Poker vibrator maintenance: wear, lubrication and cable

The guide covers Swepac's electric pokers with the motor in the poker, PVE and PVEL, and the mechanical ones with a flexible shaft, PVD 600 and PVD 2000. On one point, maintenance differs completely: PVD 600 must not be lubricated internally with oil, while the shaft on PVD 2000 should be greased every 100 operating hours.

After each working day

• PVEL: when the job is finished or during breaks, switch off, disconnect the power and put the poker down where nobody will trip or fall over it. It must not be left lying in fresh concrete
• Check that the parts of the poker are screwed tight, and that cables and other equipment are in good condition before work starts again
• PVD 600: clean the poker daily with water and a cleaning agent that does not damage the material, and check the ventilation openings on the motor housing at the end of each working day

The wear limits

Wear is checked by measuring the outside diameter and length. The housing is replaced when the minimum diameter is reached, and the end cap when the minimum length is reached. For PVEL, the operating instructions give these minimum dimensions, with the original dimension in brackets:

• PVEL 38: diameter 36.5 mm (38), length 365 mm (370)
• PVEL 50: diameter 48 mm (50), length 360 mm (370)
• PVEL 58: diameter 56 mm (58), length 410 mm (420)

The table for PVE has the same minimum dimensions for 38, 50 and 58 mm. For the 65 mm poker, the limit is 63 mm diameter (65) and 395 mm length (400). Replace external wear parts in time, so that the internal parts are not damaged.

The bearings in PVE and PVEL

For PVEL, the recommendation is to lubricate the bearings every 12 months or every 500 operating hours, depending on use. For PVE, the operating instructions specify lubrication of the bearings every 12 months. The poker should be dismantled by an expert, and all parts must be tight (600 to 800 Nm) so that water does not get into the head. The oil specified for PVEL is synthetic Klübersynth GH 6 or equivalent.

The PVEL troubleshooting section links two symptoms to the bearings: the poker is noisier than before, or it works but gets too hot. If it gets hot, you should also check that it is not being run outside the concrete, and that the input voltage to the frequency converter is correct.

The poker must not run for more than 5 minutes outside the concrete. The concrete cools the vibrator head, and without it the poker can fail within a short time.

Cable, switch and frequency converter

• Protect the cable from heat, oil and sharp edges, and do not let heavy machines crush it, as that can cause breaks
• Do not carry or pull the poker by the cable. A damaged supply cable must be replaced immediately
• Start and stop with the switch, not with the plug
• Disconnect the poker from the frequency converter before working on it
• If the switch is replaced, the bolts on the switch box must be tightened firmly again, and the box must be watertight
• PVEL is connected to 230 V with a 30 mA residual current device for each frequency converter, and no other equipment should be connected to the same residual current device

The lamps on the PVEL converter

The converter on the PVEL indicates faults with lamps:

• Green lamp off: make sure the power is on, and check the power cable and plug. The converter may also be burnt out
• Red lamp on: the stator in the poker is burnt, or the converter is burnt out
• Yellow lamp on: earth fault, or water in the converter or the poker
• Lamp 4 on: a phase is missing in the poker (the three-phase motor). Lamps 2, 3 and 4 on at the same time: temperature too high. Check that the converter is clean, and remove dried concrete and anything covering it unnecessarily

PVE runs on an external frequency converter. If the poker does not work, the troubleshooting section also mentions that too many pokers, or pokers that are too large, may be connected to the converter at the same time, leaving it short of power. If the poker runs slowly and gets hot, check the voltage and frequency from the converter. The cause may also be that the motor is running on only two phases because of a break in the supply cable or a missing phase.

PVD 600: no oil in the shaft

The flexible shaft on the PVD 600 is lubricated for life at the factory. Neither the shaft nor the poker should be lubricated internally with oil. If the poker head does not vibrate enough because the head and pendulum are contaminated with oil or grease, dismantle the parts and remove the grease thoroughly. Then grease the shaft with the manufacturer's special grease.

The ventilation openings on both sides of the motor housing must be kept open for cooling. If the ventilation covers need cleaning, the air filter under the left-hand cover (the air intake) should also be renewed. Make sure no water gets into the motor housing.

If the drive unit runs unevenly, the operating instructions give worn carbon brushes as the cause. They should be replaced every 6 to 12 months. If the poker does not vibrate when switched on because the pendulum is not rotating as it should, the operating instructions say to strike the tip of the poker head with a hard object. Avoid sharp bends in the shaft while working.

PVD 2000: grease, carbon brushes and filter

• Grease the shaft every 100 operating hours with 25 g of grease per metre. Do not over-grease, as the grease can get into the poker, and do not clean the shaft with solvent. The recommended grease is Klüber Staburags N-4
• Change the lubricant in the poker every 300 operating hours
• Check the carbon brushes every 100 hours and replace them when the effective length is under 5 mm
• Clean the ventilation openings at the front and rear of the motor regularly. Replace the filter in the air intake under the switch when it is dirty
• If the shaft is not the same length as the hose, within a tolerance of ±10 mm, it should be repaired before it causes a more serious breakdown

If the motor becomes overloaded and hot, the causes listed in the troubleshooting section include too much oil in the head, too much or too little grease in the shaft, a faulty seal and a badly bent shaft. Bearing failure can be caused by too little oil in the tube, the poker having run for too long outside the concrete, or water in the tube.

Service and parts

Use genuine Swepac parts when replacing parts. Sigurd Stave Maskin AS is Kiwa-verified and certified to carry out annual inspections, and has mobile service technicians based in Oslo and Bergen. Workshop phone, daytime: +47 969 13 856.

If you are choosing a new poker or frequency converter, you will find more in the guides Poker vibrators: diameter, capacity and frequency converter and Mechanical poker vibrators.