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March 28, 2022 - All-Pumps, the number one pump supplier in Australia, announced its elevated status as Grundfos Certified Industry Partner today. We have been a long-time partner of Grundfos, but as they recently updated their partnership program, our decades of excellent sales performance and expertise in their products automatically qualified us for their “Certified Partnership Program.”
The upgraded partner status was confirmed by Grundfos earlier this month, and All-Pumps is delighted to accept and be recognised as their certified industry partner. By entering this new partner program, we will receive more support from Grundfos than we have been getting from them in the past years of our partnership. This will help us optimize all related services and products we sell to our target market.
The partnership supports the companies' shared goals of adding value to customers through improved and effective technologies, which will help resolve many of the pain points that keep weighing down our industry verticals.
As All-Pumps continue to make a substantial impact in Australian industries through best-in-class products and services, we are proud to work alongside Grundfos and support the goals of businesses to achieve greater prosperity. We promise to keep offering a transformative experience to our customers through Grundfos pumps until we become an elite industry partner of the international manufacturer.
All-Pumps is Australia’s primary supplier of pumps. We are backed by 50 years of experience in the sales and service of all types of industrial pumps. Our proud legacy has been forged by innovation and prioritisation of the needs of our clients first and foremost. Working closely with trusted manufacturers such as Grundfos, we will remain a reliable partner that every industry can depend on in the next 50 years.
Grundfos is a world-renowned manufacturer that started operation in 1945. Working in world-class facilities, they can produce over 16 million pump units annually. Being the largest pump manufacturer, Grundfos is trusted by many industries across the globe. They boast a vast portfolio of innovative water transfer solutions with unmatched quality, including circulator pumps, submersible pumps, and centrifugal pumps
All-Pumps is proud to announce our ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 18001 standard renewal to the newly revised ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 standards.
As part of a continued focus and efforts to improve its management systems across quality, safety, and protection of the environment to exceed customer expectations, All-Pumps is proud to announce that it obtained the ISO 9001:2015 certification.
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management systems recognised and respected in more than 170 countries, with over one million companies certified. This standard is based on several quality management principles, including a strong customer focus, the motivation, and engagement of top management, the process approach, and continual improvement. Using ISO 9001 helps ensure that customers consistently get quality products and services, bringing many shared business benefits.
The ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organisation can use to enhance its environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 means All-Pumps has developed ways to measure and manage its commitment to a sustainable environment in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of the company’s long-term sustainability. We are committed as a company to enhancing environmental performance, fulfilling compliance obligations, and achieving environmental objectives.
Overall, workplace health and safety are critical and significant parts of our everyday operations. All-Pumps takes this very seriously and is proud to announce we have achieved formal ISO 45001:2018 certification.
As part of our commitment to our people, we maintain a close eye on maintaining an OH&S system to ensure everyone goes home safely every day. This is important for customers also by providing confidence that they are buying from an efficient and responsible company. Safety is a pillar of our operations, from core values to management expectations and investments. All-Pumps works on continual improvement of our OH&S performance as we can never be complacent in the challenges and situations our industry affords us the experience of working in.
By achieving this level of certification, All-Pumps continues to demonstrate our ability and desire to effectively and efficiently maintain management systems while continuously improving products and services to valued customers. These certifications are applicable in over 170 countries worldwide and are recognised internationally as benchmarks for companies fulfilling their responsibilities to their people, families, vendors, and customers.
Graco’s SaniForce sanitary piston pump sets a record for pumping 1500 kilograms of thick tomato paste in mere 10 minutes!
Tomato sauces are essential ingredients for many dishes cooked around the globe. In Italy, for instance, spaghetti using fresh tomato paste is a staple food of the country’s traditional cuisine. French fries of fast-food chains are never complete without ketchup. Burgers won’t taste any better without tomato sauce too. And with all the discovered health benefits of tomatoes, the tomato paste manufacturing industry has an important spot in the food sector.
However, the manufacture of tomato paste isn’t as simple as it seems. At least not in the transfer of tomato paste.
