Pumps play a vital part in producing ready-mix concrete. The high-pressure, competitive nature of this industry puts a premium on maximising production and avoiding downtime. Delays due to a pump taken out for repair can lead to problems such as a wedge pit becoming inoperable, mixing trucks not being cleaned and batching plants coming to a halt.

It is vital to select the correct pump for the application as this will give the most production for the best wear life. Here we take a look at how Audex pumps are used on ready-mix sites.

Wedge Pit Pumping

This involves the pumping of dirty water or slurry, containing aggregate and fibres. The Audex AW range are ideal for this, being designed for solids handling, having a robust construction and an agitator to prevent clogging. They also have strainers that can handle small solids, and high-head versions are available.

Recycled Water Feed Back to Plant

As this water can be dirty, and could possibly contain solids, it is important to use a pump designed for solids-handling and clean water pumps will not last in this application. Audex AW are suitable for this particular task. Attention should be paid to the condition of the fluid in the storage tank as this may need agitating to prevent solids from settling.

Conveyor Pit Cleaning

Rather than shoveling out the bottom of the pit, one site introduced a high-pressure hose and an Audex AW submersible pump to the procedure. A single operator added water to the collected sand spillages and the AW pump disposed of the sand-laden water with ease. The introduction of this method removed the need for any shoveling and cut the time to complete the task by half, resulting in a clean and tidy conveyor pit and a more productive plant