TL;DR

Broken or missing buckets reduce elevator capacity and can jam in the housing. Inspect through the inspection door during a planned outage and replace damaged buckets in sets to maintain belt balance.

What you might see

capacity lower than rated for the same speed
intermittent impact sounds from inside the elevator leg
product leaking from the elevator casing
bucket count low on a visual check at the boot

Likely causes

Tap to mark as ruled out

Bucket cracking or shattering from foreign object ingestion (stones, metal)
Bucket fastener loosening from vibration allowing the bucket to shift or detach
Bucket material degradation from chemical exposure or temperature
Boot pulley clearance too small causing buckets to contact the housing on tight radius

Required tools

LOTO kit
Torque wrench for bucket fasteners
Replacement buckets (matched to existing type)
Replacement fasteners
Confined-space permit and gas monitor if leg entry required

Safety first

Elevator leg entry requires a confined-space permit and continuous atmosphere monitoring.
Lock out all drives and confirm zero belt movement before opening any inspection door or reaching inside the elevator.

Procedure

7 steps · ~90 min

1
Stop the elevator and lock out. Allow the belt to fully stop before opening any inspection door.
Warning: Confined space entry into an elevator leg requires a confined-space permit and continuous atmosphere monitoring for grain dust. Lock out all drives before entry.
2
Open the head section inspection door. Rotate the belt slowly by hand (with all drives locked out) to bring each bucket past the inspection window.[1]
3
Inspect each bucket for cracks, missing sections, deformed lips, or loose fasteners. Mark damaged buckets with tape.
4
Replace all marked buckets. When replacing, use the same bucket model and capacity to maintain uniform belt loading. Replace fasteners as well.[1]
5
Torque bucket fastener bolts to the specification for the belt material. Undertorqued bolts loosen from vibration within one shift.
6
After replacement, rotate the belt by hand through a full circuit to confirm no buckets contact the housing at the boot or head.
7
Close inspection doors and run the elevator empty before returning to production load. Listen for impact sounds.

Sources

Universal Industries Universal Industries Tapco Bucket Elevator / Drag Conveyor general technical documentation, Universal Industries
Bucket elevator bucket inspection and replacement, general bulk material handling practice (general)

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