Tomato paste has a standard viscosity that’s achieved by adding a starch-based thickener. This makes it extra difficult to handle the product when transferring from the processing area to the drums ready for bulk delivery or the silos for commercial use repacking.
Just imagine scooping tomato paste by hand from a 55-gallon capacity drum. If you are a large-scale tomato paste manufacturing company, unloading 20 or 30 drums manually per day proves exhausting and unproductive. Not only is this labor-intensive process inefficient, but unloading a 3-feet deep drum is also deemed not ideal for sanitary handling of a food ingredient. More surprisingly, though, high viscosity ingredients that are as sticky as tomato paste will not fill back when scooped.
Although there are dumping systems to substitute manual unloading, they still don’t prove to be the best way to handle tomato paste.
First, when using dumping systems, it cannot be avoided for the bulk of tomato paste to be exposed to airborne contaminants and can introduce bacteria to the product. Second, the weight of the drum and the paste can damage mixer blades or other equipment used in tomato paste processing.
From a safety standpoint, a heavy drum suspended in the air for unloading means a lot of weight over the workers and other equipment. This weight poses a potential danger that can inflict grave injury to workers or damage to costly equipment. Furthermore, there is a possibility for the dumping system to drop debris into the mixing kettle. So, even though the dumping system provides a faster way to unload tomato paste compared to manual scooping, it can introduce other issues into the tomato paste industry.
Still, the best way to fill and unload a tomato paste is by using proper transfer equipment. And nothing can beat a hygienic pump for the job.
Tomato paste industries have two ways they can use pumps for tomato processing. They include:
Many types of pumps are used in the food industry. For hygienic and high viscosity handling, positive displacement pumps are recommended. While numerous factories use progressive cavity and rotary lobe pumps for food and beverage applications, the tomato paste industry can benefit from the excellent transfer capabilities of a piston pump.
For many years, positive displacement pumps have shown their ability to pump products without destroying their integrity, which is crucial in the food processing industry. While most PD pumps have sanitary features, piston pumps are known for their exceptional hygienic design by incorporating separators between the piston and the liquid chamber. This ensures minima to no contact between the product and the oil used by the pump.
Their flow rate handling capabilities can also be adjusted to thousands of liters per hour for fast fluid transfer. And to handle a wide range of high viscosity and shear sensitive products, piston pumps can withstand high-pressure drop.
Pumps as a Part of Container Unloading Systems
Container unloading systems still use pumps to transfer tomato paste into another container or station of the tomato processing plant. A ram system is used to feed the product into the stand-along pump without exposing it to airborne contaminants. This prevents the growth of bacteria in the tomato paste while being transferred.
Most container unloading systems in the food processing industry use a pneumatic piston pump that’s mounted on the ram plate that generates high outlet pressure required in moving higher viscosity materials. The advantage of using piston pumps in container unloading systems is that they are self-priming and can be run dry without damage. To speed things up, container systems can be fitted with multiple piston pumps to unload totes of tomato paste in just a few minutes. In fact, it was recorded that the Graco SaniForce’s four piston pump unloading system can unload over a thousand kilos of tomato paste in just ten minutes.
For decades, Graco has been supplying powerful piston pump unloading systems to different tomato paste processing facilities.
Here, we present to you a case study of a recently evaluated Graco SaniForce four piston pump system installed at Food Service Specialties (FSS) in Minnesota, USA.
Concern: Long and rigorous manual unloading of high viscosity ingredients used in cooking FSS products.
Food Service Specialties, a food processing company in Red Wing Minnesota, had to upgrade their unloading system to fulfil the increasing orders they are getting from their client restaurants, retail grocer partners, and frozen food customers.
The company used to depend on a two 2-piston pump Graco unloading system for unloading tomato paste and other dairy products. Their decision led them to streamline the unloading of materials and cut evacuation time down 20 minutes per 1000 liters tote. Since installation, FSS was able to unload 36,000 kilograms of tomato products on a daily basis. It is worth noting, though, that the process required at least one employee to move the drums in the facility, set up the unloading system, start the unloading, and remove the empty totes. Still, this could be considered a lot of work and time.
