Pumpstation Rebuild

With the extremely dry, warm, and windy weather we have been experiencing recently, we have been in a mad rush to get our pumpstation put back together so that we can start using our irrigation system.

Last fall if you remember we had our irrigation pumps pulled out and sent off to Minneapolis to get rebuilt.  The old pumps were aging badly (I'm not sure, but I think they may have been 30+ years old) and were loud, inefficient, and ready for complete failure at any time.)  We got our newly rebuilt pumps back and set back in their vault a few weeks ago, but reassembling all of the above ground piping and valves proved to be a very difficult process.

We also did some reconfiguring of the 6" mainline pipe as it leaves the pumpstation, eliminating two 90 degree fittings and replacing them with 45 degree fittings.  We are trying to force 700+ GPM through that pipe at times, and eliminating those two sharp 90 degree bends will greatly reduce the amount of pressure lost as the water flows through there.

The pumpstation as it looked last fall before disassembly

The pumpstation as it looked during this winter while all the
parts were being rebuilt

The technician that rebuilt our pumps took this picture of the pump shaft, a 1" thick
steel shaft that turns the entire pump, that had been worn down to pencil
thickness from a bad seal.  In his words, "you guys were one start up away from
shearing the shaft in two."

The newly rebuilt pumps getting dropped back into
the vault this spring.

Collin doing some pipe fitting one our new output line.  This is the piece
where we replaced the two 90 degree bends with 45 degree fittings.

The new pumpstation ready for action.  We reused and painted a few of the
pipe fittings and valves, but the pumps, motors, seals, and skid are either brand
new, or rebuilt with all new components.

I realize that probably not a single golfer at the Grand Forks Country Club has ever set foot in our pumphouse by hole 7.  However, there is likely no single more important piece of equipment at any golf course than the irrigation pumps.  Water is the lifeblood of any healthy turf and golf course, and the pumpstation is quite literally the heartbeat that supplies it.

This was not a cheap project for us to undertake.  However, it was becoming painfully obvious by the end of last season that our pumps were not only failing to meeting our system demands in terms of flow and pressure, but that a catastrophic failure was imminent.  I have a feeling that we are in for a hot and dry summer in 2015, and I cannot say enough how glad I am that we spent the time, money, and effort to upgrade this vital piece of equipment.  The only other option was to play off of a dirt golf course this summer.