Pump System Solution: New Technology, Quick Delivery, Hands on Demo Completes System Upgrade

PumpMan SoCal received an urgent call from a Hotel Casino/Resort in Riverside County, California, stating they were experiencing sewage pump failures which they believed were caused by clogging. PumpMan’s on-site inspection revealed that the mechanical shaft seals were failing on pump number one. The root cause of the failure was that the system was designed to use sewage water as the seal’s coolant. In order to function properly, the sewage water needs to be filtered, and the filter system must be properly maintained. When the filter clogs, the cooling system will no longer function as designed which causes the seal to overheat and fail. The technicians did discover that the filter was clogged, confirming the root cause of the pump failure.

When the PumpMan SoCal crew pulled the number one pump for evaluation and repair, the second pump failed due to the load on the pump. When the crew pulled the second pump to determine why it stopped pumping, they found that the pump had completely failed. Not only was the filter system completely clogged, but the impeller was severely worn and no longer able to perform to the desired specification. To address the customer’s immediate need to have the system restored to service, PumpMan’s technicians serviced and cleaned the filter on the first pump and put it back in operation until a permanent solution could be implemented.

PumpMan SoCal’s recommended solution was to replace the existing pumps with a pair of dry pit Barnes Sithe Chopper Pumps with Envie3 Motors. To help the customer properly evaluate the solution, PumpMan worked with Crane Pumps to enable the customer to view the Sithe’s performance using the Sithe Demo Trailer. In high solid applications, the Sithe pump solves clogging with a unique, first-of-its-kind, patented chopping technology that slices even the most troublesome solids in the waste stream. The Sithe’s premium efficient IE3 motor delivers significant energy savings and is easy to service. The customer was impressed with the demonstration and approved the upgrade. To enhance the safety and serviceability of the system, Meltric load-rated disconnect plugs were added to the pump cords, and a seal fail indication was incorporated into the control panel. The installation of the new pumps occurred in November 2023, and they’ve been functioning as designed for this critical application in the Casino.