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Mechanical seals often seal hazardous, toxic and flammable products and have to perform under extreme conditions such as high speeds, temperatures and pressures.
It is therefore inevitable that some mechanical seals become worn and, particularly when driving to achieve maximum operational efficiency within strict financial margins, opting for a potentially quicker and cheaper repair is understandable.
The repair process may differ slightly but, on the whole, following safe disassembly, some parts can simply be cleaned while others can be reworked—seal faces being relapped, for example—and some, such as elastomers and metalwork, replaced. The end product should always be a mechanical seal that performs as good as new.
Legislation such as the Right to Know law, which requires proof of a decontamination certificate before a seal can be accepted into a repair center, can serve as a disincentive to those considering off-site repairs for seals that are used in “hazardous to health” chemical applications. However, even where this is obtained, a number of challenges remain.
Therefore, it is advisable to take several factors into account before deciding whether to turn to a third-party repairer or OEM for seal repairs.
Part Compatibility
International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx) regulations stipulate that a repaired seal must perform exactly as stated in the documentation for the original seal, including seal face temperature rise data and misalignment capability. Imprecision is unacceptable. It is not enough to say a seal will have a certain amount of axial misalignment capability unless the tolerance stack-up prevents it. Repaired seals have to do what it says on the box.
Repairing a mechanical seal to such strict standards presents a challenge even when OEM parts are used, as the same seal types may have been manufactured in different locations using different plant equipment. To guarantee identical levels of performance in the repaired seal, the end user should establish that the seal manufacturer has strict engineering controls in place across its global operations to ensure total compatibility between parts.
Health & Safety Requirements
To comply with the health and safety requirements of IECEx or similar legislation, a risk-based approach is often taken. This requires manufacturers of equipment operating in hazardous or explosive atmospheres to identify ignition hazards and ignition sources and take protective measures to reduce or eliminate risks.
When repairing IECEx certified seals, do not presume conformity with the relevant directive. The repairer should work with the user to ensure the mechanical seal has been repaired in accordance with the health and safety requirements and standard. Atmosphere explosible (ATEX) Zone 0 mechanical seals require certification relating to design and assembly processes such as QAR/QAN certificates.
API 682 Edition 4 Compliance
Failure modes due to contact between the rotating and stationary parts inside a mechanical seal are more common than many users may realize. American Petroleum Institute (API) 682 Edition 4 stipulates the clearances between rotary and stationary components to be 1 millimeter (mm) for seals up to 60 mm and 2 mm for seals larger than 60 mm. Where seal vendors employ an Archimedes-type screw pumping circulation device, it is not unusual to see clearances that are less than those stipulated in API 682 (Image 1).
It is also important to note that the API 682 air test does not guarantee that a mechanical seal meets the emissions requirements of API 682—it is an integrity test to ensure the mechanical seal has been assembled correctly. An air test “pass” allows for leakage at up to 7,500 grams per hour of water (g/hr). Compare this to the qualification test pass criteria of no more than 5.6 g/hr and one can see that passing the air test might not equate to seal performance in operation.
Positive Material Identification
Non-OEM repair may require a repair facility that can identify metallic and nonmetallic materials and understands the construction materials of the mechanical seal and its tolerances. If necessary, testing should be carried out to ensure the repaired seal performs at least as well as the original OEM one. That requires a huge amount of investment and many years of knowledge that has to be captured, stored and disseminated among global repair center networks. Extensive knowledge of product media and associated compatibility is invaluable.
Some mechanical seal parts also need heat treatment and stress relieving and complex surface coatings (such as a polycrystalline diamond-like coating or hard chrome oxide or tungsten carbide facing) to ensure adequate wear characteristics and functionality.
For a repaired seal to be considered good as new, there should be rigid reporting and data retention with every repair documented with full traceability, including replacement parts. Testing should be completed to ensure a mechanical seal has been assembled correctly and meets recognized international standards before it is shipped.
Design Competency
A non-OEM repair often requires reverse engineering of parts, which requires clear design standards and precise measurement and manufacture. Computer-aided design activities should be subject to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 certification and even local manufacturing, including subcontract processes, should be subject to ISO 9001 certification. Mechanical seals comprising gas-lift noncontacting designs and face groove technology can be difficult to measure and replicate. Engineers must understand complex issues such as spring force, face balance, preferential lapping and face shape.
Selecting the Right Repair Provider
A user seeking a safe and reliable repair for high-technology mechanical seals should check that the repairer:
For a user seeking optimum reliability and cost-efficiency, selecting a quality-assured and experienced repairer is the surest guarantee of receiving a “good as new” mechanical seal.
Usually this personal data is on paper, computer, video or in the cloud. By wanting to eliminate documents or materials where this information appears, you can expose yourself to fraud such as trashing.
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Do you throw away documents, tickets or invoices at home? It is important that, when disposing of them, you do so responsibly. The real estate portal Propiedades.com shared some recommendations to protect your personal data and avoid trashing in your home.
