Any wastewater treatment plant operator will typically tell you that one of the biggest hassles they face daily is pumping stringy material from a variety of sources. The problem here is that the material tends to get stuck in the impellers of trash pumps and wreak havoc on lobe pumps. Phil from Clyde, Texas tells us about his quest to find a better solution:

“A buddy of mine has been using your Mud Sucker diaphragm pumps at a public works facility down the road from me and we are considering the same. Our WWTP pumps a lot of stringy material from mops and unknown fibrous material. We are using non clog trash pumps now but make no mistake, the impeller still gets clogged. We need something better. We have seen diaphragms used on honey wagons to pump all sorts of material and they have worked. We work with less than 5% solids and need to pump around 100 GPM with a TDH of about 15’. What do you recommend and what do I need to budget?” – Phil H. Clyde, Texas

Phil, we hear this complaint from WWTP’s all the time that “non-clog trash pumps” are not quite non-clog. What we suggest for municipalities with stringy material issues is the Mud Sucker 3B-DD Series. This is one of the toughest diaphragm pumps you’ll see on the market. The Mud Sucker’s all cast iron construction with bullet proof shafts and Santoprene diaphragms can handle all sorts complicated media. But of importance to you, the pump features check balls to move the stringy material from the suction, to the discharge. In the event that something gets stuck, it’s as easy as removing the valve cover and extracting the blockage. This is a five minute procedure, not a half-day long event for your maintenance crew. Plus we have pulsation dampeners on these pumps to help the pump operate more productively. We design the Mud Sucker B-DD Series with SEW gear boxes and Siemens motors known industry wide for their energy efficiency, long life and outstanding performance. While the cost of these pumps is north of $16,000 getting an average service life of 15-20 years is well worth the investment. Plus, the cost of ownership is much lower compared to a trash pump. Replacement diaphragms cost over $200 versus several hundred or even thousands of dollars for trash pump parts. More information on the Mud Sucker B-DD Professional Diaphragm Pump Series can be found by clicking here.