Question 265General Subjects - QMED

The correct answer is A) loosened, and then retightened with the pump running under normal conditions. When renewing spiral packing in a centrifugal pump stuffing box, the packing should be firmly seated. However, after the initial tightening, the packing gland nuts should be loosened to allow the packing to properly set and create a seal. Once the packing has had a chance to adjust, the gland nuts should be retightened with the pump running under normal conditions. This allows the packing to properly conform to the shaft and create an effective seal without over-compressing the packing. The other options are incorrect because B) loosening the gland until it clears the stuffing box would remove the packing entirely, C) leaving the gland in that position would not allow the packing to properly seal, and D) tightening an additional 10% would over-compress the packing and potentially damage the pump.