Equipment Troubleshooting Strategy

So you want to prove how this machine failed?

What is your equipment troubleshooting strategy? You’re going to lose evidence if you don’t gather your data in a logical sequence. Think disassembling a 24-cylinder emergency diesel engine only to discover you need to inspect piston rings 12 and 19 which are in that unlabeled pile over there. Would have been nice to know the information we needed BEFORE tearing it apart, cleaning all the software, and losing installation and configuration.

After you’ve narrowed down what you need to prove using the Equifactor® tools, you need a plan.

When you’re proving the exact failure mode and failure agent a machine experienced, you’ll be tracking a lot of steps and many different procedures, tests, and checks. Here’s a troubleshooting sequence planning spreadsheet for download.

This table is designed to be used to prepare for troubleshooting from an Equifactor® table, but anyone can use this method to ensure nothing gets missed or lost.

For every

list every associated

remaining after your initial narrow-down.

The most common cause of equipment failure? Sloppy maintenance or troubleshooting! Remember the shut-down procedures, test points, installation checks, and tuning, and startup maintenance you’ll need to remember. Don’t create new problems by failing to plan!

Improve your Equipment Troubleshooting Strategy

To learn how to use the troubleshooting sequence and the rest of the Equifactor® troubleshooting process, register for the Equifactor® Pre-Summit Course and the Maintenance and Reliability Best Practice Learning Track at the TapRooT® Global Summit on Root Cause Analysis!