Blog Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Taylor Pump Stations

Waste Water Lift Station- A Blog About Clogs

July 8, 2013/in Blog/by Mark Taylor

Managing a waste water lift station.

A pump clogs, that is just a fact. Pumps within a waste water lift station do not get clean potable water like the centrifugal pumps do in the drinking water industry. Sewage pumps are designed to handle most of the contents within raw sewage, but have clogging issues when it comes to the many different types of wipes and sanitary products that are flushed down the toilet.

Most designers of waste water lift stations acquire as much information as possible in regards to the area and industries the waste water lift station serves. The engineer will design the waste water lift station with as much current technology as possible to address refuse and animal byproducts.

“The Hair that binds us”, also clogs our Waste Water Lift Stations!

Just recently I received an e-mail requesting my help on a recently installed pre-packaged waste water lift station that was having problems with clogs. The micro station, i.e. flow calculations based on fixture units, was serving a relatively large animal shelter in a bedroom community of San Francisco. Any waste water lift station designer worth his salt has the hair on his back (hopefully the designer is a male) stand up when you hear animal grooming business or shelter, large veterinary clinics and one of my most difficult waste water lift station applications a tallow plant. The problem of hair as it applies to micro sanitary stations is across the board relative to its counterparts the macro waste water lift station. The problem relates to liquid volume relative to the amounts of solids in the gravity line whether it is rags or globs of balled up hair. If velocities within the gravity line go to low settlement will occur allowing a buildup in the line. When flows pick back up the line is flushed of its accumulated debris creating a condition of potential clogging of the waste water pumps.

“Big Hair, Spells big Problems for Waste Water Pumps”

(Especially in low horse power pumps)

The same dynamic of “catch and bind” that happens within your bathtub drain or sink and ultimately clogs the drain is precisely what happens to the waste water pump. The individual dog or animal hair has considerable amount of tensile strength and of course it balls up in a formation similar to that of a large ball of steel wool. In this formation the wad of hair displaces the water content within the volute thus disrupting the basic hydraulics design that is the centrifugal pump. A roto-dynamic pump converts mechanical energy to hydraulic energy. For pressure energy to be produced the impeller must be able to draw in water. If a mass of hair was lodged within the volute it would cause the pump to discharge more water than it was taking in. The resulting low pressure will cause water to vaporize (boil) and severe cavitation is the result. The point is a hair logged pump is a real downtime issue.

Once the waste water lift station is installed and up and running is not the time to address the design issues with the applications engineer. Your pre-packaged pump station designer should ask all relevant matters of the waste to be pumped well before the waste water pumps begin clogging with ”fur balls”. At Taylor Pump Stations seeing the good and the bad of what a sanitary sewage lift station has to handle, gives us a good handle in assisting with the design of your next packaged waste water lift station.

See you at the Station-Avoiding Cavitation

July 15, 2013/in Blog/by Mark Taylor

“Cavitation can lead to premature failure of the sewage pump station”

The above statement equates that if your submersible or dry prime pumps go down, that the whole pump station is down. The facts are the pump is to the sewage station what the heart is to the human body. When the pump stops, it means very little that you had an up to date modern system installed.

A sanitary pump station is faced with many challenges not found in storm, irrigation or potable water pumping stations. The wastewater itself produces an environment that is churning the elements within the sewage pump station that enhances the phenomena of cavitation. Similar to the anaerobic process as it occurs within the human and food waste elements in a pump are producing the “Perfect Storm” in the form of hydrogen sulfide gas , which contributes greatly to the possibility of cavitation occurring in the casing of the centrifugal sewage pump.

There are pumps that are designed to move both liquids and gasses. These pumps, like the Helico-Axial pump is a cross between a centrifugal pump and an axial compressor. The submersible sewage pump is a very efficient hydraulic machine, but they are not designed to handle air, more specifically the collapsing of air pockets as the bubbles move up the stream from low pressure to high pressure. The centrifugal design submersible sewage pump moves most of the effluent in the municipal sewage system today.

Prevention- always a better option!

As engineers and design professionals we must prevent cavitation to the degree possible as the collapse of the vaporizing water takes pieces of metal with it and if allowed to continue will completely degrade the vanes and the hydraulic efficiency of the pump, relegating the pump to not much more than a propeller spinning in the water. If a pump becomes operationally fouled to that point that it no longer operates as a kinetic machine designed to impart energy and move water, instead it will become a makeshift “bubble maker”.

What to look for?

A knowledgeable sewage pump station manager would have recognized cavitation as the pumps condition early by watching the pressure gauges or flow meters and have the pump removed and re-built well before a pump reaches such an impotent state. So, what are the design criteria’s to avoid sewer wet well sludge build up and ease of cleaning for the maintenance worker.

