Grinder Pump Application Overview
Life Before Blade Grinder Pump: Greensboro, North Carolina sits in the center of the state, on the Piedmont Plateau and at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The city has 49 total lift stations, serving a population just under 300,000, which makes it the third largest city in the state. Greensboro also has the third largest Water Resources Department in the state, which provides safe and dependable drinking water and wastewater treatment.
Pump Station Details
The city’s Summer Hill lift station was constructed in 2015, making it one of the newer stations around town. The station collects household waste from a local neighborhood with about 150 homes. The original pumps installed were 10HP grinder pumps, which had extensive issues from very early on. These ranged from seal failures, bearing failures and motor failures. All issues were covered under warranty from the original manufacturer, but once the warranty ran out, the Water Resources Department began looking for a new solution. In the three years that the original pumps were installed, each pump failed multiple times.
Installation
In the Spring of 2018, Tim Tilley with Heritage Water Systems stopped by the City of Greensboro, and presented the Barnes Blade Grinder. The City liked that the pumps were Made in the USA, and that they could downsize their motors while keeping up performance. The City purchased two 7.5HP pumps for the duplex station, which were installed in June of 2018. The installation was simple, as the existing rail system was compatible with the Blade pumps. Since then, the pumps have not been pulled except for regular inspections, and have had no issues since installation. Joshua Younts, the Lift Station Section Supervisor, stated that “they haven’t needed to put any attention into the station” and that “anytime you can drop something in and not have to worry is great.” The pumps have saved costs both in initial capital due to the lower HP, and in the repair costs. Younts said that he will be open to using Barnes for future opportunities as well.
Key Takeaways
Pain Points
• The existing pumps failed frequently with major issues.
• The pumps needed to be repaired at each failure.
Benefits
• Greensboro purchased two 7.5HP pumps to replace the two existing 10HP pumps.
• The reliability and afford-ability of the Barnes Blade Grinder has saved the city both money and time.