• Remove and discard old worn packing
• Inspect all surfaces for wear. Badly worn shafts, sleeves, and stuffing boxes can affect the performance of the best packings.
• Inspect the bearing or guide bushings to ensure that excessive run-out and end-play are not present. Replace any worn items.
• Measure the gap between the shaft and the gland housing. If excessive, either replace the gland and shaft or put a tight fitting spacer at the end of the stuffing box to close the gap.

• The service parameters need to be properly matched to the ability of the packing chosen. Consult the media chart and selection guides for the best packing for your application. If there are questions, contact your factory representative.
• The correct size packing must be used to ensure the proper seal. To determine the cross-section required, use this formula:
  
                CROSS-SECTION = (STUFFING BOX DIAMETER-SHAFT DIAMETER) / 2

Make sure you measure the equipment if it is worn so that the correct cross-section packing is used. Worn equipment may require a larger cross-section packing to compensate for all the wear.

• Cut coil into proper ring lengths. Never attempt to determine length by winding the coil into the box. Rather, place the coil around a tube having the same O.D. as the shaft, holding it down firmly but not stretching it. Cut the first ring and try it out to see if it properly fills the space, and make sure there is no gap where the ring ends meet. Cut additional rings using the first as a standard. If these cuts are to be made on a flat surface, make the cut on the coil profile so that the I.D./O.D. bevel is reproduced. If a packing is soft and tends to fray, apply a small piece of tape where the cut is to be made and cut through the tape. Remove the tape if it substantially alters the ring joint O.D.
  
• Install one ring at a time, making certain that each is free of dirt or other debris. Rings may be lubricated with clean oil, as well as the shaft, if desired. Stagger each successive ring joint 90°. Seat each ring firmly in place using a tamping tool. When enough rings have been seated that the follower can reach them, the tamping can be supplemented using the follower. Remember, the follower is only a supplement; individual tamping ensures proper seating of all rings and can avoid erratic packing performance.
  
• After installing rings, make up bolts finger tight. Note: Stopping leakage at this point will cause the packing to burn up. Adjustments should then be made by tightening the nuts one flat at a time until leakage reaches an acceptable rate. Wherever possible, a lantern ring should be used to lubricate the shaft and packing by supplying oil to the stuffing box. If the box has a lantern ring, it is important that this ring be in line with the exterior lubrication fittings.

• After installing the packing rings, make up the bolts finger tight and check to make sure the gland face is parallel to the stuffing box face. This will ensure even loading once you begin to tighten the gland nuts.
• If an external lubrication source if being utilized, make sure it is functioning properly before starting up the pump.
• Start the pump allowing a high initial leakage rate. During this process, the packing is seating and beginning to function.
• After running the packing in for 15-30 minutes, begin tightening the gland nuts on flat at a time until the desired leakage is obtained. Eight to ten drops per minute/per inch of shaft diameter is recommended. PTFE packings should be allowed to leak more to dissipate the heat the packings generate through thermal expansion.
• It is recommended that you check your leakage rate one hour after establishing it to make sure vibration has not caused the gland nuts to back-off which could lead to failure.