Sewage Pump Grinder Clog Prevention

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Hi, my name is John Odom. I am currently the Public Works Director for the City of Troup, Texas. I have been working for the City in the Public Works Department for approximately seven years. When I first started, one of my first jobs was to pull a clogged sewage pump. Little did I know I would become an expert at pulling sewage pumps and clearing clogs from said pumps. The City had and still has the same problem that every other city across America faces -- flushable wipes and other things that aren’t supposed to be flushed. I started to think my whole job was going to be pulling pumps and unclogging them. The City was probably having to pull at least one pump a week from numerous different lift stations. This practice was expensive and time consuming, taking our already small crew away from other City projects.

Until …

Tracy Burt with Innovative Utility Solutions, LLC (the City pump rebuilder contractor) came to us with a new product ... the Float Management Control device. Tracy installed these devices in four of the City’s lift stations that had the most common problems with debris. This was in approximately 2020. Since that time, I cannot remember pulling a pump from any of those lift stations for clogging issues. I am serious when I say this, I have almost forgotten the process to pull a pump. The City’s time and cost attributed to pulling clogged pumps went to nothing. We simply don’t have the problem anymore.

Did the sewer water make up change? 

Did the citizens stop flushing things they aren’t supposed to?

Did the products in the sewage disappear before the lift station?

The answer to all above is NO, but what did happen was Tracy Burt’s innovative Float Management Control device was installed.

This wonderful little device keeps the grinder pumps working and keeps them from clogging. It allows for the debris to be completely ground before the pump stops. The City of Troup now has seven total lift stations with Float Management Control devices installed in four of them.

I, John Odom, stand behind this product from Innovative Utility Solutions, and I am currently in talks to purchase more of them for my remaining unprotected lift stations.

- John Odom

Utility Supervisor, City of Troup, Texas

The City of Troup currently has seven sewer lift-stations, four of which utilize grinder style pumps.  Those four lift-station pumps have been a constant concern and problem due to debris getting caught in the pumps upon shut-off.  City water and sewer works have had to make numerous trips to these four lift-stations to reset the circuit breakers.  They have also had to pull these pumps numerous times to remove heavy debris.  These pumps, even though they are grinder pumps will clog if they shut off in the middle of grinding heavy debris.

The Float Management Control (FMC) module has been installed on all four grinder pump lift-stations.  This module does keep the pumps running outside of the float control window, but only when needed.  This in turn increases the life of the pumps, as they are not attempting to start under a load which increases the load on the electric pump circuit.  This start load in the past has caused numerous electrical portion pump failures.  With the installation of the FMC module on the lift stations that contain grinder pumps, maintenance requirements have ceased.

- Kelly Johnston

Utility Supervisor, City of Troup, Texas (retired)