Wastewater Management Pumps and Valves Podcasts

1. Fixing Aging Infrastructure With Minimal Disruption 10/16/2019

   Coping with service or repairs to aging pipeline infrastructure without disrupting customers is always a challenge. Chris Vazzana of Hydra-Stop has a better idea that includes the use of insertion valves, which enable water utilities to install a permanent valve into a live water main without ever shutting down the line. His discussion with the Water Talk moderators at WEFTEC 2019 details how the initial perception of insertion valves as a temporary measure is no longer true, and how these time-saving devices are now permanent assets that have passed AWWA testing, including burst testing and 500-cycle testing. Chris also describes the company’s newest 24” insertion valve, with an anecdote about saving a utility and 10,000 of its customers from a disruptive service shutdown.

2. Protecting Pump Motors In Water/Wastewater Operations 10/15/2019

   With electric motors playing such key roles in water and wastewater treatment and water distribution operations, protecting those motors is fundamental to keeping processes flowing smoothly. In this Water Talk interview, Steve Zbytowski, product manager for motor protection and soft starters with Eaton, shares his insights on ground-fault identification that helps maintenance personnel pinpoint exactly where the fault is and react to remedy the situation quickly. He also relates how complementary Internet of Things (IoT) network communication improves data collection, making it easier to manage field-monitoring and troubleshooting efforts and improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of motor operation.

3. How Physical Modeling Can Help Achieve Optimal Performance And Maximize Existing Infrastructure 8/1/2018

   When it comes to infrastructure design or redesign, understanding hydraulic conditions — for all foreseeable scenarios — is paramount. You might call it "test driving" your facility.

4. Preventing Backflow 11/29/2016

   There are lots of applications in the water and wastewater industry that need backflow prevention. Stormwater drainage systems are a perfect example.  As Mike Duer, Chief Engineer with Red Valve Company explains in this Water Online Radio interview, “water will backflow through the drainage pipe at high tide, come up through the inlets and cause flooding.”

5. Valve Design Cuts Energy Costs 11/25/2015

   Realizing energy savings with blowers is a big deal in the wastewater industry right now as utilities try to reign in their energy costs. As Paul Nelson, North American Sales Manager for Egger Turo Pumps points out, the next focus area is going to be energy savings with pumps and valves.

6. Open And Shut Case: A Comparison Of Actuators 11/2/2015

   Neil Meredith, Midwest regional manager with Kinetrol USA, talks to Water Online Radio about pneumatic vane actuators – specifically, what sets the good ones apart.

7. Grinding Wipes To A Halt 10/19/2015

   Ken Biele, CEO of JWC Environmental, discusses solutions to the growing problem of equipment-clogging disposable wipes.

8. Hinge-Less Valve Keeps Sewers Functional 7/6/2015

   In 1984, the US EPA asked Red Valve to help mitigate some of the inflow and infiltration problems it was seeing with traditional flap gate valves.

9. The Evolution Of Sluice And Slide Gates 7/1/2015

   You might not think that sluice gates would involve a lot of technology, but significant R&D has been invested in their improvement.

10. American Infrastructure Renewal: Building For The Next 100 Years 11/12/2014

    Even ductile iron pipe, which has been in the ground for a century in some cases, has an expiration date. Its strength has also been a detriment, to some degree, in that the public has taken its reliability for granted. But the time has come to pay the piper.