Two decades of clog-free pumping at stations in New Jersey (USA)

After installing Xylem’s Flygt pumps in 2001, the plant has been clog-free for 20 years thanks to N-technology.

The borough of Fair Lawn in New Jersey (USA) is located barely 16 kilometers from New York. But unlike the skyscraper towers and bustle of downtown, Fair Lawn is a suburban town. 34,000 inhabitants live in this district, created in 1924, which occupies just 13 square kilometers in the county of Bergen. With its two train stations, Fair Lawn is home to many workers who commute daily to Manhattan, or another part of the metropolis.

Previously, the Borough of Fair Lawn treated its own wastewater. Now the sewer system directs the flow to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission for treatment. Fair Lawn generates between 13 and 15 million liters of water per day. The sewage system includes more than 160 kilometers of pipes, which often end up carrying their share of modern waste.

Here as elsewhere, wipes, towels, and other debris that should not be flushed down the toilet end up in the sewers. The main challenge for sanitation services is to ensure that wastewater continues to be discharged as efficiently as possible. When a sewage pumping station clogs, it can lead to increased maintenance costs, service interruptions, and overflows that can harm the environment and lead to regulatory penalties.

Remove wipes and debris that clog pumps by hand

When Jake Mamo started his career in the sewage industry, he quickly knew what kind of maintenance he didn’t want to do: cleaning clogged sewage pumps. Now a public works manager, Jake Mamo describes how he regularly cleared pumps during his early days at Fair Lawn.

“We had to clean the pumps at the Radburn station daily, weekdays and weekends,” he explains, referring to one of the town’s largest lifting stations. The task required at least two people. We had to stop the suction and discharge valves measuring 20 centimeters. Then we had to turn off the electricity. In the dry pit we had to remove the 15 centimeter manhole at the base of the pump. Then we stuck our arm inside to squeeze out all the wipes and trash stuck in the pump. »

Jake Mamo and the borough considered many solutions to deal with unwanted litter flowing to the two most important stations: Radburn and Saddle River. They even thought of installing grinders and waste water grinders. But ultimately they wanted a better solution to save them the time and hassle of clogged pumps.

Flygt N-Technology pumps designed to eliminate clogs

Luckily for Jake Mamo and the borough, Pumping Services, Inc. (PSI) had a solution for getting rid of clogged pumps. PSI is the exclusive distributor of Flygt, a brand of Xylem, for Northern New Jersey. John Cokery, now head of community sales for PSI, has long been the contact for Jake Mamo and Fair Lawn. As early as 1999, John Cokery recommended a Flygt N-Technology sewage pump for the first of three pumps at Radburn Pumping Station.

The impeller of Flygt N-technology pumps benefits from an innovative and proven design. The blades of the N technology impellers have inclined leading edges. Thus wipes and other debris do not get stuck on sharp angles. In addition, the guide pin of the impeller returns the solids from the center to the suction port. When the solids arrive at the orifice, they are directed into a relief groove and slide down the tip of the impeller vane and out through the pump discharge. The wheel is also more energy efficient. This saves up to 25% energy at the very least.

Fair Lawn installed the first N-technology pump in 1999 at the Radburn Pumping Station. In view of the success of this pump, the other two pumps of the station were replaced in 2001. The other stations soon benefited in turn from Flygt pumps, including the largest station in the borough: Saddle River. Saddle River has been clog-free since the installation of Flygt N-technology pumps in 2001.

20 years of pumping without clogging

Choosing to equip itself with Flygt N-technology pumps enabled the borough to solve their clogging problem once and for all.

“We never had to take the pumps out again because of a clogging problem,” rejoices Jake Mamo. And at Radburn we have always had at least one pump running all the time. So these pumps basically operated for 20 years without experiencing any clogging. »

In addition, the borough has never needed to install macerators or waste water grinders in its stations. Flygt pumps easily handle wipes and other waste. Thanks to the efficiency of Flygt pumps, Jake Mamo and his team can focus on proactive actions to keep this century-old system running.

“Jake has a reliable preventative maintenance plan in place,” Corkery said. Jake Mamo adds, “We inspect our pumps regularly and carry out appropriate regular maintenance. Every five years, we bring in a vacuum truck to remove sediment from the station’s wet wells. »

The combination of Fair Lawn’s proactive approach, PSI’s expertise and Flygt’s N-technology has proven to be a winning combination for the borough. Because Flygt N-technology pumps have operated clog-free for 20 years, Jake Mamo and his team have been able to focus on the many other requirements of operating a modern sewer system in a large metropolitan area.

Learn more about Flygt N-Technology Water and Wastewater Pumps .

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