Spillage and carryback under a conveyor — cleaners, skirts and the loading zone
Symptom
Material piles under the head pulley and along the return run, spills at the loading zone, or stones collect under the tail pulley.
Likely causes
- Primary or secondary cleaner blades worn below the wear line, or wrongly tensioned.
- V-plough missing or worn, so stones reach the tail pulley.
- Worn or badly set skirt rubbers.
- Belt sagging under the loading point because there is no impact support.
- Overload or off-centre loading.
Most likely and cheapest to check first.
Checks
- Lock out. Check cleaner blades against their wear line and their tension.
- Check the V-plough blade and the gap at its nose.
- Check the skirt rubbers for gaps and wear along the whole skirt.
- Look for belt sag between idlers at the loading zone.
Fix
- Replace worn blades and set the tension as the cleaner maker says.
- Fit or repair the V-plough before the tail pulley.
- Adjust or replace the skirt rubbers - lightly touching the belt, not pressed hard.
- Fit impact idlers or an impact bed under the loading point.
- Correct the chute so the load lands in the centre.
Parts you may need
Carryback is lost material and wasted time
Material that sticks to the belt after the head pulley falls along the return run, builds up on idlers and pulleys and starts mistracking. It also makes people want to clean under a running belt, which is how many conveyor accidents happen. A working cleaner removes the reason for that risk.
CAUTIONSkirts pressed hard against the belt cut grooves along the top cover. Set them to just touch.
⚠ Every check inside a machine starts with full lockout. Safety disclaimer