2023.09.15 - For several years now I saw the packing seal (rope like with embedded grease) water pump fail without fail. At first I couldn't wrap my brain cells why these pump fails so much so I dug into the wherefores. The packing type seal pumps fails due to heat generated by the rotational friction between shaft and seal. The seal is embedded with wire mess to give it form however, this wire meshes tend to rub with the shaft which then generate a lot of heat due to dried out seal. The people tend to overstuff the housing which makes it worse as this creates more friction. Without the grease to help with the rotational slippage the rope and shaft now get heated to the point of failure. The pump is built with cast iron and is very heavy giving it ability to sink heat and it dissipate into the atmosphere however, it could only dissipate so much heat at an acceptable rate. Sadly, I found this type of pump to be so much as a pain on the behind and other pejoratives.
The wire mesh eats away at the shaft which then tend warp needing replacements, the heat damages the bearings and other components. The solution is to move away from packing to mechanical seal which will solve most the problems toward using water pumps in The Philippines
Frankly, I wished I knew then what I know now about water pumps. Note the lessons learned here...
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