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See you at the Lift Station.
Non Clog Impeller Pump vs. Grinder Impeller Pump.
Design with the Impeller in Mind.

You, the public works official, manager or director should not assume that the design engineer has specified the right impeller pump type for your effluent pump station. This article addresses lift station pump choices for municipal or private submersible wastewater lift stations and why that choice is so important. We will discus the choice of non clog impeller pump vs. grinder impeller pump.

Wastewater usually refers to that liquid containing household wipes and sanitary products, which comes from singe resident and multi unit living complexes. But we also design lift stations for more challenging and unusual applications. We will discuss examples and see what’s in their waste water. I understand this is not the most pleasing of conversational topics, but those of us in the wastewater lift station industry need to know what we’re pumping! This is imperative in choosing the correct pump type, model, starting torque and horsepower of the pump motor.

Nothing can be assumed

In my 42 years of building wastewater lift stations I have learned that there is nothing common or standardized in this industry. There are no fast rules and nothing can be assumed about designing household wastewater or municipal wastewater lift stations. This adds challenges to the reliable moving of wastewater. Two wastewater pumps with the same specs but form different manufacturers are often not at all the same. Likewise, the wastewater itself varies significantly in its ratio of solid to liquid materials. In this business you need a good working knowledge of what pumps to choose for each job, you need to know what’s in the liquid you’re moving.

Unusual & Challenging Lift Station Applications

We specialize in building lift stations for the most difficult applications so we have to carefully consider what’s in the waste.

A good example of this is the marine wastewater lift station. Everything from driftwood to a deck shoes end up in the holding tank. It’s always wise to gather information as to what we may have to move! We design our Marine 105 EZZ Klean™️ pump station to operate without clogging despite the non-typical makeup of the waste. From the bilge of boats and ships the sewage wastewater often contains a deck shoe, a wooden pipe, a long sleeve rubber Glove, a chunk of apitong from a ships deck, lots of nylon rope, and the list goes on! Taylor Pump Stations Marine 105 models are an industry leader and can handle even such unpredictable wastewater elements. Taking on the toughest pumping conditions is how you learn and determine what works and what doesn’t.

Theme Parks, Baseball Stadiums, Schools, and University’s are other examples of facilities that produce wastewater with much and unusual solid material including plastics, janitorial wipes and Rags. Our Micro Packaged Lift Stations, such as the Marine -105™️ EZZ -Klean Lift Station with grinder pumps can handle this type of wastewater.

We discuss other challenging lift station situations here and here.

Non Clog Impeller Pump vs. Grinder Impeller Pump

The key component to successful wastewater pumping is the type of pump. Two of the most common type of wastewater pumps are a non-clog impeller pump design or a grinder impeller designed pump. Detailed lifecycle cost analysis of a lift station includes many factors and compares of many options. The choice of non clog impeller pump vs. grinder impeller pump has significant impact in the lifecycle coast. It is one of the most important decisions a lift station designer makes.

In short, grinder pumps are best suited for lower volume effluent pumping. Most 1-5 Horsepower grinders move in the range of 20-to 120 GPM at varying head conditions. Grinder pump manufacturers are continually increasing the horsepower of pumps. Now, many manufacturers have electric motor HP ratings at 15 Horsepower or greater!

Let’s talk Torque. Higher starting torque is usually found in pumps with high horsepower motors. A one horsepower grinder submersible may have an aggressive “cutter/grinder” type impeller but may lack strong starting torque. Low Horsepower grinders generally do have low starting torque. Low starting torque leads to binding of the impeller, which is a fairly common occurrence. The overload protection feature only protects the motors complete demise but some degrading of the motor occurs every time in a locked impeller condition.

Designing Wastewater Lift Stations for specific applications sounds so basic but is often overlooked!

The successful completion of a wide variety of projects gives Taylor Pump Stations the unique ability to assess and design wastewater and food processing lift stations for ALL applications.

