Duplex lift station employed in large healthcare location

Problem: The Healthcare HealthTrust location in Florida functioned as one large warehouse before the decision was made to section off an end of the building to accommodate offices and restrooms for the staff. The project scope required tying these new restrooms into the existing sanitary sewer, with the furthest restroom roughly 850 feet away from existing sewer access. “The original spec included grinder pumps to be excavated 6 feet deep and 4 feet wide down in the ground,” says Nate Hefner, project manager from Feddon Mechanical. “But before we pulled the trigger on that, we decided to reach out to Saniflo to see what they had to offer.”

Solution: After confirming that they could accommodate the electrical components to operate the Saniflo systems, the Sanicubic 2VX duplex lift station came out on top as the unit that could adequately handle the flow and distance of the plumbing system. This powerful 1.5 hp pump system provides above-floor drainage for multiple plumbing fixtures for an entire commercial structure, eliminating the need for costlier and less convenient pit installations. The Sanicubic 2VX runs roughly 32 feet vertically and approximately 760 feet horizontally before entering the top of the second Sanicubic. The second pump runs approximately 26 feet vertically and approximately 80 feet horizontally into the conventional plumbing system.

Result: According to Hefner, both Sanicubics have operated without a hitch at HealthTrust Lakeland. “Using Saniflo products that were readily available and didn’t require long lead time was cost-effective, compared with the equipment initially specified.” 800-571-8191; www.saniflo.com

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City deploys remote ultrasonic monitoring to reduce costs and avoid spills

Problem: As part of their ongoing SSO management program, the city of Oakland Public Works department needed to measure full depth in a manhole. They had been using monitors with float alarms at fixed heights but found these required a significant amount of time for maintenance.

Solution: Five years ago, Oakland began a pilot project using ECHO ultrasonic depth monitors from ADS Environmental Services that use “narrow-beam” technology. Unlike conventional ultrasonic sensors, which must be suspended on a flexible cable to within a few feet of the invert flows, the ultrasonic units can be installed at the top of the manhole. The narrow-beam technology provides a full 20 feet of dynamic measurement range and the stabilized mounting assures there is no sensor movement as occurs with cable-type ultrasonic sensors, which are prone to move and cause false alarms. The monitors also feature both low and high flow alarms that are configurable to the exact requirements for a given manhole.

Result: Thus far, Oakland has expanded the ultrasonic monitor deployment to include 45 sites, relieving the city staff of any maintenance requirements. By using a proven turnkey service for monitoring and managing their sewer system, the city has been able to both improve their ability to avoid SSOs and reduce their overall costs. The turnkey approach relieves internal staff from the hassles of hardware installation, maintenance and monitoring, while assuring they have a continuous 24/7 stream of comprehensive data for alerts, alarms and long-term analysis. 877-237-9585; www.adsenv.com