Designing with this in mind

One option in building to avoid cavitation is to design the bottom of a pump station wet well with a slope away from where the pumps sit. The slight slope of 4-5% i.e. 3” in 6’ makes for a much easier cleaning of the wet well floor (it just makes sense, it’s called gravity, use it, it works!). A design utilizing a low co-efficient of flow product such as plastic or HDPE, on the bottom the concrete station will add to the ease of cleaning. Some government sanitation districts prefer a fiberglass bottom formed to fit the slope of a concrete sewer sump where the sides are angled in at an approximate 60 degree repose.

The FRP material has a good characteristic of what in the industry we call “surface slide” but its negative aspects are that it is not as durable as HDPE. The formed fiberglass design although good in the concept to remove sludge, many times this sludge contains rocks and debris as well as that table fork that “Lil Junior” flushed down the commode and you know what it means when you stick a fork in a pump, “it’s done”.

In either design that is specified a stationary tube with a wide mouth vacuum or funnel type head should be incorporated into the wet well. This clean and stable hydraulic efficient tube with the long sweeping suction feature is simply a time saver in comparison to unlocking hatches to access the sump and the dangers and injuries of handling a wet hose around the high voltages that are present in pump stations.

Solutions

I am probably a bit biased here because our company utilizes such a device as I describe into their sewer pump stations and it is called the Ezz-Klean™ Device. The Ezz-Klean™ is available on-line through Oldcastle Concrete Wilsonville, or you can reach them by phone at 1-503-682-2844. I wanted to save the best for last, but writing on the topic of sewer pump station gases, well, “how are you going to top that” I will tell you that next week I want to go over the subject of net positive suction head and its value to optimizing the sewer pumps operation within the wet well. “See Ya at the Station”.

Are you aware June is Save a Pump Month?

June 5, 2013/in Blog/by Mark Taylor

Because a pump is a terrible thing to waste…

Water and waste operators everywhere know the work horses of any municipal water or waste water system is the pump. That is why many officials in the public and private sector, as well as manufacturers have joined with Taylor Pump Stations in proclaiming June as save a pump month.

Save a pump month, How can I get involved?

So, what can we as professionals in the pump industry do to protect the pump motor and of course the pump end of this vital machine. We must be aware of the importance of taking care of some basic preventative maintenance tasks that when done routinely will prolong a pumps life. In the water and waste water industry it is primarily the roto-dynamic (centrifugal) pump that in many cases works around the clock 365 days a year. It is an amazing machine, one worthy of being at the top of the asset management priority ;public work directors-supervisors and field technicians are very aware of the long term benefits of a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi and annual inspection & maintenance schedule.

Experienced public works employees and private sector tradesman recognize that it its not just servicing the pump and motor itself but caring for the key equipment and varying components of pumping station that can truly extend a pumps MTBF (mean time before failure).

So what better way to “stay in the flow” and keep the flow going for this first annual save a pump month than by following the “Big 10” pump maintenance items.

Get a good base line of what is normal for your pumping operation. I.E. by using your eyes, ears, feel and smell you’ll begin to sense ahead of time any problems. It’s a little “zen” but it works.
It varies with the type of station but visually and operationally check the on/off level switches for proper operation, I.E. make sure floats are not “ragged up” or tangled.
Know enough of the alternating switch cycle that the lead/ leg pump operations is functioning.
Your pumps need the proper amount of ” juice” and on a 3ph motor that means the amount of voltage per the name plate on all 3 legs, with the allowable voltage variance of approximately 5%. Be sure to check the amperage that the motor is drawing, also available on the motors name plate. Given both inputs of voltage and amperage, the technician gets a good picture of the electric motors operating condition; which is key to the proper operation of the sewage pump station. Hazardous Voltages are present in motor control panels-don’t attempt to check voltage without proper training.
Manually insure the alarm is working by operating the switch or test button, the same goes for the alarm light.
Pay close attention i.e. be detailed in watching the read out of the PLC. Pump fault readouts-levels or any other alarm function is of no benefit unless you’re monitoring the readout with the knowledge of what constitutes the abnormal. I guess it goes without saying-you must be trained then use that training to understand the pumps vital signs.
Check the seals on the MCC doors. Insure the seal has not been compromised. A 4x NEMA enclosure is not a 4x seal rated if damage has occurred to the door latch or gasket.
Check for loose bolts and evident hardware deterioration-i.e. be a good housekeeper.
Activate valves-to insure a unfrozen condition. Grease when necessary-operate spring spring check valves-insure a good seal.
Kind of a catch all-pull submersible pumps periodically for a visual operational check. If at every maintenance interval a digital laser ray thermometer is used for temp check of all mechanical equipment it will create a baseline to note any spikes in heat, indicating a problem. Be constantly vigil of resonance or vibration. Finally clean the pump basin out on a semi annual basis. A word of caution here! A sewage pump station is one of OSHA’S highest level danger rated confined space environments. Do not enter under any circumstance without following the regulations. The EZZ-Klean™ device as manufactured by Taylor Made Pump Stations is an excellent way to clean a station without subjecting workers to the harmful environment below.

Each pump application will have its own set of plans. But use these maintenance ideas along with your own and make June and every month trouble free in your pumps life. Part of save a pump month is getting this knowledge out there, so pass the information along.

