TIL a trick for clearing a stubborn suction line clog on a 12-inch cutterhead dredge in Mobile Bay

After fighting a partial blockage for two days that kept dropping our slurry density, we bypassed the usual high-pressure water lance and instead ran a short, controlled burst of compressed air backwards through the discharge valve, which popped the packed clay mass right out without damaging the impeller. Has anyone else had luck with air instead of water for certain types of clogs?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosebennett20d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy swears by that trick for river silt.

scott.charlie20d ago

Yeah, the river silt thing. My friend Mark tried that last spring on the Greenbrier. He spent a whole weekend digging a deep sump hole downstream from his camp, lined it with a tarp. Caught a crazy amount of fine mud, his water was clear for days.