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Detected in 48 hours, preventing a widescale water-system failure for 80,000+ people

By:

SKYLER

The Challenge

The facility relies on three centrifugal pumps powered by 500-HP motors. To maintain continuous service, at least two pumps must operate at all times.

This tight operating margin leaves the plant vulnerable: any undetected fault can quickly compromise the community’s water supply.

WaterTreatmentPump

The Skyler Solution

Within 48 hours of setup installation,
the initial health assessment was underway. The review immedialtely exposed Pump #3’s drive end bearing showing extreme peak-to-peak aeration—clear evidence of advanced bearing failure.

An expert alert was issued through the platform, and a targeted action report was sent directly to the site contact.

What We Detected

Vibration Evidence

Acceleration peak-to-peak levels on Pump #3 were nearly three times higher than on the other units. The spectrum showed a strong asynchronous harmonic series with shaft-speed sidebands, aligning with the 6308 bearing’s BPFI—consistent with an inner-race fault.

Pattern

Distinct Ball Pass Frequency Inner Race harmonics with shaft-speed sidebands, characteristic of inner-race deterioration.

Consequence in the Field

Pump #3 could no longer be treated as a dependable spare; the bearing damage was in a stage where rapid progression was likely. Replacement was scheduled immediately.

Component:

Fan DE & NDE

Speed:

1800 RPM

Pattern:

BPFI harmonics (red) + shaft speed sidebands (green)

Our Recommendations

  • 1
    Re-grease:

    Re-grease the pump bearings.
  • 2
    Plan:

    Plan for the bearing exchange as soon as possible to ensure pumps redundancy capability.

On-Site Findings

The MRO partner supporting Skyler scheduled a bearing and impeller inspection within the next few days. Once the pump was disassembled for damage assessment, the tearing conditions were documented:

Drive-end bearing damage was confirmed.

Pump Impeller showed significant wear and required replacement.

Spare parts had to be ordered, with an expected delivery time of three weeks.

The Result?

Thanks to Skyler’s early detection, Pump #3’s bearing and impeller were replaced before failure.

The pump was restored as a reliable spare, protecting the system and keeping the local water supply uninterrupted. Continuous monitoring caught the fault early, preventing a potential service crisis.

Impacting due to bearing damage before the exchange (blue)
and after the bearing exchange (yellow)

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