Southern Illinois dredge project taught me a hard lesson about silt density

I was running a 12-inch cutterhead on the Mississippi backwater near Cairo last fall. Turns out my pump was cavitating because I ignored a 15% silt reading on the return line. Cost me 3 days of downtime before a buddy pointed it out. Anybody else catch flak for skipping those density checks?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_davis1mo ago

Did you at least get a decent fishing story out of it? I did the same thing on a small job up near St. Louis, ended up cussing at a mud pump for a whole weekend before someone told me to check the silt gauge.

lily3941mo agoTop Commenter

Check the silt gauge should be rule number one on any rig with a mud pump. That little sensor will save you a whole lot of headache if you just glance at it before tearing things apart. Next time a pump acts up, start there and save yourself the weekend.