The Submersible Wastewater Pump Association (SWPA) recently held its annual Systems and Control Training Seminar on April 15-16 in Chicago. After breakfast and networking at 8 a.m., the attendees filed into a large conference room to receive a general introduction to SWPA followed by a presentation by keynote speaker Tom Decker of Thomas E. Decker Consulting, LLC. This presentation delved into the current state of uncertainty in the pumping industry and hit on such relevant topics as tariffs, regulations, construction labor and immigration, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the role of tax-exempt municipal bonds in the potential cost of future public construction projects and more.
Following the keynote speech was a presentation by Dave Williams and Nic Atkins of SWPA on the “systems approach” and its benefits when used in lift station design, construction, operation and maintenance, after which was a presentation on lift station safety presented by Liberty Pumps and SJE Rhombus.
The remainder of the day was devoted to hands-on training, which allowed participants—many of them young industry professionals—to learn practical skills from seasoned instructors. The hands-on courses included the following:
- Taking the Mystique Out of Pump Controllers: An opportunity for attendees to perform parameter changes on pump station controllers and learn how to wire discrete inputs (Presented by Motor Protection Electronics)
- Troubleshooting & Field Maintenance of Residential Grinder Pumps: An exploration of basic troubleshooting and field maintenance on a failed grinder pump (Presented by Crane Pumps & Systems, Liberty Pumps and Sulzer)
- Chopper Pump Maintenance: An overview of chopper pumps, pump cutting surface adjustments, changing oil in a pump and troubleshooting (Presented by Vaughan)
- Control Panel Assembly & Troubleshooting: A chance for attendees to assemble and troubleshoot control panels in small groups (Presented by SJE Rhombus)
- VFDs vs. VFD Bypass: A demonstration of how a VFD bypass works and a look at best applications (Presented by C3 Controls)
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Day two began with an interactive round table session on Build America, Buy America (BABA) tariffs and other industry issues—focusing on updates to BABA and the effect of tariffs and regulations on the water and wastewater industry. Participants that day were also able to partake in the following:
- AC Electric Motors for Submersible Pumps: An overview of basic submersible motor construction features and innovations in motor technology (Presented by Sulzer/WEG)
- Controls 101: A look at level control methods and commonly used control topics (Presented by Motor Protection Electronics)
- Pressure Sewers, Grinder Pumps & Chopper Pumps: An exploration of the evolution of pump wet-end design and the new generation of larger horsepower grinder and chopper pumps (Presented by Liberty Pump/Crane Pumps & Systems)
- Flushable Consumer Products – Effective Methods to Eliminate Clogging: A look at how to deal with the challenges consumer products marketed as “flushable” are causing for wastewater utilities (Presented by EBARA Pumps)
- Cavitation & Air Entrainment in Wastewater Pumps: Instruction on how to identify different types of cavitation and find solutions (Presented by EBARA Pumps)
- Mechanical Seal & Sealing Systems Design & Troubleshooting: An overview of seal design, applications and sealing systems along with common features and potential modes of failure (Presented by U.S. Seal and Roplan)
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SWPA has been providing educational programs for over three decades, allowing attendees to learn from industry experts and form deeper connections within the industry. For more information on SWPA, its training sessions and more, visit swpa.org.
