Between quality product and cheap product, if you had to choose one, what would you choose? My suggestion would be quality product. In the long run, it’s better to spend a few extra bucks on the right product than compromise on quality for money.
A mechanical seal is the latest block on the row that is much better than gland packing. Why? Take a look below.
Production cost
Gland packing, if correctly adjusted, can control leakage at the rate of approximately 1 drop per minute of any sealed product that is 1’’/25mm of outside of shaft diameter. On a 2”/50mm shaft of diameter this is almost equal to 450 Lt/month or 5400 Lt/year. These numbers are only estimated based on what it should be. However, the rates of leakage are higher than this.
On the other hand, a fitted, specified and correctly designed mechanical seal has no visible leakage. Therefore, there is no chance of product loss. Based on the figures mentioned above, if the leakage rate is high, then cost of production also increases. But in case of mechanical seals, like the CR OIL SEAL, the cost falls under the budget.
Waste disposal
The cost of waste disposal generally depends on the type of product and this can be quite higher than the actual cost of production. At the same time, companies have to keep a check on waste disposal due to governmental pressure on this. Plus, they often set a target to keep the environment as clean as possible. So leakage is increasingly becoming less and less acceptable for the conservation of natural resources. The rate of leakage is higher for gland packing than mechanical seals. Therefore, a company using mechanical seals and JCB SEAL KIT can definitely achieve the environment target and reduce the cost of effluent disposal.
Power consumption
On an average most gland packing uses 6 times more electrical energy than a well-balanced mechanical seal. If you are running a rotating equipment and using packing as a sealing option, this will increase power consumption and thus raise the cost of the production. On the contrary, mechanical seals are designed to consume less power which saves the company from extra production cost.
Cost of maintenance
Gland packing requires regular maintenance to ensure its operating efficiency. While loose fit and leakage are unacceptable, tight fit and the packing may wear out or burn out at the start, multiplying the leakage and power consumption rates. So, constant maintenance is needed for gland packing, whereas mechanical seals need no such routine maintenance.