Pump Stations

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter & hopefully got to spend some time with family. We're starting to see buds on the trees & some color in the bermudagrass, so spring is definitely here. This week I just want to briefly touch on pump stations & the new technologies available. I will be traveling with Mike Bartley of Flowtronex on Monday & Tuesday of this week, and will be visiting several of you that I know are in the market for new pumps. If you would be interested in having us stop by your course, give me a call & we will try to fit you in our schedule. While I will be traveling with Mike this week, I do want to make sure everyone knows that STI can work with any pump manufacturer (Flowtronex, Watertronics, MCI) to get you a new pump station or an upgrade for your current station.

The pump station is the heart of your irrigation system, so it is important to make sure your pumps are capable of doing what you need them to in regards to pressure & GPM. You can have 1000 sprinklers & the best control system, but if your pumps (and pipe sizes) don't allow you to run more than a couple heads at a time, you won't be able to take advantage of that great system & shorten your water window to be as efficient as possible.

The technologies in pump stations have also come a long way. For those of you still using constant speed or hydraulic (Cla-valve) pump stations, a VFD (variable frequency drive) pump station uses 20-24% less energy. That's a lot of savings on your electric bill! VFD also reduces water hammer by slowly ramping up instead of all at once. This will help your piping system last much longer. VFD's also have the benefit of being able to Auto-Restart, such as when power to the station is interrupted. This would allow the system to start at the current line pressure & then slowly ramp the system back up to operating pressure automatically. In addition to all the features listed above, there is simply less maintenance involved with a VFD compared to a hydraulic station. VFD's do not require control valves & have fewer mechanical parts that require servicing.

Another important benefit of newer pump stations is the technology to get you more data & information. The PLC of a pump station can provide flow totals, motor hours, fault history, & more. The PLC can also be interfaced with your central control systems to give you all this information in the same place as your irrigation controls. With the technology available now (with Lynx or independently), you can monitor or even control your pumps remotely.

If you're thinking about upgrading your irrigation system, take a hard look at your pumps to make sure they can deliver the results you're looking for. Have a great week & let me know if I can help in any way!