T H E P U M P I N G W O R L D ’ S O N E S T O P S H O P ! ™

CURRENTSSpring 2014

Metropolitan Takes Action In Emergency Response Situations

Plus...•Mechanical Spotlight• Recent Updates to the Ion® StormPro® Line

Over 6 inches of rain that fell overnight submerged a sanitary lift station in over 4 feet of water in a Lake Zurich neighborhood. This left residents without sanitary sewer service for a whole day; causing basements to flood with sewage. (See page 3)

City of Ottawa, Illinois

When a crucial lift station in the City of Ottawa flooded for the second time, the city turned to Metropolitan to upgrade the antiquated lift station built in 1955. The station was still able to run after flood because of the submersible pumps, but because the equipment was starting to deteriorate it was perfect timing for an upgrade.

The triplex lift station upgrade included dry pit submersible pumps with brand new Metropolitan controls. The station, prone

to flooding along the Illinois River, was upgraded with new controls designed above the flood level to reduce the occurrence of flooded equipment.

“The quick response to service that we received from Metropolitan made us very happy,” said City of Ottawa Public Works Director, Bob Shull, “Metropolitan came out the next day and had us back up and running within an incredibly short time period.”

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T H E P U M P I N G W O R L D ’ S O N E S T O P S H O P ! ™

Left: A seven year old sanitary lift station in the City of Des Plaines, Ill., was rendered inoperable after a vehicle lost control.

Right: Within weeks, a new customized sanitary lift station control panel was installed with updates to its SCADA system.

City of Des Plaines, Illinois

When a car accident damaged a sanitary lift station in the City of Des Plaines, Ill., Metropolitan Industries was called upon to help prevent the approximately 200 condominium and small home resident units from flooding.

The vehicle lost control, traveled over a curb and collided with the sanitary sewage lift station equipment causing considerable damage to the lift station and rendering it inoperable. The seven year old lift station control panel was in need of extensive repairs.

Public works staff immediately responded to the site to assess the damage. The entire control

enclosure, associated control panel and power feed from ComEd were all damaged beyond repair. Once the vehicle was removed, staff setup temporary pumping for the lift station. Due to the complexity of the lift station, public works contacted Metropolitan Industries to obtain a replacement control panel.

Metropolitan answered the call to restore proper operation of the lift station. The typical lead time for complete replacement is 10 weeks. Since the lift station would be out of service for an extended period of time, Metropolitan was able to install a temporary control system while the new one was manufactured.

The temporary panel that was installed

saved considerable amount of time and labor, automatically pumping down the water at the sanitary station which would have otherwise had to be done manually every 3 hours.

“Metropolitan did a phenomenal job,” said City of Des Plaines Foreman, Tim O’Malley, “The outcome could have been a lot worse, especially because of the time of year it was when pipes freeze up and pumps fail more often, but Metropolitan was able to turn it around and provide us with a temporary system that would service the station while the new one was built.”

It was imperative that this pumping system started pumping again before residents returned home from work and used more water.

Metropolitan Takes Action In Emergency Response SituationsMetropolitan Industries takes pride by providing a single source responsibility for services to the water and wastewater industries. When it comes to responding quickly to an emergency, we do whatever it takes to ensure that the customer’s needs are addressed and resolved in a quick and efficient manner. Water and wastewater equipment emergencies affect many people in the process. It is an absolute necessity to respond quickly in providing the assistance in order to minimize any additional damage and return to normal operations as soon as possible.

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T H E P U M P I N G W O R L D ’ S O N E S T O P S H O P ! ™

Metropolitan Takes Action In Emergency Response SituationsMetropolitan Industries takes pride by providing a single source responsibility for services to the water and wastewater industries. When it comes to responding quickly to an emergency, we do whatever it takes to ensure that the customer’s needs are addressed and resolved in a quick and efficient manner. Water and wastewater equipment emergencies affect many people in the process. It is an absolute necessity to respond quickly in providing the assistance in order to minimize any additional damage and return to normal operations as soon as possible.

Temporary pumps were set up to run the next day. It was important that the temporary panel was installed because the manual pump could fail at any time without an alarm system to notify personnel.

The city was caught completely off guard with this accident. An upgrade usually occurs when a lift station is antiquated and no longer operates properly. The city benefited from the install of a new customized panel with updates to its SCADA systems and new level control system.

In the end it was a very smooth transition.

“Metropolitan is always our go-to for anything dealing with lift stations,” O’Malley said, “but for them to provide us with this great service and quick turnaround, they really out did themselves.”

Lake Zurich, Illinois

When over six inches of rain from a powerful overnight storm caused a control panel to fail, the Village of Lake Zurich, Ill., called on Metropolitan Industries to assist in the repair of a sanitary lift station in a Lake Zurich neighborhood that was damaged by the flood.

The original submersible duplex sanitary lift station and controls manufactured by Metropolitan in 1986, serves an entire subdivision of 187 homes.

When heavy rains overwhelmed the village’s drainage system, water backed up, causing levels to rise high enough to damage the panel, which was submerged under water.