After 25 years of service, the already discontinued Senator piston pump systems that they have on-site finally began to break down. As the maintenance required became more frequent, manufacturing solutions provider Anderson Dahlen upgraded the old systems by installing two Graco SaniForce 2.0 Bin Evacuation System (BES).
Under operating conditions with a flow rate of 35 gpm, discharge distance of 40 feet, hose diameter of 4 inches, and material temperature of 40° F to ambient, the new system is able to achieve:
Faster Unloading Time and Higher Productivity Rate
The new Gracro SaniForce 2.0 BES uses 4-piston pumps with electronic Programmable Logic Contollers. Surprisingly, the new systems are able to cut the unloading time of 1500 kilograms of tomato paste in less than 10 minutes. From their usual unloading rate of 36000 kilograms of paste per day, FSS is now processing 45,000 kilograms of tomato per day (26 totes per day unloading rate).
The integration of Spec Engineering technology contributed to the reduced unloading time. Additionally, an I/O panel was installed into the Graco BES operator control station to streamline the system preparation and improve integration with the customer’s existing Clean-In-Place (CIP) regimen.
FSS said one employee usually takes up to five hours to clean their old Senator piston pump systems. With the new SaniForce 2.0 BES, the cleaning time has been reduced to three hours even after installing four additional pumps. This follows the good CIP capability of the SaniForce 2.0 BES.
Food Service Specialties Plant Manager Andy Ahern said about their decision to switch to the SaniForce 2.0 Bin Evacuation System:
“Graco Piston Pumps move tomato paste the best, we beat the hell out of the pumps and they work awesome.”
Graco’s continuous effort to innovate sanitary pumps for the food processing industry birthed the SaniForce 2.0 Bin Evacuation System. This supersedes old and discontinued models like the Senator.
The new Graco unloading system serves as the world’s cleanest and most efficient method to unload food materials without risks of contamination or introduction to airborne bacteria.
Food factories can save money and time in their unloading process with the SaniForce 2.0 BES that can move highly viscous fluids with over 1,000,000 cps from 300-gallon bag-in-bin containers. This technology eliminates manual scooping and bin dumping for full unloading. The new system can wipe clean the entire drum without any human effort.
Finish Thompson, Inc. has proven that its sealless mag drive chemical pumps are far safer and more reliable equipment for moving corrosive fluids in the mines compared to other types of pumps including the conventional mechanically sealed pump.
The mining industry is a booming business that provides valuable minerals, essential metals, and precious stones to many other trades. Palladium, for instance, is widely used by electronics manufacturers. Construction and technology businesses require industrial and base metals such as copper, steel, aluminium, and zinc in their processes. Likewise, copper and steel are critical ingredients in manufacturing, particularly in China and India. And of course, jewellers use various stones and metals where gold, silver, diamond, and gems are most popular.
The extraction of these materials isn’t as simple as it seems, though. Before any metal or mineral becomes ready for use by other industries, tons of boulders need to undergo multiple processes where chemicals play a vital role. Leaching is one of the several techniques for dissolving metals from the ore. Cyanide leaching, which uses toxic sodium cyanide, is a preferred extraction process for gold and silver. On the other hand, acid leaching, which uses sulphuric acid, is the most common method for recovering base metals like copper, lead, and zinc.
Following these extraction processes, industrial pumps are indispensable instruments in the mining industry. They not only save workers from all the toxic chemicals necessary in stones, minerals, and metal extraction but are also supposed to protect the environment from hazardous leaks.
That said, the mining industry is being very particular in its choice of pumps. However, the top criteria in selecting pumps should no longer highlight robustness, energy efficiency, and performance only. Taking safety and reliability should also be at the top of its priorities. But with so many options available on the market, the hunt for the perfect equipment is almost always arduous.
