In the colder months, any water left in a slurry pump overnight can cause serious problems. As the temperature drops below zero this water will freeze, stopping the pump from operating in the morning, and potentially damaging your pump or pipework.

Traditional methods of preventing this include:

• Installing a heated jacket – effective, but expensive to purchase and run
• Waiting for the pump to thaw in the morning - losing valuable production time
• Opening the casing to remove the water, a back-breaking and time-consuming chore

SlurryPro originated from a firm belief that your slurry pump experience could and should be better. With this in mind, the Yorkshire-based manufacturer has launched a solution to this problem - the FPT Drain Plug.

Built for the rugged conditions found in the mining and quarrying industry, the FPT eliminates pump downtime due to cold weather conditions. It can be supplied fitted in new pumps, and can also be retrofitted to an existing slurry pump. It is available for all sizes of the SlurryPro horizontal pump range.

Once fitted, a couple of minutes to release the plug is all that is needed on a cold evening to ensure the pump is free of water, ready to start operations straight away the next morning.

FPT stands for Freeze Prevention Technology, which reflects the detail SlurryPro have gone into to make this innovation work in the most rugged environments. The liners and flange have also been modified. Careful consideration has been given to the design to ensure the performance and wear-life of the pump are entirely unaffected by the inclusion of the FPT.  

“When we heard of sites losing two hours production in the morning due to freeze-ups, costing them £5,000 in lost production, we knew we needed to provide a solution” said Nathan Rowles, Sales Director at Atlantic Pumps, the company that produce SlurryPro. “We are pleased this innovation is now available to make our customers’ lives easier.”

A further benefit is that the absence of water eliminates the danger of the freeze-thaw process damaging your pump or pipework in the event of a serious freeze.

For further information on the FPT Drain Plug, contact Atlantic Pumps on 0800 118 2500 or email info@atlanticpumps.co.uk.