Storm water rapidly overwhelmed the detention pond and flooded the lift station, the traffic

box (control panel), ComEd’s transformers and several homes nearby. The traffic box was submerged by over 4 feet of water, which caused the control panel to fail, leaving the entire subdivision without sanitary sewer service.

After the water had receded, one pump was still operational, but it was uncertain for how long the pump would continue to run. Even with one pump running, it was not enough to prevent basements of some residential homes in the neighborhood from flooding. As a result, some residents lost sewer service for one day.

Lift stations elevate wastewater and runoff through a system of pipes and pumps, sending it to higher level toward a treatment facility. When one part of the lift station’s system stops working, there is a risk of sewage backup.

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T H E P U M P I N G W O R L D ’ S O N E S T O P S H O P ! ™

After the flooding had receded, the village revived the control panel that evening but had obvious concerns about the reliability of the control panel as corrosion had already become visible on many of the components.

Metropolitan was able to provide a quick solution to the village by installing a temporary control panel that was rented from Metropolitan to keep the pumps operating while a replacement control panel was manufactured.

The lift station is located in a lower area next to a detention pond. Keeping the flooding issue in mind, the new control panel was designed to sit higher to help prevent the new panel becoming submerged in case another flood event were to occur.

The replacement traffic box with new control panel also has Metropolitan’s new LMS II, Level Management System installed allowing the village to seamlessly alter pump options, transducer options and more, while providing access to basic SCADA features.

Lewis University - Romeoville, Illinois

Winter temperatures are not to be ignored, especially this past winter, which brought two polar vortexes to the Midwest causing many heating systems to fail. Among those affected was the home of the men’s and women’s swim team at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. The existing pool heater failed at the same time the university’s swim season was starting. When the original pool heating manufacturer said it would take 3-4 weeks to replace, the engineering firm, Grumman/Butkus Associates of Evanston, Ill., called on Metropolitan in an effort to fix the problem

Top Left: The original submersible duplex sanitary lift station built in 1986.

Top Right: Over 6 inches of overnight rainfall submerged the sanitary lift station that services a Lake Zurich neighborhood.

Bottom Left: The replacement control panel was designed to sit higher to help prevent the new panel becoming submerged.

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quickly.

“We needed to order and install the pool heater with no delays or problems as soon as possible,” said Grumman/Butkus Associates Engineer, Sergio Cano, “Metropolitan had a price quote and delivery scheduled within 3 hours of our initial phone call.”

It was imperative that the heater be replaced quickly due to the NCAA rules requiring the pool water be at a certain temperature in order for the athletes to be eligible to compete.

As a result, the university purchased a brand new Laars Pennant CP 1.2M btu/hr. with a Cupro-Nickel Heat exchanger pump mounted pool heater. The high-performance pool heating boilers produce warm water at efficiency levels of 85% or more.

In addition to the Lewis University men’s and women’s swim programs, the pool is also open to members of the Student Recreation and Fitness Center.

Within one week the pool was reopened. Metropolitan was able to order parts immediately and received the water heater within five days and the contractor installed the heater next day.

Laars Heating Systems offers 72 hour expedite shipping on all Laars products. As one of the only companies offering that service, Metropolitan, a Laars sales representative, provided the exact size Laars pool heater required by the university.

The biggest challenge was identifying the cause of the pool heater failure. After identifying the problem of the first failure, modifications were

made to reduce potential failure of this heater, which was modifying the way it was installed. Not many companies look at the “whole picture”.

Lewis University was desperate to find a replacement heater fast and even considered renting temporary pool heaters to save the swim season, but they were unable to locate companies that rented pool heaters that large.

Grumman/Butkus Associates main goal was to help save the university’s swim season.

“Metropolitan coordinated everything from the pool heater model selection and price quote all the way to supervising the installation with absolutely no problems,” said Cano, “they were also awarded the installation contract for responding so fast and providing the owner with all of the information requested.”

A Laars Pennant CP 1.2M btu/hr pump mounted pool heater was installed at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.

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In collaboration with DRF Trusted Property Solutions of Plainfield, Ill., Metropolitan Industries has assisted in the design of one of the most energy efficient solutions available to upgrade the boiler and water heating system. The original boilers, built in 1962, were operating at about 70% efficiency. Even new boilers replaced in the past few years could only maintain 82% efficiency. In addition to the energy waste, the energy costs were very high. The new boilers and indirect water heaters will maximize efficiency while saving money.

The installation of Laars NeoTherm modulating condensing boilers and indirect water heaters in each Chatham property will produce the largest gas savings measure of its kind in Peoples Gas territory. This new technology only uses the energy required to produce the exact amount of heating needed, with no waste, allowing the heating system to operate at 95% thermal efficiency. In addition, the indirect water heaters will use the new boilers as a heat source, eliminating standby loss, and operating as high as 99% energy efficiency.

The new system is designed to provide improved overall building comfort, better efficiency and less boiler maintenance, with the added bonus of a lifetime indirect water heater warranty.