From materials processing to fluid conveying and site dewatering, mining industries rely heavily on the power of centrifugal pumps for many applications in the field. This type continues to be the most utilized fluid transfer equipment in the mines because of its robust construction that can withstand excessive abrasion and corrosion, which are common in moving slurries and other kinds of fluids.
Then again, centrifugal pumps come in many sub-categories. However, they are more commonly divided into mechanically sealed or sealless mag drive types.
As we mentioned earlier, chemicals play a vital role in many processes in the mines. However, most of these chemicals are hazardous to both humans and the environment. And with the mining industry’s obligation to preserve the environment around its mining sites, the pumps it uses should ensure minimum to zero leaks.
A conventional centrifugal pump that uses mechanical seals can’t guarantee this, though. While high-tech mechanical seals claim no leak condition, some chemicals always will cause leaks over time. And that is due to the wear that strong chemicals inflict on mechanical seals.
The solution?
Taking away the seal.
The emergence of sealless magnetic drive pumps solved this long-term problem of mining companies. Compared to mechanically sealed centrifugal pumps, mag drive pumps are not coupled directly to the motor using a shaft, so no mechanical seals are needed. Consequently, there are no more risks of leakage.
But what else is there in a mag drive pump that mining companies should replace their sealed pumps with it?
Here are some more advantages that mag drive pumps have over mechanically sealed pumps:
Without a shaft, mag drive pumps are practically leakless equipment. There are no risks of leaks with mag drive pumps, and they have total control of fugitive emissions. This characteristic makes these pumps environmentally friendly and a clear option for handling toxic and hazardous chemicals used in the mines.
SEALED PUMP: With a shaft connecting the motor and the pump, there is obviously a big hole where the leak may happen. Mechanical seals are used to minimize the occurrence of leaks. However, mechanical seals are bound to wear and fail over time. This will cause the tolerance between the shaft and the seal to loosen. It is then required to have a regular check-up to see whether the seal already needs to be replaced.
Mag drive pumps do not require external piping for flush seals. They don’t need complex seal support systems too. This makes it easier and quicker to install a mag drive pump. As for maintenance, the contact-free power transmission design of mag drive pumps means there are no seals that will break and cause sudden pump downtime. This frees operators from unscheduled repairs.
SEALED PUMP: Mechanically sealed pumps should be constantly lubricated to avoid dangerous dry running. For sealed pumps, dry running may cause damage to the mechanical seal. This means the plant operator has to provide appropriate extra flushing connections and constantly monitor fluid levels.
There is no additional monitoring of the magnet coupling needed in mag drive pumps. This is because the pumped liquid also serves as the lubricant that cools down the magnetic drive. However, it is recommended for the operator to monitor the temperature inside the containment shell.
SEALED PUMP: Apart from temperature, it is also required to monitor the pressure of the barrier fluid in the mechanical seal.
With no risks of leaking and a lesser need for monitoring and maintenance, mining companies using mag drive pumps are bound to enjoy maximized pump efficiency and substantial savings over the life of the pump.
SEALED PUMP: Mechanical seals will wear and fail. This results in costly maintenance, replacement, or repairs and longer downtimes.
Mag drive pumps have a two-parted shaft. That means there is lesser mechanical loading handled by both shafts as well as the bearings, thereby minimizing overall pump wear.
SEALED PUMP: High bearing loads, consequently causing the mechanical loading of the shaft. This could cause the grinding of the impeller in the pump casing or even more leakage of the mechanical seal.
Overall, the elimination of dynamic seals makes mag drive pumps safer and more robust equipment for moving chemicals on mining sites. Also, their short design length creates a natural frequency of the pump shaft which is normally higher than the pump speed. That means mag drive pumps rarely vibrate.
SEALED PUMP: Mechanically sealed centrifugal pumps are normally designed to leak to lubricate themselves. That means there is unavoidable fugitive emission that may jeopardize working conditions in the mines. Also, the overhung impeller results in a natural frequency of the pump shaft that’s relatively lower than the pump speed. This results in dangerous vibrations during the pump start-up and shut-down.
