Problems that can occur with Dredges

The biggest problem that can occur when priming the pump is the air that is contained inside the pump and high pressure hose. The air needs to be evacuated and is usually packed together. In most cases when people are starting out with this, the first problems that arise have to do with the centrifugal pump. And it is very important the pump be primed quickly so that it works efficiently. A great number of beginners start their engines and then try to learn how to prime and regrettably some have not had good results. After the dredge has been launched for the first time we suggest you try to prime the pump in the way we described. Keep in mind that it is always possible you just so happen to be the person that ends up with the one-foot valve that is defective or that has not been installed adequately.

Revision of dredge manual
If you have just purchased your dredge, you should have received a separate owner’s manual that should be inside with the literature that came with your new dredge. If you do not have a manual, you will need to ask your manufacturer to provide one for you before hand. Make sure that you study and go over the manual very closely and follow all the suggestions of the manufacturer. The manual will provide you with the rules of maintenance that in many cases are disregarded by people. Given the fact that you are dealing with such a powerful engine that is very sophisticated and that is going to be used for long periods of time, it will be necessary to pay special attention to the rules etc. make sure you follow the recommendations of oil changes, cleaning the filter etc. bear in mind that this can save you from having to purchase new parts which can be expensive in some cases. One other thing that is essential to keep in mind is that all new engines are delivered without fluids. In other words they do not have any gas or oil in them. The manufacturers are generally very careful about highlighting this factor in bold face type however, it is important you know this before hand. If you have acquired you dredge from a friend etc, make sure you check it too since there might not be any oil or gas in it either. Most of the modern engines that are used on dredges do not need any break in or only need a little bit and this can in most cases be done under the load of a pump. Make sure you talk to the manufacturer about this though especially if there have been any problems because of improper break in as this is probably an issue the manufacturer has had to deal with before.

Final check of dredge set up
After the technique of launching a dredge has been learned and you are aware of how the centrifugal pump needs to be primed, it will be time to start the engine and activate the system. Once the engine is on and the pump is primed, the going is very quick. Once the centrifugal pump starts discharging the jet is set up and the jet pump begins to pull water through the suction tube. There are certain jet pumps that need to be primed nevertheless, before going over that we should go over something else that consists of the final check on setting up the jet. The first check should consist on examining the discharge of the pressure box through the sluice. If everything is running smoothly and as it should it will fill the sluice around two thirds of the way and will be moving at a good rate. This nonetheless differs if the suction tube needs to be primed and only the jet is flowing through the pressure box, so this needs to be done before measuring the amount of water through the sluice.