Are you struggling with dust in and around your track plants? The presence of dust around a machine that crushes rock may not seem like something to worry about. In fact, at NorX, we expect to see some build-up around equipment. However, it needs to be properly managed for several reasons.
The Risk of Overheating
If radiator airflow becomes restricted due to dust build-up, the machine’s temperature will rise. Overheating presents a serious risk to your equipment. If your machine keeps shutting down due to excessive temperature, the issue may be dust related.
Mechanical Abrasion
Wear caused by two surfaces rubbing together is referred to as “mechanical abrasion”. The small vibrations you feel when placing your hand on the frame of your plant while it’s operating are enough to cause components to rub together and cause failure over time. If dust builds up in the engine compartment it can begin to rub against the oil pan or other critical parts. We’ve seen instances where this has caused oil pans to wear thin, wire harnesses to rub through, and gaskets to fail.
The Conduction of Electricity
Moist dust can be an excellent conductor of energy. If your equipment’s wire insulations have worn thin, electricity will begin to take the path or least resistance and moist dust can lead energy to areas where it is not wanted. Sensors can malfunction due to low current leakage, while high voltage could cause an operator to suffer electrocution.
Managing the Problem of Dust Build-Up
It is important to conduct pre-shift inspections and clean out any problem areas as necessary. We do not recommend that you use compressed air to blow away dust or hose everything down with water as both methods can push contaminants past filters or into electronics. It is critical that you assess each situation and remove the dust in a way that will not cause an increased risk of damage.
If you are in doubt about how to proceed, give our expert service team at NorX a call at (770)338-0111.