Personal data identifies you and distinguishes you from others, points out the Infoem. It is about: name, telephone, address, fingerprint, license number or social security. Also medical and financial data.
"This information is useful to carry out paperwork or transactions physically or online," adds Leonardo González, Real Estate analyst at Propiedades.com .
Usually this personal data is on paper, computer, video or in the cloud. By wanting to eliminate documents or materials where this information appears, you can expose yourself to fraud such as trashing.
This crime exists both physically and digitally. They both consist of searching for and retrieving important information from the garbage. Also, passwords that you saved on your computer and then sent to the recycle bin.
The INAI indicates that, to recover this information, criminals can apply artisan procedures, such as collecting broken documents, searching for the pieces, and putting them together with tape. Another is the use of specialized software.
The INAI explains that destroying and erasing information is important to protect your confidentiality, integrity and availability.
To avoid physical trashing, the institute suggests shredding. In this regard, González recommends that, before buying a shredder for domestic use, you analyze the type, size of the cut and capacity.
Although the INAI does not recommend these techniques very much - due to their environmental impact - you can also delete your data by incineration or use of chemicals. The first is an option to destroy documents, reducing the paper to ashes.
In the second, specialists from The Competitive Intelligence Unit (The CIU) explain that the ideal is to use alcohol. "The water does nothing to them, but if you add alcohol to them, you will see how it is destroyed," they say.
In the case of tickets, they suggest reviewing sensitive information and crossing it out with an indelible black marker. Meanwhile, the Condusef advises that, when you get home, you watch your mailbox and take your account statements or bank documents as soon as possible.
Also, when you go to the ATM and receive the ticket, do not leave it at the branch. Better destroy the bits and throw them away when you get home.
Ernesto Piedras, CEO and general director of The CIU, explains that the ideal is to have a culture of prevention at home.
If for some reason you did not delete an important document correctly and you receive a call mentioning your full name and the termination of your card, the first thing you should do is hang up and contact your bank as soon as possible.
When you implement these techniques, in addition to protecting your personal data, you also protect your wealth and that of your family. Put them into practice and live more safely.
Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we receive compensation from our partner lenders, whom we will always identify, all opinions are our own. Credible Operations, Inc. NMLS # 1681276, is referred to here as "Credible."
If you’re looking to refinance your mortgage, you might hit a snag when your lender orders an appraisal to check the value of your home. Your lender will use the appraisal results to figure out whether you qualify for the refinance and can take out cash.
A low appraisal could hurt your chances of getting the new home loan, so it’s important to know what to look for.
Here’s why low home appraisals sometimes happen, how to avoid them, and how you can respond to one:
A home appraisal is a professional opinion of your home’s market value. Lenders usually order an appraisal while underwriting the refinance to make sure they’re not lending more than the home is worth.
And for a cash-out refinance, the amount of equity in the home influences how much cash the homeowner can borrow.
Let’s say you apply for a rate-and-term refinance. You owe $200,000 on the original home loan, but your appraiser lists the value of the home at $180,000. Your mortgage lender would be nervous about taking on the $20,000 discrepancy.
That’s because if you fall behind on your mortgage payments and the home goes into foreclosure, your lender might not recoup that $20,000. This is why you want the appraised value to match or be greater than the purchase price of the home.
With a low appraisal, you also may not be able to remove private mortgage insurance (PMI), or the amount of cash you can borrow might be reduced. If the lender doesn’t approve your application, then you would need to go to another mortgage lender or hold off on the refinance altogether.
How often do home appraisals come in low?
If the appraisal comes in low and the seller doesn’t budge on the sales price, you might not qualify for the refinance. But this doesn’t happen often.
According to the latest numbers from Fannie Mae, home appraisals come in below the asking price only about 8% of the time. And when they do come in low, the borrower is usually able to renegotiate a purchase price in their favor.
If you’re considering a mortgage refinance, be sure to shop around for a great rate. Credible makes this easy — you can compare all of our partner lenders and see prequalified rates in as little as three minutes.
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If a home appraisal comes in lower than expected, it may be due to:
Property upgrades can increase your home’s value, but you might not recoup all of the money you spent on these projects.
For instance, you could spend $15,000 installing a deck, but the appraiser might decide it’s only worth a $10,000 boost in the property’s value. Or worse, the appraiser might not even know about what you’ve done to improve the home.
Clutter isn’t supposed to affect the home’s value — unless it begins to affect the structural condition of a home or gets in the way during the appraisal. Appraisers might also be influenced by first impressions, so a messy home, on the inside or outside, may ultimately lower your home’s value.
Find Out: When to Get a Refinance Home Appraisal and When to Skip
If the real estate market in your area is moving faster than normal, the appraisal values could lag market prices. That’s because an appraiser compares your home to others that recently sold in the area, and backward-looking data might not keep pace with current prices in a hot seller’s market.
The opposite could be true, too, if your housing market is sluggish. With fewer buyers and more homes on the market, the value of your home could drop.
