We conduct timely maintenance and servicing of our two-wheelers, four-wheelers, lifts, or other types of machinery whether electronic or not. Then why not the weighbridges? Think about the purpose of what we maintain our daily used machinery. The same purpose is associated with weighbridge maintenance.
There can be different SOPs for cleaning and maintaining different weighbridges like a truck weighbridge, electronic weighbridge, digital weighbridge, railway in motion weighbridge, pit type or pitless weighbridge, above-ground weighbridge, or portable weighbridge. Still, the fundamentals are the same for each type. Thus, we, here, are going to provide you a basic weighbridge maintenance checklist that is unavoidable.
Why Weighbridge Maintenance procedure is Important:
- Gives long life to your weight bridge
- Improves weighment accuracy
- Prevents damages
- Minimizes repairing cost
- Enhances weighing operations
- Enlarges confidence
- Ensures undisturbed weighing
How to Conduct Weighbridge Maintenance procedure:
Missing out on a periodic weighbridge cleaning may result in inaccurate weighment counting, damage to your weighbridge structure, and decreased productivity. Therefore, it is preferable to bring it as a regular practice.
Depending on the industry your weight bridge is being used in and the weather conditions of the location where your weighbridge is located, your cleaning requirements can be different. However, a common weighbridge maintenance checklist is as under:
On Each Day:
- Have a look all around the weighbridge to find any dust or other garbage.
- Clean any debris, mud, or any unwanted material gathered due to a busy weighbridge.
- Make it clean through water, air, or any other mode required.
- Make sure the load cells or any other parts don’t remain dusty.
On Seven Days Interval:
- A popular end-middle-end test should be conducted on the weekly basis. it helps you detect any internal obstruction which cannot be seen with a naked eye.
- To conduct this test, simply, put the weight loaded truck first on the starting of the bridge, second on the middle, and third on the end of the bridge. Count the weighment each time. Compare them. If there is a major difference in any of them, then it is time to contact the expert.
On Completing a Month:
- Again go for an end-middle-end test.
- Prefer cleaning the weighbridge with a high-pressure water jet to remove any debris or slurries laid upon, or under it.
- If a water jet is not suitable for your weighbridge or any of its parts, opt for air jet cleaning.
- Go for the weighbridge calibration procedure if required.
- Inspect the entire weighbridge deeply to check if there is any damage to the platform or load cells or any other parts.
- Compare the findings with previous findings to detect any change.
Other Tips for Weighbridge Maintenance:
- Take extra care if your weighbridge site is in such a location where environmental ups & downs may affect the cleanliness of your weighbridge.
- Be more regular in case you are dealing in such industries where dirt, debris, or mud are likely to be produced more like cement, manufacturing, mining, etc.
- Waterlogging has always been a hard problem to solve. Take extra measures if you face the same.
- Prefer to book a session with an expert and trained team in cleaning the weighbridge from time to time to avoid any chance of missing out on something crucial.
- Try to check the position of load cells and platform as it may loosen due to the heavy rush of vehicles all the time.
- Check the proper working of all the features like traffic lights, displays, cameras, barrier gates, etc on a particular period to avoid any disturbance in the working of the weighbridge.
- Make sure your weighbridge specifications always remain up to the mark in compliance with laws and regulations to avoid any legal issues.
- Put extra efforts into inspecting and cleaning the weighment bridge after the rainy season.
- Use special types of equipment to clean properly.
- Don’t forget to go for technical servicing at a specific time interval to lubricate the weighbridge functioning.
- Don’t try to guess. If you feel any kind of difficulty there in your weighing bridge, it’s beneficial to consult a technician.
Not following the regular maintenance of weighbridge may result in decreased productivity, wrong weighment calculation, loss in revenue due to wrong calculation, the problem in audit due to inappropriate data, disturbed inventory management, and ultimately affect the credibility of your business.
Must Note- Weighbridge maintenance is a minor task, avoiding which, however, may cause major harm. Therefore, to not miss out on any crucial step, read and follow the above weighbridge maintenance checklist and make your weighbridge always ready to welcome new weights.