If you are wanting to pump solids (big or small) at ease, a Gorman-Rupp pump is your best option.
A recent incident at an abattoir in NSW again highlights the ease of maintenance and servicing of the Gorman Rupp self-priming sewage pump range. This self-priming pump operates on a 5.0m suction lift and is used for pumping from “kill floor” wastewater pits.
On this occasion, a number of large goat horns were ingested by the sewage pump and managed to jam the impeller.
As a result of the sewage pump jamming, instead of the resulting “lock-up” causing a potentially catastrophic and expensive failure of the pump’s internals or the drive train (shafts, bearings, couplings etc) the drive belts have been “thrown off” as can be seen in the below image.
This action is deliberately intended to avoid catastrophic damage to the sewage pump when large objects such as animal horns, hoofs, pieces of wood or even metal tools find their way into the self priming pump.
It took less than an hour to replace belts, open the pump and clear the blockage, re-prime and get underway again; no damage to sewage pump and only one technician required! We can see the technician easily and safely accessing the pump via the removable cover plate.
Because the sewage pump is mounted “high and dry” above the wet-well there is no need for lifting devises (in the case of traditional submersible pumps).
There is no need to hose down the outside of the pump to avoid contact with dangerous waste materials, and there was no confined spaces access required, making the whole procedure quick, safe, efficient and most importantly, reduced downtime to the abattoir’s operations.
To avoid spillages and contamination of the work area, a simple drain arrangement can be fitted allowing the pump to be drained back to the wet-well before opening and accessing the internals of the pump.
It should be noted that in this particular case, improved screening of waste or foreign materials flowing into “kill floor” drains will avoid future pump jams.
The Gorman Rupp range of wastewater pumps and sewage pumps are designed to handle most objects [including spherical solids up to 75mm, and stringy materials such as rags, gloves, matted hair etc]. They also have an externally accessed clearance adjustment system that allows operators to keep pumps at their peak operating efficiency with a simple five-minute adjustment process.
The point should also be made, that very few pumps can handle the sort of objects (horns, hoofs etc) that can be seen in the wet-well, but the Gorman Rupp pump can deal with the consequences of those materials getting in and causing potential damage.
In this particular example, the sewage pumps in operation are Gorman Rupp Super T3A71S-B which feature hardened cast iron internals for longer life and durability, over mounted motor for ease of access to pump rotating assembly, servicing and maintenance.
The features of a Gorman-Rupp Self Priming pump include:
