Kelowna Gyro Beach Pump Station

Value Realized Through Reliable Performance

If I’ve learned one thing so far at Waste’n WaterTech it’s that nothing moves too quickly in the municipal wastewater industry, and that long term integrity and reliability has a real impact. This rings especially true with the most longstanding (and original) manufacturer on our line card – The Vaughan Company.

Vaughan has a storied history in the development and constant improvement of their Chopper pump technology. For over half a century they have been committed to providing a quality product and the service to back it up. The level of integrity you get with a family owned and operated company like Vaughan is top notch, and that permeates through all levels of the organization. They aren’t here to sell you a pump quickly and get out, they are here to help solve a problem, and they will be around for however long that takes.

The benefits of a Chopper pump are often most valued in situations replacing existing equipment struggling in a tough application. When given the opportunity to test a Chopper pump in these applications the reliability and performance can be seen firsthand.

A great example of ‘proving out’ a Chopper pump over time is at the City of Kelowna (B.C.) Gyro Beach Pump Station. This station is in a high-profile location at a popular beach in Kelowna where lift station failures and pump outs are not viewed upon kindly. The station originally had three non-clog pumps installed which had persistent plugging issues during low flow periods, requiring many call outs to clear them.

In September 2009 a Vaughan submersible Chopper Pump was first installed at this station and it ran for two years, proving it’s worth before a second pump was installed in May 2011, and then a third in November 2015.

This retrofit was not only worthwhile economically, with a payback period of less than a year, but it was also simple since the existing guiderails could be re-used and the new pumps easily swapped out with the old. A case study was recently written on the Gyro Pump Station, it can be read here.

True to it’s agricultural upbringing, the Chopper pump is a workhorse that will keep things moving reliably and will stand the test of time. The Gyro Station pumps were installed over a span of six years as they consistently performed and demonstrated their value. Now they’ve been installed for over a decade and eliminated unplanned servicing at the station. A Vaughan Chopper pump could do the same for you!

Deirdre Moran, EIT