At the time of writing, Taylor Pump Stations is designing two food processing lift stations in two different states. One of them is a large 2.9 million GPD, DEQ mandated waterway protection project. We are simultaneously working on a several sewage wastewater lift stations. The scale and uses of each lift station are very different. But we know that each is of the utmost importance to the customer. We are working closely with each owner on a weekly basis to keep them informed on how we are able to expedite the process despite the sub vendor supply issues that our entire industry currently is facing.

A Good Design Adds Peace of Mind for Long Term Operation of the Packaged Wastewater Lift Station.

We know that no two lift stations are alike and that each project requires careful planning and detailed communication with the business owner. Our first step is always to thoroughly discuss and understand the needs and specific applications of a particular lift station. What type of liquid is being pumped? How much room do we build in for future growth? Are there spacial or environmental challenges? What control panel features could make life easier for the operator? The information we gather at the inception of a project informs a wide range of mechanical, electrical and component choices. Time spent fully understanding all the details of the lift station package pays many dividends which become evident at the lift station’s commissioning.

The Keys to Our Success Are Clear Communication, Careful Planning and Flexibility.

We create an atmosphere of open communication and cooperation where the business owners, engineers and professionals work together as a highly efficient team. We want every concern, no matter how small, out on the table. Each detail is very important to the planning process.

Even when a specific consideration surfaces at the last minute, we can still adjust the plan to accommodate these new factors. We know to leave room so that these add-ons can be addressed at minimal extra cost. Control panels should be designed large enough for flow meter components or PLC enhancements, for example, to be added later. This is just smart and can save a lot of money.

Similarly, concrete holding wells and tanks cannot be expanded after they are built. One of the most common mistakes we see in the packaged wastewater lift station industry is sizing wet wells too small.

One of the most common mistakes we see in the packaged wastewater lift station industry is sizing wet wells too small.

The Muni-105™️, Muni-106™️, and Muni-108™️ are duplex pump accommodating pump wells. The Muni-104™️, on the other hand, has a 4 foot diameter and can only accept smaller grinders or non-clog motors and pump ends. We recommend the Muni-104™️ only for simplex lift stations or small duplex stations. The Muni-104™️ can accommodate pumps and equipment in the 1-2 HP range and 2” discharge piping.

A 4 foot diameter well for duplex operation does not have space to accommodate the rising main. The rising main must be off the wall several inches to allow “fitting” room for the 90° ELL. It just does not work “well” to crowd the pumps and discharges into a 4’ circle. So If there is any chance that the station will need to scale up in the future, we recommend upsizing the well. A 5 foot wet well costs about $2,500 more than a 4 foot well. A 6 foot well is around $5,000 more that the 5 foot model. (All have the same depth of 10 feet.) Investing in the right size wet well from the start can save an incredible amount of money in the long run.

Optimizing the wet well size also means not having to shoehorn equipment in.

This aids in ease of cleaning and maintenance which can add years to a lift station’s life span. Designing with adequate pump spacing follows the specifications of The Hydraulic Institute and lessons the occurrence of cavitation issues. During suggested annual pumping, to clean sediment build up, there will be less chance of interrupting sensitive control equipment like float switches and transducers. To make the cleaning of wet wells still easier and safer, we highly recommend include the Stationary VacTube™️ and EZZ- Klean Head .

The COVID Virus has left much Of America’s small business in shambles. One positive thing that has come out of this pandemic is planning with the Zoom platform. All of our forms that assist in generating a project, from our initial scope of supply narrative to our order form, are being created with a new mantra. “Need assistance filling anything out? Let’s hop on a Zoom conference and we’ll walk you through it!”

At Taylor Pump Stations we realize you have many choices in your selecting a packaged liftp station supplier. We hope that after reviewing our history in the industry and noting our impeccable attention detail, that you feel confident in choosing Taylor Pump Stations for your next Project.