How Does the Probe Work?
The Probe works by using the conductive properties of the water itself to complete a circuit with a controller. It’s mounted near the inflow, allowing the turbulence to keep it clean. Even if a build-up does occur it’s usually conductive (in wastewater) and so the Probe keeps right on working. When cleaning is required, the probe is installed off a mounting bracket that includes a cleaning device.

Why is it so reliable?
Ultra-reliable! No electronics and no moving parts means there is nothing to fail. That’s why it has a 10-year warranty! No other liquid level sensor comes close.

Why is it easier to install than other level devices?
All you do is hanging the Probe on its own cable into your wet well, using the bracket we supply. Installation is simple – any one of your technicians could do it in an hour or so. What’s more, you install the Probe relatively low down in the wet well. Compared to ball floats, it allows the well to be cleaned out more thoroughly. That means less debris build-up, odors and pump clogs.

Key Features

• Virtually no maintenance required
• Simple installation from outside the sump
• Easy visibility of start and stop points
• Unaffected by fat, oil, grease, debris and foam
• Excellent in turbulent sumps
• Safe, low sensing voltage
• Comes in a variety of lengths with 10-sensors, 3-sensors or single sensor.
• Custom sizes also available. 

Our recent experience in the City of Zephyrhills (Florida) is a case on point. They needed a simple method of detecting water levels to avoid repeated stormwater flooding, and we were up for the challenge.

Case Study – City of Zephyrhills
Stormwater Pump Controls

Zephyrhills is located in Pasco County, on a ridge that divides the Hillsborough River Basin from the Withlacoochee River Basin. Lake Zephyr, an integral part of the City’s stormwater drainage system, eventually flows south to the Hillsborough River. Although most of the City is drained by surface swales, their structural drainage system includes 2 retention ponds with pumps, emergency generators and force mains. The larger pond is East off US 301 and North of 6 Avenue. The smaller pond is West of 1 Street and South of 14 Avenue. Both ponds are almost completely utilized.

The Challenge
The larger stormwater pond acts as a reservoir, temporarily collecting surface water run-off from surrounding streets. Two large pumps transfer the water to Lake Zephyr, located approximately two miles from the collection area. Last year, level switches controlling the two 40 horsepower pumps failed and the water level rose high enough to cause flooding in surrounding streets and a fire station.

Click here to read more…

Current class offerings include:

• Latest Advances in Pump Station Management
• Introduction to the MultiSmart: the World’s 1st Pump Station Manager
• Introduction to Backup Controllers for Lift Stations
• Customized classes also available

Hurry – Space is filling fast!

To take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity, contact Sandy Santiago at 561-994-8090 or sandys@multitrode.com.

After making your reservation, you will receive an email Webinar Invitation with simply to follow instructions. Then sit back in the comfort of your own office while the MultiTrode Team entertain you with tales of technological advancements and features that will make every day in the field seem like a walk in the park!

There, you will have the opportunity to check out the latest versions of MultiSmart and the new SafeSmart Backup Controllers, Safe-FS and Safe-TL.

The featured Safe-FS,  SafeSmart’s failsafe level alarm relay, is the next generation of ultra-reliable high level alarming for lift and pump stations. While the Safe-TL, provides an independent backup control system for level device fails.

Finally, there is always the chance that when the PO is with the supplier, he or she says “sorry, we’re out of stock of that model, but I have the next size up – tell you what, I’ll sell it to you for the same price as the smaller pump!”

The net result is pumps which are much too large for the application, running for very short times and not at all at their best efficiency point.

There’s a great article about how VFDs can improve the energy efficiency of pump stations by Joe Evans of Pentair writing for Pumps & Systems. The VFD lowers the effective output of the pump and runs it closer to its best efficiency point.

Another way that utilities solve the practical problem of the over-sized pumps is to add a jockey pump later on. This is a more appropriately sized pump for operation most of the time, with no concerns about worst case inflow condition because the larger pumps will take over.

Some stations are designed like this from the outset – especially stations with infrequent high inflow conditions where the engineer has recognized that large pumps are occasionally necessary but running these large pumps for very short periods is not ideal.

What’s the Lift Station Logic?

The lift station or pump station logic we use in MultiSmart is to group pumps.

So with the case of 2 large pumps and 1 jockey pump, Group 1 would have the jockey pump (let’s call it P1) and Group 2 would have both large pumps (let’s call them P2 and P3).

Group 2 would most likely be set to alternate – and it could be set to alternate based on efficiency to save energy automatically. Group 1 doesn’t need an alternation scheme because there is only 1 pump. (If there were 2 jockey pumps they would probably be set to alternate as well).

We configure the setpoints of P2 and P3 above the jockey pump, P1. And we set a parameter called Max Groups Running to 1, and Block Running Pumps to True (which is the default).

Now what happens is the level rises and P1 starts. The well empties and P1 stops. And the cycle continues. But once a time is reached when P1 can’t handle the inflow, the well level will keep rising and the start point for the lead pump in Group 2 is reached. When that happens, Group 1 (which just contains P1) turns off and the lead pump in Group 2 starts.

So long as this large pump empties the well, once the stop point for the lead pump is Group 2 is reached, Group 1 will again take over again from Group 2.

Depending on whether you have Duty/Assist or Duty/Standby you would set Max pumps to run in Group 2 accordingly. If you want both pumps to run together you don’t have to change the default (no limit), if you only want one pump to run, then you set Max pumps to run in Group 2 to 1. It’s an important point because a lot of stations don’t have the pipework to handle both pumps running together and all you do is double the energy consumed for a 10% increase in flow.

The way the logic works if Max pumps to run =1, and the level for the lag pump is reached, is the running pump stops and the other pump takes over.

Technical Note

The way the logic works by default, in high inflow conditions, the jockey pump, P1, will start each cycle, and then the larger pump will take over. If you don’t want P1 to always start, add some custom logic in IsaGRAF, or the logic engine. That logic would be very simple – once Group 2 starts, hold out Pump 1 (or Group 1), and then when the calculated inflow drops below a certain value, remove that hold out fault.

Summary of Configuration

Create a 3-pump station using the setup wizard
In Settings – > Alternation & Grouping:

• Create a new group
• Move P2 and P3 into Group 2
• Check Group 2 is in “Alternate (Std)” – the default
• Check that Group Alternation is “Fixed (Std)” – the default

Configure your setpoints as you want through Settings -> Setpoints -> Level/Control Setpoints
If you do want only one of the large pumps to run at one time, configure Max Pumps to Run in Group 2 – Settings -> Advanced – > Pump Control -> Group -> Group 2 -> Max pump running