Village of Great Neck
Municipalties
The Great Neck Township contacted D&D with a sewage complication on a fairly new set up of twin 75-horsepower submersible pump units. The units were equipped with water detection devices embedded in the stator windings for protection. When the moisture detection device was triggered, we responded with a normal service call. But upon a more detailed inspection, we detected a significant problem before we even saw the pumps, which were 40 feet below in a pit and was designed with only one access floor hatch.
Once we realized the units were lubricated jacketed completely submersible pumps, we sampled the lubricant and detected a mixture of water and oil. The next step was to tag out and lock out the unit and start up the back-up unit. Now the challenge was removing the half-ton pump, which wasn’t even centered under the floor hatch. We installed a series of I Beams, chain falls, Come A longs, and trolley beam grantee. After a successful removal, we flatbed the pump to our pump rebuilding shop. After a complete diagnostic work-up on the entire pump, we detected that the main end bell that housed the seal assembly had deteriorated due to the elements introduced into the pumping station. The end bell was so severely damaged that a new one was absolutely necessary.
The lead time for new end bells was 22 weeks, so having the back-up running was a huge relief. But disaster struck again six weeks later when the other pump’s moisture detection system tripped. We made quick repairs to the damaged plate to keep the pump running. Once the new plates arrived, we did a complete overhaul, including stator rewinding with an epoxy coat, new seal assemblies, and new O ring gaskets. To keep a catastrophic malfunction like this from happening again.