The Finish Thompson Ultrachem® ANSI dimensional magnetic drive pump is among the most used fluid transfer equipment by the mining industry. It is engineered for extreme reliability in chemical process applications that are vital in the mines. The range comprises 17 different models and hundreds of configurations for highly efficient performance in diversified chemical processes.
Product Features and Specs:
For field-proven performance, Finish Thompson, Inc. came up with a case study that details the true-to-life advantages of the ULTRAChem mag drive pump as seen in the mines and mining-related businesses.
Food – it’s always a great way to bring people together. On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, All-Pumps booked a Mate Burger food truck to spice up the workday and feed our family culture.
The special event was to celebrate the company’s success in hitting its booked sales per month target for March. Employees at the Silverwater office tuck into free burgers and drinks from the food truck stationed outside the building. The food not only served as a morale booster and stress reliever from the challenging past month but also as a retention tool.
“THE FREE BURGER AND DRINKS MAY BE A SIMPLE TOKEN, BUT IT’S A NICE THANK YOU AND PERK FOR ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES’ HARD WORK. IT LURED EVERYONE AWAY FROM THEIR BUSY WORKSTATIONS TO TAKE A WELL-EARNED BREAK, SOCIALIZE WITH OTHER EMPLOYEES, AND BRING A LITTLE FUN TO THEIR TUESDAY AFTERNOON. PLUS THE BURGERS WERE DELICIOUS” – ALL-PUMPS.
In addition to rewarding the employees, the gathering also served as a fresh way to connect to existing and potential clients as All-Pumps also invited some industry owners and resellers to dig in.
Mate Burger is a crowd-favourite burger restaurant in New South Wales that serves a unique menu of mixed local, American, and Filipino burger recipes, fries, and barbeques. The restaurant came to us as a food truck service that brings a variety of meal options and new kinds of cuisines in convenient locations. All-Pumps actively supports local businesses around NSW, and Mate Burger is one we could not recommend highly enough for their satisfying food and service.
New South Wales: All-Pumps has declared that it would contribute to the worldwide humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. The company will donate $10,000 of its marketing budget to help Ukraine’s suffering citizens in a charitable gesture. The amount will be sent to local organisations handling donations to sustain stranded Ukrainians’ needs for shelter and food.
The strength and courage of Ukrainians are an inspiration to the rest of the world. With many countries and prominent companies across the globe promising help, All-Pumps is also delighted to be able to send aid that will assist them, especially the innocent children during this crisis.
Today marks the first month of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war began on February 24, 2022, when the Russian president announced a “special military operation” in the eastern part of Ukraine. Advancing quickly to Kharkiv, Odessa, the Donbas, and the country’s capital Kyiv, Ukraine stood firm with its declaration to fight Russia.
According to the latest data from United Nations, over 10 million people in Ukraine have been displaced, several towns and cities have been bombed beyond recognition, and nearly a thousand civilians have been killed.
The international organisation now seeks help as Ukrainians become vulnerable to health and protection needs following the limitation in essential services such as water, electricity, and emergency health and social services that have been put under strain since the war began.
“In our lucky country, we got together to do what we could to help. We sure feel we need to help in this situation by supporting the massive funds and emergency aid needed by whatever means we can,” All-Pumps in a statement.
The war continues to worsen without hints as to when it will be over. All-Pumps will remain open to donations from partners and customers who support the exact cause. Rest assured that all collected funds will go to the right organisations and reach the people who need immediate relief.
“We also want to thank all our customers for their support over the past difficult times in the world, enabling us to help where we can.”
All-Pumps expresses sincere hopes that the war between Russia and Ukraine will be resolved quickly and that peace will be restored in both countries and worldwide.
All-Pumps is a family-owned business that has worked hard to establish its reputation over the last 50 years. While our top priority is to supply safe and high-quality fluid transfer technologies to the Australian industry, we do not neglect our humanitarian duties towards our citizens. Now, with a peaceful country being threatened, All-Pumps pledges to continue to fulfill its social responsibility and support humanitarian initiatives, particularly in this time of devastation.
