INSIDE THE FAILURE | CASE STUDY
From Packing to a Split Seal, Without Removing the Gearbox
By Preston Reece | Southeast Pump Specialists
For a customer who takes pride in a tidy, dry facility, the leakage and maintenance associated with packing on several vertical pumps had become a persistent frustration.
Controlled leakage was necessary for the packing to function properly, but the customer wanted a different approach.
Southeast Pump Specialists completed the sealing upgrade using a split stuffing box adapter and Chesterton 442 split seal, without removing the gearbox.
The Challenge:
Moving away from packing
The customer’s concern went beyond whether the pumps were operating. Managing packing leakage and maintenance no longer suited their expectations for the facility.
Converting to a mechanical seal offered a different sealing arrangement, but installation presented another consideration. On these pumps, fitting a conventional, non-split cartridge seal would have required removing the gearbox and pump coupling.
That would bring lifting equipment, additional disassembly, and precision realignment into the job.
The Solution:
Split components installed around the shaft
Southeast Pump used a split stuffing box adapter together with a Chesterton 442 split mechanical seal.
The split design allowed the components to be assembled around the existing shaft, making the conversion possible with the gearbox in place. The adapter and seal worked together to provide an installation approach suited to the existing pump configuration.
This addressed the customer’s packing concern while avoiding the gearbox removal required by the conventional cartridge seal alternative.
Why the installation approach mattered
Selecting the seal was only part of the solution. How it could be installed directly affected the scope of work.
By using split components, SEP avoided removing and reinstalling the gearbox and pump coupling, along with the associated lifting and precision realignment work.
The practical value was a sealing conversion that accounted for both the customer’s maintenance priorities and the equipment’s access constraints.
What other facilities can learn
Packing can function as intended and still create leakage-management and maintenance demands that a facility wants to address.
When considering a conversion, the existing equipment arrangement matters. Shaft access, available space, and the disassembly required for installation can influence which sealing approach is appropriate.
For this customer, a split adapter and split seal provided a way to move away from packing while leaving the gearbox in place.
Discuss your pump
sealing challenges
Is packing leakage or maintenance becoming a recurring frustration?
Contact Southeast Pump Specialists to discuss your equipment, operating conditions, and options for a sealing upgrade.