At Metropolitan, we can supply all equipment needed to keep your pump system functioning as efficient as possible. Our adaptability and knowledge of new technologies give us the ability to supply the most cutting-edge equipment, which can extend the life of a system, save end users funds and make maintenance easier than ever before.

A premier example of this technology is demonstrated by the work done at a large commercial building located in Lake County, Ill. At the request of the owner, the building name and location will remain confidential.

Metropolitan completed a retrofit application in which a total of eight self-priming sewage and sump pump systems were installed to replace aging equipment that was over 25 years old. Metropolitan was the supplier and designer of the retrofit project, crossing over the old style of pumps with the new of style pumps.

“We upgraded the customer to our new model 35-45 MPC self-priming pump system where they had been previously using the older 30 MPC model,” said Metropolitan Commercial Salesperson Kent Swanson. “The new system is more efficient, incorporates new and improved changes to the design of the impeller and provides larger housing for the pump among many improved features from the previous model.”

Swanson said Metropolitan was contacted at the project’s inception at the end of 2010 and that pumps officially went into operation in August of 2011. Swanson said the systems were built and shipped to the job site at once, accommodating the customer’s installation date request and ultimately assisting in the installation process.

“It helps coordinating with the customer when all systems are built and shipped before installation,” said Swanson. “With this type of approach, the plumber knows what materials they have to acquire and if any changes need to be made to the system design, we’re not finding out the day of the installation.”

Among the many improvements the new model 35-45 MPC provides in comparison to older models, Swanson named a few in particular that were illustrated in this project.

“The new design of the impeller makes it much easier to service the pump, so it’s more maintenance-friendly than the existing configuration,” said Swanson. “With the old style, you had to make more adjustments to the impeller to ensure the system would function properly. The new model system also provides for a more efficient operation, low installation cost and low repair cost.”

Swanson said the systems were installed in a number of locations at the facility.

An interesting aspect of the project was the utilization of stainless steel basin covers for systems installed in the facility’s parking garage pump rooms.

“Parking garages have a tendency to get a lot of water, often times just water seepage on the ground,” said Swanson. “We noticed the old covers were rusting away which is dangerous because anyone could fall right through and sustain a serious injury. What we did was incorporate stainless steel basin covers on the new systems with the benefit being corrosion resistance. Stainless steel will not rust and the customer will no longer have safety issues looming.”

In all, the customer made the choice to conduct a retrofit upgrade due to the advancements the new model provides.

“The customer was happy with the old pumps and the existing configuration,” said Swanson. “However, the pumps were aging and the new technology our new model provides made the decision to upgrade practical for the customer to make.”

Learn more about how our self-priming pump systems can vastly improve storm and sewage water management for your infrastructure.