Air-operated diaphragm pumps have earned a reputation in the industry as the low-maintenance, easy-to-operate pump option–and rightfully so. However, seasoned diaphragm pump operators know the importance of getting clean, dry air to their pumps in order to avoid a common challenge: freezing. Built-up ice can block your pump’s exhaust system, resulting in slowing or stopping production. This post will briefly explain how freezing happens as well as several steps All-Pumps has taken to prevent freezing in our air-operated diaphragm pumps.
Before you try to fix an icing problem, you should be reasonably sure that icing is the problem. You likely have an icing problem if the following conditions exist:
Compressed air expands as it runs through the air operated diaphragm pump and becomes very cold very quickly, sometimes dropping down to -10°F. These low temperatures typically are a result of using the pump at high discharge pressures. Cold air can’t hold as much water vapour as warm air, so this creates a condition known as “super-saturated air,” when the air contains more moisture than it can hold in a stable condition.
Ice forms when that super-saturated air impacts a cold surface, such as a bend in an exhaust pipe or someplace that acts as a seed surface for vapour to condense on. Points of impact build up ice for two reasons:
One step you can take to reduce the freezing problem is to install a dryer on your compressor and only run clean, dry air through your pumps. Removing the muffler—including the muffler plate and rubber seal—is one solution that usually eliminates icing completely, as ice typically only forms on those components. However, the increased exhaust noise usually makes this option impractical for most users. Adding a dryer should be the first step to minimizing the freezing issue.
Fluids with a higher viscosity will cause the pump to work harder and could contribute to more ice build-up.
For example, consider a 2” All-Flo pump running at 60 psi inlet air pressure. If this pump is running at 10 psi discharge pressure, the temperature at the exhaust will be around 42°F. However, if this same pump is running at 55 psi discharge pressure (closer to its maximum capacity) the temperature at the exhaust will be about 2°F.
As the pump approaches its maximum capacity, the temperature at the exhaust significantly decreases, which can result in freezing.
At the muffler exhaust, air temperature can drop below freezing point and can cause icing-related issues such as slow operation or pumping completely put to stop. This problem is increasingly common in humid environments.
Suggested below are solutions you may implement to eliminate these issues and restore your pump performance.
Solutions to icing can range depending on the application and environmental conditions, but reducing the air pressure to the pump is one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce icing. The other suggestions above are field-tested techniques to prevent icing on your AODD pump. Overall, if you think you have an air motor icing problem and are seeking the best solution for your specific application, contact your local pump specialist like All Pumps. Our pump experts will be able to assess the problem and provide you with the most cost-efficient, practical solution.
Air-operated diaphragm pumps have earned a reputation in the industry as the low-maintenance, easy-to-operate pump option–and rightfully so. However, seasoned diaphragm pump operators know the importance of getting clean, dry air to their pumps in order to avoid a common challenge: freezing. Built-up ice can block your pump’s exhaust system, resulting in slowing or stopping production. This post will briefly explain how freezing happens as well as several steps All-Pumps has taken to prevent freezing in our air-operated diaphragm pumps.
Before you try to fix an icing problem, you should be reasonably sure that icing is the problem. You likely have an icing problem if the following conditions exist:
Compressed air expands as it runs through the air operated diaphragm pump and becomes very cold very quickly, sometimes dropping down to -10°F. These low temperatures typically are a result of using the pump at high discharge pressures. Cold air can’t hold as much water vapour as warm air, so this creates a condition known as “super-saturated air,” when the air contains more moisture than it can hold in a stable condition.
Ice forms when that super-saturated air impacts a cold surface, such as a bend in an exhaust pipe or someplace that acts as a seed surface for vapour to condense on.
Points of impact build up ice for two reasons:
One step you can take to reduce the freezing problem is to install a dryer on your compressor and only run clean, dry air through your pumps. Removing the muffler—including the muffler plate and rubber seal—is one solution that usually eliminates icing completely, as ice typically only forms on those components. However, the increased exhaust noise usually makes this option impractical for most users. Adding a dryer should be the first step to minimizing the freezing issue.
