Long packing life requires proper packing installation, shaft stabilization, and thorough equipment inspections.
By David Brewer
The stuffing box of a pump houses a gland that compresses the packing used to seal the pumped fluid. It prevents leakage along the shaft that passes through a hole in the pump. The reliability of the stuffing box is critical to the condition and performance of the whole fluid sealing program. The better the performance and reliability of a fluid sealing program, the better the condition of the internal pump components, including the stuffing box.
Proper packing installation to prevent excessive leakage, shaft stabilization to prolong shaft/sleeve and packing life, and thorough equipment inspections help improve stuffing box reliability. With these factors, no shortcuts should be taken to ensure ideal overall compression packing performance.
