Simple Technique for Visually Inspecting Oil Sump Bottoms

We have been trying to determine the condition of the oil sump tank bottoms on our turbine packages. We came up with a pretty easy (and cheap) way to inspect them. Use a 1/2" PVC pipe that is long enough to reach the bottom of the sump. Glue a collar on one end with a piece of clear Lexan glued into it. Feed the pipe into the sump until the "viewing window" is close to the bottom. Then insert a borescope into the pipe.

It works like wearing a divers mask underwater, allowing you to see the debris clearly and then document it's condition. We did this on several units and have found that over the years, a lot of debris collects at the bottom of the tank.

Below are some pictures taken with this this system.

Useful comments we received about this article:

• "I have recently purchased a hand held tool from Snap-On for this very task it was about $600 dollars aust and works well for this task. It has an LCD screen and a flexible probe about 500mm long. It works well as it has a light inbuilt and you can focus it easily. I have not found any problems with it so far. Snap-On part no BK5500."

• "Excellent idea Bob. We use something simular (product made by Ridgid & is called the See Snake). This has a colour monitor & light with flexible 3ft optic extension. But can not be directly used in oil."

• "On some of our equipment we run crackle tests to check for water in the oil. We've caught some issues and change fewer bearings out since starting this program."