Fluids with a higher viscosity will cause the pump to work harder and could contribute to more ice build-up.
For example, consider a 1 inch Graco air diaphragm pump (AODD) running at 60 psi inlet air pressure. If this pump is running at 10 psi discharge pressure, the temperature at the exhaust will be around 42°F. However, if this same pump is running at 55 psi discharge pressure (closer to its maximum capacity) the temperature at the exhaust will be about 2°F.
As the pump approaches its maximum capacity, the temperature at the exhaust significantly decreases, which can result in freezing.
At the muffler exhaust, air temperature can drop below freezing point and can cause icing-related issues such as slow operation or pumping completely put to stop. This problem is increasingly common in humid environments.
Suggested below are solutions you may implement to eliminate these issues and restore your pump performance.
Solutions to icing can range depending on the application and environmental conditions, but reducing the air pressure to the pump is one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce icing. The other suggestions above are field-tested techniques to prevent icing on your AODD pump. Overall, if you think you have an air motor icing problem and are seeking the best solution for your specific application, contact your local pump specialist like All Pumps. Our pump experts will be able to assess the problem and provide you with the most cost-efficient, practical solution.
Every state and every city should start reassessing their sewer systems and pumping equipment to finally put an end to the gross flooding caused by clogging and ragging from flushing solids down the drains and toilets.
Many municipalities in the country still suffer from flooding caused by blocked sewer lines.
The flushable products used in households and commercial establishments. While toilets and drains can suck them down the pipelines, when they come to the treatment facilities, these items cause clogs to most pumps.
A water treatment facility downtime that causes wastewater to stay stagnant on the sewer lines for a time while an influx of waste continues, thereby resulting in pipe failure and flooding.
The global water conservation movement has effectively lowered water consumption in all sectors in the past decade. However, an adverse effect of this effort is the decreased amount of water carrying solid waste down the sewer lines to the treatment facility. This has been causing undue strain on aging pump systems by pumping more solids than water, leading municipalities to put pressure on the pumping industry to come up with new and effective solutions. And to compound the problem further, some municipalities demand cheap construction methods. Unfortunately, this “value engineering” rather produced wastewater facilities equipped with inappropriate or inadequate pumps to handle clogs.
The birth of flushable products like wet wipes, toilet scrub pads, and paper towels among others is offering great convenience to consumers in cleaning up household and commercial messes. On the contrary, these products are causing a major headache for pump operators in the wastewater treatment industry.
Pumping stations in wastewater treatment systems handle raw sewage from different sources. With the growing number of flushable products sold on the market, the conventional centrifugal pump is no longer enough to handle large amounts of solids. Not to mention, the long strips of ropes and cables that are thrown through the drain. Not only do these items cause hard-to-repair damages on pumps, but they also account for expensive maintenance calls and a multitude of other pump problems.
To cite, New York City spent a whopping $18 million from 2010-2015 just on pump-related issues.
Flushable wipes that did not break down properly at their sewer system.
Many other cities around the world are experiencing the same. Some are pointing out the inefficiency of centrifugal pumps in handling abrasive grit and a variety of other solids found in wastewater. As you know, centrifugal pumps have an intrinsic design that features a rotating impeller with critical tolerance against the pump casing. This fixed tolerance makes it difficult for solids to pass through. Now, when cloth-type items, ropes, or cans enter the pump in full size, they often get stuck, causing clogs and impeller erosion. Operators then need to take out the pump to rebalance it or in worst clogging and ragging cases, replace it entirely.
Since flushable products are now a part of many people’s routines and it will already be difficult to discontinue them, pump innovators came up with comminutor equipment in the form of grinder and cutter pumps to resolve this lingering problem.
But are these pumps really able to break up solids than normal centrifugal pumps cannot handle? Are they the long-awaited solutions to the sewage system disasters caused by flushable products? Should you have one or should you have both?
All the answers we’ll be discussing below.
