Packing gland failed on me at 3am near Port Arthur

I was pulling sand out of the Neches River channel and the port side packing gland started spraying like a fire hose. We're talking maybe 50 gallons a minute before I could get to it. Had to shut down the pump and crawl in there with a flashlight and a crescent wrench to tighten it down. Anybody else had one of these fail without any warning signs beforehand?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.riley26d ago

You're saying there were "no warning signs beforehand" but honestly I've never had a packing gland fail completely out of nowhere. Usually there's some dripping or the shaft gets a little hot first if you're paying attention. Maybe it's just been my luck but I check those things every time I walk past the engine room.

olivia_hernandez26d ago

Oh man, @park.riley, my buddy had one go on him near Port Arthur and it was a total surprise too, no drips before.