Romtec Utilities designs, engineers, and manufactures pump stations as complete packages designed for any project requirements. Control Panels are one of the most important components to a pump station and function as the “brain” of the system. These sophisticated electrical control panels often require reliable protection against many weather conditions. Direct sunlight, rain, and freezing temperatures outside of control panel enclosures can cause control panels to overheat or otherwise malfunction. Installing a shelter or shade structure at your pump station site is an effective way to prevent weather conditions from damaging the electrical controls of your pump station.
Weather protection for electrical controls can be an important facet in pump station design. Some regions will be more exposed to certain weather conditions than others. The American Southwest, for example, has consistently high temperatures with clear skies and sun exposure – at least during the summer months. When Romtec Utilities provides a pump station in this setting, control panels are often placed inside a building, in a shaded area, or beneath a utility shelter to prevent direct sunlight from overheating the control panel. It is often recommended to place control panels inside a NEMA enclosure for even more protection against infiltrating water and cold temperatures. Taking into account the unique weather conditions of each project helps to clarify what weather protection is needed and what equipment needs to be protected.
Shade and utility shelters are available in several sizes. 2-post shelters are the smallest Romtec Utilities offers and are typically used when only the control panel needs weather protection. 4-post shelters are a bit larger and can cover multiple pieces of equipment like odor control systems, small generators, or additional control devices. 6-post shelters are the biggest utility shelters we offer. They provide a large area of protection that can be used for sheltering emergency generators and other pieces of equipment. One project in Southern California required the installation of a 6-post shelter directly above the pump station to completely cover the top slab and hatch. This allowed the electrical controls and other components to be installed directly outside the wet well with adequate weather protection. Another advantage of these control shelters are the capabilities for mounting hardware directly to the structure.
Mounting electrical controls and other equipment offers multiple benefits. Whenever Romtec Utilities provides a utility shelter with any of our pump stations, we prepare the structure prior to delivering it so that controls panels and other system controls can be easily mounted and installed directly on the structure. When maintenance is required during a storm or heavy rain, personnel can troubleshoot issues from beneath the comfort of the shelter. Lighting packages can be installed to provide 24 hour visibility for the pump station for surveillance and after-hours maintenance. Romtec Utilities designs, engineers, and fabricates these shelters in-house, we can meet whatever requirements necessary for your project and equip your shelter to mount any equipment needed.
Providing weather protection to control panels and other sensitive electrical controls is an important design consideration for pump stations. Even seemingly harmless weather conditions can be enough to damage control panels. Romtec Utilities offers shade structures in 2-post, 4-post, and 6-post configurations and can include any mounting hardware necessary for your pump station application. No matter what type of pump station you require, shade structures are beneficial for all types of electrical equipment. Contact Romtec Utilities for more information on how utility shelters can benefit your pump station project today!