Maintenance and Failure Modes¶
Maintenance is not what happens after the design is finished. The maintenance path is part of the design.
Service Cadence Template¶
| Interval | Typical tasks |
|---|---|
| Before each run | inspect hoses, power wiring, valves, and drains |
| Daily | flush solids traps, log pressures, inspect leaks |
| Weekly | replace or clean sacrificial filters as needed, inspect connectors |
| Monthly | review fouling trends, inspect pump wear items, verify sensor calibration |
Failure Modes Worth Tracking¶
- intake clogging
- air ingress on suction side
- pump cavitation or overheating
- filter bypass due to bad seals
- pressure creep from fouled cartridges
- UV failure, low intensity, or contact-time mismatch
- cross-contamination during maintenance
Good Maintenance Design¶
- hand-accessible service points
- drains that do not soak the electronics bay
- plain labels on consumables and replacement intervals
- enough physical room to inspect seals before closing the system
Failure Report Template¶
- what failed
- how the issue was detected
- what the operating state was at the time
- immediate containment or recovery step
- design or procedure change proposed next