DRF turned to Metropolitan to help with the design and production process to assure that the cooperative would meet the deadline for their rebate eligibility while eliminating resident discomfort in the process. Within a short period of time, Metropolitan was able to complete 19 systems directly at its 100,000 sq. ft. shop, which helped to provide a seamless installation on site.

Mechanical SpotlightUpgrade To Boiler Heating and Domestic Hot Water Systems Provides Energy Efficient Solution

The new boiler and indirect water heater combinations installed at the Chatham Park Village Cooperative in Chicago, Ill., will improve energy efficiency of each heating system and domestic hot water system to 95% and save $4 million in energy costs over 20 years.

Recent Updates To The Ion® StormPro® Line Many new and updated products have been added to the Ion® StormPro® line including the introduction to our Ion® System Solution which gives contractors a better understanding on not just selling the Ion® StormPro® product, but selling a solution as well, winning customers over to lifetime partners. Our certified Ion® Solution Installers are recognized on our www.ionproducts.net website.

Our new Ion Gateway® product allows customers to

remotely monitor various aspects of their home. The Ion Gateway® provides customers with advantages other monitoring systems simply cannot provide, specifically the ease of installation, price and the many monitoring capabilities offered. To purchase the Ion Gateway®, visit www.metropolitanind.com/store.

We recently made updates to the Ion® StormPro® display trailer, complete with an updated water

display that showcases various pumps and control equipment. The Ion® Trailer features the full Ion® StormPro® product line including the updated Ion® Systems and latest controls like the Ion® Endeavor, Ion+® and Ion Gateway®.

The renovations made to our Ion® StormPro® product line and display trailer, innovations such as our Ion® Endeavor and the new capabilities the line brings allows customers to really see how the products

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Above: One of 19, Laars NeoTherm modulating condensing boilers and indirect water heaters built at Metropolitan.

Right: Semi-Instantaneous water heater package offers additional mechanical room space.

Far Right: A pre-piped heat transfer system recently fabricated at Metropolitan.

T H E P U M P I N G W O R L D ’ S O N E S T O P S H O P ! ™

Recent Updates To The Ion® StormPro® Line

Semi-Instantaneous Water Heater

Metropolitan Industries designed a Semi-Instantaneous Water Heater Package to service Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill. Semi-Instantaneous Water Heater Packages are the perfect solution to replace an older and expensive to maintain storage tank style system. Custom configurations and small footprint maximizes space, offering additional mechanical room square footage customers never knew they had. Metropolitan’s Semi-Instantaneous Water Heater Packages are fully customized to fit any application for commercial, industrial or municipal customers.

Typical applications include:-Hospital/Health Care Facilities -Schools/Universities -Hotels -Commercial Buildings -Food and Process Industrial Facilities

Heat Transfer System Shipped Internationally

Metropolitan also fabricated a pre-piped heat transfer system to a local chemical company. The unit was then shipped complete and ready for integration in the customer’s system, which is located outside of the United States. The system is designed to heat 160 GPM of a 50% Propylene Glycol Solution from 155°F to 158°F using 15 psig steam at the heat exchanger inlet (125 psig steam at the pressure reducing valve inlet and inlet to the skid). The condensate section of the heat transfer package included a steam pressure powered pump along with the pump receiver to ensure proper condensate drainage from the heat transfer. All water and glycol piping was fabricated from schedule 40 steel piping. All steam and condensate piping was fabricated using schedule 80 steel piping, with the majority of the piping being welded in lieu of threading.

work first hand.

For more information on our new and updated products, contact one of our wholesalers or visit us at www.ionproducts.net.

If you would like to have our mobile showroom visit your facility please contact Brian Drafke at (815) 886-9200.

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MetropolitanIndustries, Inc.37 Forestwood DriveRomeoville, IL 60446

SEMINARS 2014

To register, please visit www.ilceu.com or call Melissa Young at 815-886-9200, ext. 260.

All seminars are free of charge and take place at our facility in Romeoville, IL

Residential-Commercial Plumbing Applications: Sump & Sewage:

4 CEUs (IEPA, ILDPH), 4 PDHs

Mechanical- Steam Basics: 3 PDHs

Dates To Be AnnouncedFor more information please contact Melissa Young

at pr@metropolitanind.com or (815)886-9200 ext 260.

Dates Available: 6/18, 8/6, 10/1Time: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

MunicipalInfrastructure Improvements-

ABCs of pump system improvements: 4 CEUs (IEPA), 4 PDHs

How to get the most from your SCADA system:4 CEUs (IEPA), 4 PDHs

Dates Available: 6/5, 9/17, 12/10Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Dates Available: 8/20, 11/6Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Future dates to

be added!

Commercial-Plumbing

Self-Priming Pump Application/ Installation/ Operation/ Maintenance:

4 PDHs

Commercial Water Systems– Energy Saving Strategies:

4 CEUs (IEPA), 4 PDHs

Commercial Building Pressure Reducing Valves – Application /

Operation / Maintenance / Repair:4 PDHs

Dates Available: 5/21, 9/3, 11/19Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Dates Available: 6/12, 10/29, 12/4Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Dates Available: 10/15, 12/17Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

FPO POSTAGE