EZZ VAC by EZZ KLEAN

May 17, 2013/in Blog/by Mark Taylor

EZZ VAC

Available today at Oldcastle Wilsonville!

503-682-2844

www.oldcastleprecast.com

Many design professionals and municipalities are specifying the new and revolutionary EZZ Klean process to help clean and maintain we wells, tanks and deep inlets. This U.S. patented device reduces maintenance costs, increases worker safety, and extends pump life, in every application.

The EZZ KLEAN and Storm Water Safety

May 1, 2013/in Blog/by Mark Taylor

The EZZ Klean ™ goes to work protecting the pristine waters of the Umpqua Lighthouse Park.

Photo Credit – puliarf

The Umpqua Lighthouse pump station at the park is in close proximity to the crystal clear waters of Lake Marie and less than a mile from the famous Salmon waters on Winchester Bay. A sewage over flow can occur with any sanitary pumping station and can be harmful to the environment. The environment needs its own safety beacon, similar to the Umpqua Lighthouse protecting the maritime industry.

Here is where the EZZ Klean™ Solution comes in.

The bright red EZZ Klean tube stands ready to help lower the effluent in the event of a power loss and subsequent pump shut down. The stationary tube with a quick connect top allows workmen to access the pump vault in a matter of a minute without looking for keys or special wrenches to remove hatches. In the case of the Umpqua Lighthouse pump station it is a dry deck wet well design so if the sewage rises to the dry deck level the waste water could wreak havoc on the close couple centrifugal pumps and electrical equipment. “An SSO is something we don’t even want to think about” said Mike Colllins Oregon State Parks regional manager out of Salem, “but with the high winds and many storms that buffet the coastal range. We looked at the EZZ Klean as added insurance towards protection of our beautiful park. As an added benefit we have many volunteers who work and add value to keeping our parks beautiful. We recognize that these folks do a great job but should a high alarm sound at one of our pump stations we wouldn’t want them near the dangers of a pump station. They could however point the Vac Truck operator to the” bright red flag” where the “pop top” opening at the EZZ Klean is located, till more skilled help arrives!”

The Umpqua Lighthouse pump station was recently updated with new close coupled “Dri-prime” pumps and a complete MCC and remote terminal alarm control units. With all this the park rangers know that the red light flashing is that of the Bright Red Beacon of the Umpqua Lighthouse and not the much smaller version mounted at the pump station itself.

Our products are available thru Oldcastle Wilsonville OR.

United States Patent Awarded to EZZ-Klean™ Method

April 4, 2013/in Blog/by Mark Taylor

The EZZ-Klean™ System by Taylor Made Pump Stations* now offers a safer and more economical system for cleaning sewage wet wells and pits, storm water Retention basins, digesters and grease interceptors.

Cleanliness, and safety for maintaining pump station wet wells, vaults digester sumps or just about any container for liquid waste is of prime importance. The DEQ, EPA and OSHA are especially sensitive to the implications of maintaining the highest quality of these factors and have stringent regulations that need to be considered in order for owners and workers to stay in compliance. In the past, the methods used to do the work needed to satisfy compliance with regulations were time consuming and cumbersome. The new method called “EZZ-Klean™” has been tested and proven. It has earned a US Patent to save time, costs, improve safety and remain in compliance.

The Patent for the EZZ-Klean™ method is based on utilizing the benefits of a sloped floor along with a wide mouth opening at or near the bottom the vault with a pipe that is accessible to a vacuum source from the top of the vault. This is what Mr. Garret Pallo, Principle Engineer with Civil West, liked about the EZZ-Klean™ System. Civil West recently designed the EZZ-Klean™ into a pump Station in Myrtle Point, Oregon. This created a more efficient and effective cleaning process. It can just be cleaned from above with a spray of water. This method was inspired when Taylor Made Pump Systems became aware of the time it was taking for workers to clean in confined spaces while also being in compliance with Oregon OSHA standards. These standards address particulars such as cleaning sludge, rocks, sticks and even bones which are known to cause pump impeller problems.

Along with being able to save time and costs, safety was another consideration that the engineers of EZZ-Klean™ wanted to make sure to address with their method. What theycome up with is a system that makes fall protection, ventilation equipment, retrieval tripods, spending a large amount of capital investment and labor hours obsolete. The EZZ-Klean™ method allows for ease of use and maintenance so owners and workers can save time and money while staying safe on the job. The EZZ Klean™ Method can be purchased through Oldecastle Concrete Store.

*About Taylor Made Pump Stations: An industry specialist in the construction and the installation of Prepackaged Pump Stations, Taylor Made Pump Stations installs and constructs branded, pre-packaged and owner designed Pump Stations. Fully licensed providers and installers, contractors, manufacturers, engineers, and SCADA personnel provide a full array of Pump Station services including lift station construction, consultation and installing pre-made and customized stations designed to fit the specific applications needed including automation options, low maintenance, on site bore drilling for field connections and more.