MWI Pumps handles many clients across the U.S., and when a water district approached MWI to repair a continually failing pump, the team jumped at the chance to solve the problem.
The client had a pump used to pump water into a reservoir for cleaning before it went back into the main system and one of the pumps, around five years old, continued to fail and the water district officials came down to meet with MWI Pumps to see what we could do to help them. The pump, even after numerous repairs, continued to fail and the client needed an affordable option to repair it.
“They brought the failed pump to us and we decided to save the barrel (the pipe on the outside) and replace all the internal workings including the pump-shaft, enclosing tube, bearing carriers, bronze bearings, impeller and intake bell,” said Thomas Hyde with MWI/Couch Pump Repair. “On the outside it looks like ‘Brand X’ but on the inside it is a MWI/Couch pump.”
MWI implemented this cost-effective solution for the client that not only was dealing with the costs the pump caused in downtime, but also saved about 30% of the cost by refurbishing the pump instead of purchasing a replacement.
“It’s just like a car – if the engine fails, it’s more affordable to buy a $5000 engine than a $50,000 vehicle,” explains Hyde. “In this case, it was a storm drainage pump used in a flooding situation to help move water.”
For the team of knowledgeable specialists at MWI Pumps, this type of refurbishment process is a regular event, especially in lean times when municipalities in particular are looking for ways to save revenue.
After a complete refurbishment, this particular pump will move 9,000 gallons per minute with 18 feet of total dynamic TDH and is good for municipal pump needs, explained Hyde.
“We get many pumps in here from other manufacturers and we repair the pump till we feel confident to warrant them,” said Hyde, adding that depending on use, a pump can last many years. “By the time the pump comes in to us, it’s ready to be gutted so we replace the internal components through refurbishment and the client can save up to 30 percent on the cost of purchasing a new pump.”
