New Control Panel Retrofit Project in Bakersfield, CA

Romtec Utilities provides repair and retrofit services for pump station control panels. Recently, Romtec Utilities retrofitted a control panel for the City of Bakersfield to replace the controller and HMI. These services can be advantageous for all types of pump and lift station owners and operators. Here are the details about this control panel retrofit project.

In 2007, Romtec Utilities designed, engineered, and supplied a lift station to Ferguson Enterprises, who was installing a wastewater lift station for the North of River Sanitary District in Bakersfield. This lift station was designed to meet the needs of growing residential housing in the area, but when the economic recession deepened in 2008, the housing market slowed and this lift station was no longer required. Today, the housing market is picking back up and this lift station is needed again.

Romtec Utilities reviewed the lift station to determine how the system would function after 8 years of sitting unused. One point of concern was the originally supplied control panel, namely an outdated Flygt FMC 200 controller. This controller is no longer manufactured, creating a scarce market for replacement parts and fewer available support and service options. Additionally, Romtec Utilities could no longer warranty a product that is effectively obsolete. The City of Bakersfield wanted a controller that could be warrantied with the lift station.

Retrofitted Control Panel Next to Old

The City chose to upgrade the panel from the proprietary Flygt controller to an Allen Bradley PLC (programmable Logic Controller) with a new touchscreen interface. The PLC platform for the new controller gives the City of Bakersfield a robust control device with readily available parts and many available support and service options. Romtec Utilities provides support for control panels, but it is helpful for owners and operators to have local options available during potential emergency situations.

The touchscreen HMI (Human Machine Interface) provides a seamless control interface that Romtec Utilities can program to meet exact customer specifications and preferences. The new HMI provides a flexible control interface with modern componentry and functionality to give the City an easy to use and reliable control panel for its lift station.

Romtec Utilities can help municipalities retrofit control panel hardware in scenarios like this one, where the controller was outdated. We can also help cities repair control panels and enclosures or retrofit software to integrate with new systems or components. There is no reason to be unsatisfied with a pump or lift station control panel. Romtec Utilities can help you get the control panel you want to make operating your pump and lift station sustainable and hassle-free.

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