The pump station that powers our irrigation system was recently replaced. The old station was 25 years old and eventually like all high use systems was due for replacement. The new pump station is technologically up to date and very energy efficient due to the fact that each of the three 50 hp motors are driven by variable frequency drive control. A simple explanation of VFD control is that when the motors turn on they "spool" up slowly and then speed up as irrigation demand increases. Old motors would turn on full power immediately as their use was required. That would then result in an energy spike and it was also at that point when there was the greatest amount of wear and tear on the motors. It also resulted in extreme hydraulic stresses that need to be addressed with control valves and in our case a large pressure tank. The new pump station does not require a pressure tank and will also provide more direct feedback to the irrigation control computer in the Turf Care facility. We have also increased our pumping capacity from 1200 gallons per minute to 1500 gpm which gives us the option of shortening the irrigation window (the length of time required for a full irrigation cycle) during the short nights of mid summer.
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| The old pump station with the pressure tank front and center. |
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| The old motors and pumps are lifted out through a removable panel built into the roof of the pumphouse. |
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| The new pump station being off loaded. |
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| The new pump station platform and control system in place. |
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| The new pumps and motors installed. |
A future blog will detail the power connections, drive shaft install and the link up of the discharge pipe to our existing mainline leading out into the golf course irrigation system.
