WILO KEEPS WATER AT BAY FROM UNDERGROUND STATIONS

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For many years, Wilo UK has been supplying submersible pumps to customers across Europe. In the UK, these hardworking, high quality pumps have been keeping water at bay in a wide range of applications that day to day attract little attention, but keep buildings, and people dry by removing water from where it's not wanted.

Network Rail has a number of stations that are underground and below the level of rivers that flow close to the rail tracks. To keep them safe and operational, a constant flow of water is required to be pumped away from the stations and away from tracks. Mersey Rail in the north west is one such application. Several stations are located underground and for many years submersible pumps have been managing to keep the water away from the public areas and the tracks, but the existing pumps had been failing increasingly regularly due to corrosion and wear. Network Rail was looking for something different that would replace the failing pumps but maintain their performance in difficult circumstances, and not cause problems on a fairly regular basis.

Step forward Sean Fearn from Wilo UK, who recommended the Wilo EMU NK87 submersible borehole pump for the job. Able to shift the volume of water required, these clever pumps offer a self-cooling design and simple installation, but importantly come with a Ceram CT coating which increases their effectiveness and ensures reduced wear and counteracts corrosion. Several months after installation, they are performing perfectly.

Sally Whitter from JP Whitter the contractor on the Mersey Rail project says these pumps have done the job required: “We put six of the pumps in back in the summer of 2013 and they've been doing the job excellently. In the past we've had some emergency situations where a pump has gone down and we've had to replace it at short notice to keep the water level down. Replacing a pump is a pretty major task €“ it's not just a case of pulling it out and popping a new one in €“ it's a complex procedure, so we don't want that happening too often! Since the Wilo pumps have gone in, we've had no emergency situations at all and the underground part of the Mersey Rail system has functioned perfectly.”

Simon Oakes is Sales Director €“ Water Management for Wilo UK: “This is an excellent example of where the pumps we can offer can both do the job they are specified for and offer that little bit extra. Clever technology linked to the standard offering from the pumps means that we can offer pumps that perform well, but which importantly offer longevity and resist wear and corrosion as well. This is what our customers are looking for from us and Network Rail has been delighted with the performance they are seeing from the first pumps of this type they have taken from us. There are a myriad of applications requiring a similar approach and we're talking to many companies and organisations that are impressed by what we can offer, proven by the results we have achieved on the Mersey Rail project.”

Full details of these excellent pumps and alternative solutions can be found at www.wilo.co.uk

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