Spent 3 hours trying to unclog a suction pipe before realizing the valve was closed

Last month on a job in Charleston, we kept losing suction on the dredge and I figured it was a clog in the line somewhere. I spent a solid 3 hours digging out the intake screen and flushing the pipe with a high-pressure hose, getting soaked and frustrated. Turned out one of the new guys had bumped the discharge valve halfway closed when he was walking past the controls. Felt pretty dumb after all that work, but at least I learned to check the obvious stuff first. Has anyone else wasted a whole shift on something that simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles50819d ago

3 hours of digging out screens sounds like overkill for something that probably would've been fine if you just let it run for a minute. valves get bumped all the time, not exactly a career-ending mistake.

morganhayes19d ago

Man, I totally get where you're coming from @charles508. Used to think exactly the same way. Like, just bump it back and move on, right? But then I watched a buddy lose a whole shift because a tiny chunk of debris got wedged in there. Took us 4 hours to find it. Now I see the value in getting it right the first time. Sure it seems like overkill, but having that peace of mind is worth the extra elbow grease. Better safe than starring in a horror show when you're chasing pressure problems later.