A low home value could also be attributed to an appraiser who lacks experience. They might rush through the job during busy times, use poor comparable sales data, or lack knowledge about your market or the appraisal process.
It might also be the appraiser’s first time valuing the type of home you own, such as a condo or single-family house.
If you feel the appraiser got your home value wrong and they’re unwilling to renegotiate the price, you don’t have to accept the results. Here are some options for what you can do if the appraisal comes in low.
Your first step is requesting a copy of the appraisal report if you don’t already have one. Many lenders use the seven-page Uniform Residential Appraisal Report.
Read through it and make sure everything is correct, and pay attention to information that could lower the appraised value. For instance, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the square footage, and any improvements you made will all heavily influence the results.
The appraisal report also lists which homes the appraiser used as “comps.” These are local recent sales that help appraisers gauge the value of your own home, so you’ll want to be sure the properties are truly comparable.
Here are some key points you’ll want to consider when looking over comps:
The real estate agent who helped you buy the home might be willing to provide advice, so give them a call. Send over your appraisal report along with any notes you took. Your agent can help you figure out whether you should appeal the report, which has its own process.
Here are the steps you might take when appealing the home appraisal:
Different appraisers might also have another opinion on the value of your home. If you order a new appraisal and your home value comes back higher, the new report can support your appeal. This may make it possible to qualify for the refinance loan.
Just make sure the second appraiser is qualified with the Appraisal Institute, American Society of Appraisers, or another national appraisal organization.
Keep Reading: How to Refinance Your Mortgage in 6 Easy Steps
The Atlantic City campus of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center — home of AtlantiCare’s Neurosciences Institute — has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification for the third time since 2017.
The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. It recognizes health care organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for stroke, opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge from the hospital.
Certification is awarded every two years.
Edward Hamaty, the institute’s medical director, said the honor is a team award.
“Earning this recognition is a testament to our team’s dedication to saving lives by providing the most advanced, 24/7 care to diagnose and treat the most complex strokes,” he said. “It also recognizes our commitment to improving the quality of life for patients in our community by lowering the risk of stroke — and equally important, by preventing them altogether. We exceed the national average in many of the quality metrics of this certification and of American Heart Association recommendations.”
AtlantiCare’s Atlantic City and Mainland campuses underwent rigorous, unannounced onsite review in May, resulting in the recertification as Comprehensive and Primary Stroke centers, respectively. ARMC Mainland Campus earned recertification as a Primary Stroke Center, maintaining the designation it has held since 2008.
The Joint Commission reviewers evaluated the ARMC City Campus team’s compliance with certification standards that hospitals must meet to be eligible for Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification. These standards include meeting all of the requirements of a Primary Stroke Center, as well as other requirements, including, but not limited to, the following:
Dr. David Stidd, an endovascular neurosurgeon and co-medical director of AtlantiCare’s Stroke Program, said the award was the ultimate recognition.
“The certification acknowledges the extensive expertise of our Acute Stroke Team and our clinical colleagues who collaborate with them,” he said. “Dedicated to excellence and providing comprehensive care, our team is there every step of the way with stroke patients — from the scene of the stroke to well beyond their discharge from the hospital.”
Mark Pelletier, chief operating officer, accreditation and certification operations, and chief nursing executive at the Joint Commission, said the honor was well-deserved.
“Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification recognizes health care organizations committed to fostering continuous quality improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” he said. “We commend AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center for using certification to reduce variation in its clinical processes and to strengthen its program structure and management framework for stroke patients.”
Dustin De Gagne, field supervisor for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Whale Protection Unit, advised people not to approach, feed, touch or move seal pups and to stay a safe distance away and keep pets and children away from them. (They are born with a full set of teeth.)
Anoyone who disturbs or takes possession of a marine mammal such as a harbor seal pup without authorization could be fined up to $100,000 for a first offence and would have to make a court appearance, said De Gagne.
The DFO said any incidents of seal or marine mammal disturbance should be reported to the DFO Marine Mammal Reporting Line at 1-800-465-4336 or by email at dfo.orr-ons.mpo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
If there is concern that the seal pup is sick, inured or may actually be abandoned, call the Vancouver Aquarium Ocean Wise Marine Mammal Rescue Program at 604-258-SEAL (7325).
@marinemammalrescue What NOT to do if you find a baby seal…#rescue #babyseal
♬ Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
Lyndsaye Akhurst is trying really hard not to laugh as she’s doing a telephone interview from inside the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.
But the seal pups are making a racket and asking for dinner.
“It’s the quietest place I could find,” says Akhurst, as she soothes little harbour seals with names like Hula, Avocado and Salsa.
The centre’s rescued seal pups are named by the public, many of whom give donations to support the process.
This year, it’s dance themes, so there is a Waltz, Charleston, Twist and Hula.
Other seals are named based on what donors last ate: Noodles, Sushi and Bratwurst.
The seals will spend up to four months in the centre being fed and exercised and treated if they are injured. They will be released at various times, usually in September and as late as October, often in small groups.
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