What can cause a mechanical seal to leak or fail?
The loss of the liquid film, or lubricant, between the faces of a mechanical seal is the largest cause of seal failure. This usually results due to a lack of maintenance on the seals lubricating parts. Sometimes a seal fails because it wasnt the right type of mechanical seal for the application. Other causes include improper assembly or installation, cavitation, and improper operation of the pump itself. What can cause the seal to lose lubrication? Losing lubrication to the mechanical seal faces can result from a number of factors. Some of these include dry start up, suction loss, plugged flush orifice, increased temperature, the wrong balance, or contamination in the cooler, water jacket, or flush lines.4 Are there instances where the problem could be the pump rather than the seal? Actually, this is more frequently the case than the seal failing on its own. A mechanical seal is probably the weakest link in the process chain. As a result, the seal functions like an electrical fusethe s