Solids in wastewater are unavoidable. While this is a major problem in treatment facilities in the past, the emergence of innovative cutter pumps and grinder pumps has resolved the common issues of clogging.
The right solution to acquire depends on the common type of solids handled by your facility. Is it collecting waste from households where tissues and wipes are the common sources of clogging? Is your facility in charge of collecting waste from commercial establishments where tin cans, oil, and bigger flushable products are the problem. Or is it the end destination of industrial waste where stubborn grease and abrasive materials go with the wastewater?
To help you decide on the right equipment for your facility, let’s look at the functions of each of these pump types.
Cutter pumps are engineered to handle heavy-industrial waste, raw sewage, and general wastewater classification. Their design eliminates chances of clogging commonly caused by oversized materials such as aluminium cans, plastic bottles, cables, ropes, fabrics, and all flushable products.
High-end cutter pump models are usually equipped with tungsten carbide cutting blades brazed onto the edge of impeller vanes. The blades run close to the suction cover. Running in tandem, they cut all incoming materials into small pieces, making it easier for the pump to move the wastewater to the discharge.
Cutter pumps used in high head applications typically come with motors running at 3600 RPM. For high flow applications and high torque cutting requirements, motors with 1800 RPM are usually used.
Grinder pumps have a cutter wheel at the suction port that acts to macerate garbage until it is chopped finely and pushes out through the discharge. It is a powerful piece of equipment to shred rubber goods, fabrics, plastic bags, and other difficult-to-pump solids that come with wastewater.
These are the pumps of choice in small diameter pipes found in low-pressure sewer systems. For high head and lower flow applications, grinder pumps can be coupled with a 3,600 RPM electric motor to produce stronger grinding action.
| Feature | Cutter Pump | Grinder Pump |
|---|---|---|
| Uses | Clogging and ragging | Attack items in wastewater |
| Head and flow | Wide | Narrow |
| Energy efficiency | 85% to 65% | < 50% |
| Retrofittable to other pumps | Yes | No |
| Best advantage | Energy efficient; better solids handling than typical centrifugal pump | Handles a wide range of solids found in wastewater |
| Biggest challenge | Oil and grease in wastewater | Requires solids screening; high energy consumption |
To sum it up, the cutter pump is an energy-efficient solution for a wider range of heads and flows. They are the ideal choice for handling clogs and rags but may have a tough time with stringy materials and long cables or ropes.
On the other hand, grinder pumps may be the best choice for handling household wastes, grinding them to a fine slurry before forcing them to the sewer system. Take note, though, that grinder pumps should be placed below the municipal sewer line or septic tank.
Tsurumi recently introduced the CZ heart-shaped suction cutter pumps, which are heavy-duty, submersible cutter pumps for sewage and wastewater. But unlike the base model C series, the CZ cutter pumps can effortlessly cut any material that seems challenging for a typical cutter pump. Ropes, cables, fabrics, and even tin cans and pet bottles can be easily chopped by the Tsurumi CZ cutter pump.
The CZ cutter pumps serve as the upgraded variant of the Tsurumi C series. The opening at the suction cover features a heart-shaped stationary blade while the impeller comes with a double tungsten carbide alloy blade. And with an extended rotating guide, the Tsurumi CZ cutter pump can smoothly move wastewater while cutting just about any solids during suction.
Tsurumi used all unique parts and design concepts for the CZ cutter pump series to resolve the clogging and ragging problems that the C series cannot handle. The original parts that come with this new range include:
The revolutionary Tsurumi CZ cutter pumps integrate original technologies that are a product of Tsurumi’s years of research and field testing. These new technologies incorporated in the CZ series add to the anti-wicking cable, dual inside mechanical seals with silicon carbide face and Oil Lifter among others, which serve as a standard feature of Tsurumi cutter pumps.
Tsurumi pumps are known for their excellent durability. So, with a Tsurumi CZ cutter pump in your sewer or wastewater system, you can rest assured that you will have a stable and clog-free operation and reduced maintenance costs.