Showerthought: I tried a slower pump speed on a silt job near Mobile and it actually cleared faster

We were working a real muddy stretch and the usual high flow was just stirring everything up. I dropped the pump to about 60% and gave it a minute, and the water column cleared up way quicker because it wasn't re-suspending the fines. Anyone else messed with pump speed on fine sediment?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_julia2mo ago

You're right about the sweet spot changing with pump size, but I wonder if the water depth matters more than the pump model. In shallow water, even a slower speed can stir up the bottom if the intake is too close. It's like the pump needs room to let the heavy stuff fall out before it gets sucked back in.

danielh812mo ago

We ran a Godwin 4-inch pump on that Mobile job... the usual "more power" logic just makes a chocolate milk shake out of the bay. Dropping the speed felt wrong, like I was slacking off, but then the water just... cleared. It's like the mud finally got a chance to sit down.

jade_hernandez2mo ago

That's a solid observation about flow rate. I've seen the same thing happen with really fine clays in Georgia. What was the actual pump model and size you were running on that Mobile job? I'm trying to figure out if the sweet spot for lower speed changes with the pump's total output capacity.