Communities nationwide are looking for ways to save energy, reduce their carbon footprint, and operate more sustainably. These efforts extend to the equipment they use to maintain sewers and other infrastructure.

 

Sewer Equipment Co. of America has introduced a new version of its Model 800-HPR truck jetter that includes the Eco Jet System designed to make the unit more environmentally friendly. It has a more efficient water pumping system and uses a nontoxic and biodegradable hydraulic fluid.

 

Sewer Equipment regional sales manager Ernie Bakakos and marketing manager Brandon Shelton demonstrated the truck on Oct. 1 for Wally Kehr, foreman with the Northfield Township Road District, in a suburban area northwest of Chicago.

 

Walk-around

The demonstration unit was built on a 2009 Peterbilt chassis — customers have their choice of truck platforms. Running off the truck’s engine, the hydraulic system that drives the jetting system’s water pump and uses a larger hydrostatic drive, which moves a higher volume of hydraulic fluid through the system. That allows the truck engine to operate at a lower speed while jetting.

 

“A normal truck jet would run at 2,100 rpm,” says Bakakos. “This is running at 1,400 rpm.” The company calculates that results in about 35 percent less fuel used, along with lower emissions and less noise.

 

The more earth-friendly fluid is easier to clean up in case of a spill or leak, according to Shelton. The hydraulic system is water-cooled rather than air-cooled, also saving energy.

 

The demonstration unit carried a Myers pump rated at 65 gpm/2,000 psi. Pumps delivering 75 gpm/2,500 psi and 80 gpm/ 2,000 psi are available. The unit has two 750-gallon water tanks interlocked on the inside, so that both can fill or drain at the same time. They are made of 3/4-inch thick Duraprolene polymer and are baffled to minimize water sloshing in transit.

 

The truck is covered with an aluminum shroud, which is lighter and less subject to corrosion than steel. It carries aluminum side-mounted tool boxes.

 

Tank fill nozzles are on each side of the vehicle, toward the front, just behind the cab. Drainage valves are also on both sides, behind the cab. The drains are routed to directly beneath the truck in the center to avoid splashing the operator.

 

The hose reel and control panel are mounted to the chassis rail at the rear of the truck. When in transit, the reel and control panel rest inside the back enclosure behind a roll-up door; the space is heated with an 80,000 Btu/hr heater. The unit has a digital hose footage counter mounted just above the control panel.

 

When the jetter is in use, the door is raised and the jetter workings are extended out. The reel can rotate up to 180 degrees and can be sized for 600 or 1,000 feet of hose. It has an auto level-wind and is set at a lower height for operator convenience.

 

The onboard control panel is built to NEMA Standard No. 4 and is watertight. Pressure gauges on the panel are mounted at eye level. Besides the standard onboard control panel, a tethered remote and a wireless remote control are available.

 

The wireless control includes forward and reverse controls for the reel, a throttle up and down for the pump speed, and on/off controls for the water. The wireless unit works at up to 800 feet. Standard accessories include a tiger tail, two high-flow nozzles, and a washdown gun.

 

Operation

Bakakos and Shelton went with Kehr to a street in a residential neighborhood and demonstrated the unit by jetting a section of storm sewer. Bakakos raised the rear door and then used the control panel hydraulic controls to smoothly extend the hose reel out about four feet.

 

After filling the tank from a nearby fire hydrant, Kehr and Bakakos attached a jetting nozzle and threaded the unit through the tiger tail and into the line.

 

Using the control panel, Bakakos unreeled the jetter hose a short way into the line. Then Kehr took over. Taking the wireless remote, Kehr walked down to the next manhole. From there he used the remote to control the hose reel as it unspooled the jetter hose, sending the nozzle down the line toward the manhole where he stood.

 

Once he saw the jetter nozzle appear in the manhole, Kehr used the remote to throttle up the engine and then draw the nozzle back toward the truck. The water blasted the inside of the storm sewer as the hose rewound.

 

For this unit, “throttling up” meant taking the engine to 1,400 rpm instead of the usual 2,100 rpm or higher. At the lower speed, the engine was much quieter than comparable equipment would have been at the higher speed. Despite the lower engine speed, Kehr said, the jetter showed no loss of power or efficiency. The line had been recently cleaned, so the jetting itself was uneventful, but Kehr said the unit’s key benefits were immediately apparent. “If I had my other truck out here, your ears would be ringing,” he said.

 

Kehr also found the wireless remote immediately responsive and easy to operate. Standing a block from the truck, he explained if he heard or saw any sign of trouble that would require him to shut off or slow down the jetter, he could act immediately. Without a remote, he would have had to radio or signal an operator back at the control panel, probably causing up to several seconds of delay.

Bakakos pointed out that the machine’s greatest benefits — the savings in fuel and the reduced emissions because of its design — would be evident only over time, as customers saw their fuel costs reduced.

 

At the end of the demonstration, Bakakos opened knife valves on either side of the truck, and water quickly drained from the tanks onto the roadway, well away from the perimeter of the vehicle.

 

Observer comments

The reduced noise from the 800-HPR Eco Jet unit was immediately evident. Kehr said the brief demonstration made a strong case for the machine: “I’m very impressed with it.” He added that the vehicle’s eco-friendly attributes would likely interest his agency, which has been looking for ways to save money and cut pollution.

 

For instance, the road district’s vehicle barn is now heated with waste oil. “In our garage, we took out all of our fluorescent lighting,” Kehr said. “All of our new lights in there are LEDs. We’re starting to push the green envelope.” Kehr noted that the township has a no-idling policy for all its vehicles to save fuel, and asked whether a cut-off switch for the engine might be available on the control panel.

 

Manufacturer comments

Bakakos indicated that an idle cut-off switch on the control panel is not a standard feature but probably could be installed at the purchaser’s request, although he pointed out that during jetting itself, the engine would have to run, since it ultimately powers the system. Shelton pointed out that the drum reel was built with greater interior support. “We try to focus in on safety, usability, and keeping it long-lasting,” he said.

 

He and Bakakos noted that the reel can swivel so as to make it easier to direct a hose into a manhole set off to the side from where the truck is parked. Bakakos noted that the unit could be sold on a lease-to-buy basis.