The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) was having a difficulty with their sewage grinders. They were running four grinders supplied by a well known manufacturer at two of their pump stations, with each station processing approximately 10 mgd. Unfortunately, their first set of grinders turned out to be problematic. They created a lot of down time and generated excessive maintenance costs. ECUA needed a new solution to solve their problems and get their pump stations functioning properly.
“From day one, they did not work,” said Gerry Piscopo, Deputy Executive Director of Maintenance & Construction. “We have a 48 inch gravity line feed. The machines ragged up, broke, and just plain didn’t work. The rotating baskets would fill with wipes and stop the flow. We sometimes got things such as wet plywood in the grinders. We would have to pull out the entire machine and use a blow torch on the plywood.”
“We knew this couldn’t go on,” Piscopo said. After weighing their options, they decided to go with Franklin Miller Grinders as they began to replace their current machines. “We installed the first TASKMASTER® TITAN® four years ago. “
Since then, the ECUA has installed a total of four grinders, the TASKMASTER TITAN Duplex, in these two major pump stations. “We have not had one day of maintenance since,” Piscopo said.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Piscopo said. “No maintenance. None. With our last machines, we never had even a single month without major service needed.” He also discussed that with the previous supplier, they had to send the entire machine back to the company to be serviced. Piscopo continued, “Now, we have no maintenance issues. We never have to take the machine out of the channel.”
Because the ECUA is a coastal operation, uptime really has a trickle effect. Less down time means less damage to pumps. The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) operates three wastewater treatment plants in Escambia County, Florida. There are currently 895.5 miles of gravity main pipes, 300.6 miles of force main, 17,041 manholes, 483 air release valves and 960 valves in operation in the system.
The ECUA is beyond happy with their Franklin Miller units. “I’m really happy the Franklin Miller machines have worked as well as they have. The Franklin Miller Titan grinders have sure as heck held up,” Piscopo said.
He also discussed Franklin Miller’s true submersible motor. He says this was a huge benefit for him as the previous company’s machines were supplied with immersible motors as opposed to true submersible. The TASKMASTER TITAN DUPLEX is a unique, high-flow 4-shaft channel grinder with a full-cut™ design that offers optimal protection for pumps, filter presses and other downstream equipment. Its innovative design features CUTTER CARTRIDGE® Technology. These cutters intermesh with a second cutter stack with a much larger diameter. The result is a truly heavy-duty, high flow channel grinder.
“Overall,” Piscopo said. “Working with FMI has been really great. We haven’t needed parts or to do any maintenance at all. I am definitely a satisfied customer.”