Is a Cooling Fan Needed ?
Irrigation Craft believes that enclosed pump stations with air cooled motors require forced ventilation to achieve predictable results and to lengthen the life of the pump motor and electronics. Therefore, all Irrigation Craft pump stations with air cooled motors include a cooling fan (squirrel cage blower). Read further to find out more.
Irrigation Craft provided this blower on our older fiberglass enclosures also. If the pump station operates on a hot day for any length of time heat builds up inside the enclosure if passive venting only is used. Forced ventilation when the pump is operating is essential to keep the temperature down inside the enclosure.
Changing site conditions, system variations, and the weather, causes passive venting to fail at times. It is not enough for a manufacturer to say, "we have never had a problem". Read further to see why Irrigation Craft believes so strongly in forced ventilation.
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Pump motors run hotter at times due to frequent starting, low voltage events, high flow events, high ambient temperatures, and irrigation maintenance operations on hot days. A pump station with passive venting may seem to work acceptably, and then suddenly maintenance crews innocently run the station for 8 hours straight on a hot summer day to maintain the irrigation system; the passive venting fails, the pump motor heats up, the motor fails. |
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Even when there are no obvious problems, there may be more subtle problems such as short motor life (motors can last 2 years instead of 15 years). |
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Stations may be installed in locations where air is restricted (between buildings or in tight corners), where white walls on buildings reflect heat onto the station, and in locations close to other heat producing equipment that pre-heat the air. These types of problems occur frequently enough to cause concern because it is common practice for building architects to place all noisy heat producing equipment in a common area away from people. Irrigation pump stations are often located next to cooling towers, large air conditioners, and generators. |
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Electronics and especially pump motors last dramatically longer when they are kept cooler. |
SUMMARY
What's the big deal? Put the blower in. Avoid problems, give the customer a little protection, give the customer a more durable piece of equipment with longer lasting electrical equipment and motors.
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