Guide offers quick solutions to a number of scenarios you may encounter with your machine, including noisy screens and loose screen panels.
Dewatering Screen Maintenance
When do I grease the motors?
Each machine will have a sticker on it showing how much and at what frequency it needs to be greased. If the sticker is not located on the machine, the manual will have the correct information.
When do I replace the screen media?
When the media begins to wear out, the holes will begin to enlarge and sometimes even break through. One indication of this is more fine sand showing up in the underpan.
Can I adjust the throw in the machine?
Yes, by adjusting the weights on all the motors equally. Each motor has a weight on each end that needs adjusted the same.
When do I replace the buffers?
The buffers will begin to lose their elasticity over time. When this happens, the screen assembly will lose the stroke necessary to carry the sand out. This may show up as reduced capacity of the screen.
Operational Best Practices
How can I ensure a consistently dewatered sand product?
Inspect the machine daily to make sure both motors are operating. If one motor stops working, the machine's throughput will decrease. Power wash the screens regularly to reduce any buildup on both the top and bottom. You may need to remove the screen panels to clean the bottom thoroughly. The buffers will eventually lose their elastic spring, resulting in decreased dewatering and capacity. Replace as necessary.
Can I adjust anything on the screen to increase or decrease the dewatering?
Usually, the motors ship from the factory set at maximum throw. If the machines are being underfed, it's beneficial sometimes to decrease the throw on the motor weights to decrease the overall throw of the machine. Also, a large overflow lip can be added to help retain the sand in the machine longer.
Is it possible to decrease the amount of fine sand that comes through the screen?
There will always be a portion of fine sand that comes through the screen and will need to be managed. This can be minimized by inspecting the screens weekly to make sure the openings are not wearing or a hole has not formed, which would allow more sand to bypass. Keeping adequate flow of flush water to the pan will keep the pan and lines clear.
Recommended Spare Parts
McLanahan Corporation recommends that you keep certain Dewatering Screen replacement parts at your facility.
Part Name | Quantity |
Electric Motors | 2 |
Motor Studs | 1 Set |
Rubber Buffers | 1 Set |
Screen Media | 1 Set |