Crisafulli Trailer, Vertical, and Hydraulic Submersible Pumps. Excerpts from a 1997 report submitted by Jeffrey A. Simpson, Marshall-Bond, Inc. 300 W. NorthWater Street, New London, WI 54961 Phone: (920) 982-7709 Fax: (920)982-7718, http://www.marshallbond.com/

Regarding a STORM WATER MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY for Winnetka , Illinois Department of Public Works (see photo above right). The Town uses the following Crisafulli equipment to solve its water problem: one (1) Crisafulli 12" humpback trailer pump, one (1) Crisafulli 16" vertical PTO pump, one (1) Crisafulli 16" vertical electrical PTO pump, three (3) Crisafulli 16" vertical electric pumps, one (1) Crisafulli 2 1/2" hydraulic submersible pump, and one (1) Crisafulli 16" vertical electric pump.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: To transfer storm water from a creek and adjacent river during periods of high water, storms and spring thawing. The stormwater from the creek contains a large amount of debris and sticks.

KEY ELEMENTS OF JOB: During storm events and high water runoff, the Department of Public Works needs to move a large amounts of water in a short amount of time.  The creek is narrow, and the water contains debris. Also, electric power is frequently unavailable during storms because of power outages.

SOLUTION: The customer first purchased a Crisafulli 12" PTO humpback trailer pump because of its non-electric power requirement, high volume pumping and ability to pass debris from the channel. After using the trailer pump effectively through one storm season, the Village purchased a Crisafulli 16" vertical PTO pump to supplement the trailer pump for this application. During the same year a new lift station was designed for storm water management at another site in the Village. (One question was) what type of power source (electric or PTO) to use on this application. A Crisafulli 16" vertical electric/PTO was chosen...electric power is cheaper than manning a PTO driven pump, but if electricity is not available the PTO drive still works.

The specification for this project was written around the Crisafulli Pump because of it's proven track record with the Village. The next year an additional three pump storm water stations were designed for the creek to meet the final design and complete pumping requirements for this site. This application was designed by a new consulting engineering firm. The new engineer chose pumps (not made by Crisafulli) for the application. The complete project cost for the three pumps, lift station and controls was over $100,000, equipment only. Some of the village managers were not happy with the final cost, knowing the performance and price of the Crisafulli Pumps in the past on the same application. The new project was completed and the results were unsatisfactory with the competitor's pumps. The competitor's pumps could not handle the debris from the storm water runoff and had drastically different pumping rates at different heads. There was also some conflict with the engineer's total head condition estimate and the actual total head. These problems are not uncommon for a cast rather than a fabricated pump.

The competitor's pumps were eventually replaced by three Crisafulli 16" vertical pumps for about half of the cost of the axial flow pumps. After the success of the Crisafulli Pumps for the Village, the decision to buy a Crisafulli hydraulic pump for a replacement to an existing competitor's pump was easy. This pump is used by Street Department personnel to dewater various pits and manholes.

RESULT: The Crisafulli Pump line offers a variety of pump configurations, drive designs and control packages to meet the most demanding applications for any client. The fabricated design offers the benefits of flexibility and capability of passing heavy solids and debris without sacrificing flow. Customers have commented on the simplicity of the pump design and the ease of Maintenance and serviceability of the Crisafulli Pumps.

Four Crisafulli Pumps.  Francis D. Gregerson, Gregerson Dairy, Longmont, CO, 80504; 303-776-2783
Gregerson's Colorado Dairy Farm, running 1,500 head, moves liquid manures, fluids and sludges with four Crisafulli pumps:  two electric vertical pumps, a six-inch PTO trailer mounted pump, and a 7.5 horsepower electric lift pump.

"We have not experienced trouble with any of these pumps, not even over the summer months when we use both the trailer mounted pump and the lift pump intensively for irrigation."

"Maintenance on the two pumps used to pump liquid manure and run-off usually comes down to a rebuild.  The SRS Crisafulli factory in Glendive has been excellent when it comes to service.  With a little notice, they are usually able to rebuild our pumps in a day.  The life of a SRS factory rebuild, with our usage, is about a year to a year and a half.  When we have rebuilt the pumps ourselves, or have had it done locally, the rebuild will usually only last about six months."

"All in all, I have been very satisfied with both the performance of my Crisafulli pumps and with the service of the SRS Crisafulli staff.  The sales, office and service departments have all gone the extra mile whenever I have contacted them.  I would certainly look into the SRS Crisafulli pump line if I was in the market to purchase another pump and I would not hesitate to recommend Crisafulli to anyone else needing a pump."

Crisafulli Vertical Pumps.  These are excerpts from a report prepared in 1998 by Northwestern Power Equipment Co. Inc., PO Box 131180, 2718 Patton Road, Roseville, MN  55113; 651-628-0683, Fax: 651-628-0753.

Regarding the purchase and use by affected cities, as advised by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers of 27 Crisafulli Vertical Pumps in sizes ranging from 10" to 16" for flood control applications along the Red River Valley of the North.

Historical Background:  Lake Agassiz was formed during the last glacial period when the glaciers melted and receded to the north.  It covered thousands of square miles in northern Minnesota and North Dakota.  Much of the glacial melt water went south, scoured out the Minnesota River Valley and assisted in the formation of the upper Mississippi River.  As the glacier finally melted, the rest of the water (which had formed Lake Agassiz), drained and became the "Red River Valley of the North", which flows between Minnesota and the Dakotas, through Winnipeg and Manitoba Province, eventually into Hudson Bay, Canada.

"During the winter of 1996-1997 there were seven or eight major blizzards and heavy snowfall in this watershed area.  The Canadian portion of this watershed was still frozen when the spring thaw hit in 1997.  Most of the dikes along the Red River were not built high enough to accommodate this much water.  All of the predictions from the Corps of Engineers and expert hydrologists were below what actually occurred.  The flood waters rose to record levels and stayed for up to six weeks in some areas.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with several consulting engineering firms, has been busy in the last year designing and building higher levees and/or bypasses for some of the communities along the river.  A billion dollar ditch that bypasses Winnipeg was instrumental in saving most of this city.  However, the Corps of Engineers has determined that this type of construction is not cost-effective for many of the communities along the Red River in the USA.  Most communities, therefore, are enhancing their dike and storm water systems by installing more permanent pumping and control structures.

Most of these communities are familiar with the tractor-driven Crisafulli pumps so it was natural for the engineer on the Breckenridge (MN) project to utilize this design in a permanent installation.  He actually prepared and took two separate specifications:  one for a vertical propeller pump, and one for the Crisafulli design.  Even though the Crisafulli pump required more horsepower, it was a better application for this project because it did not require screening.

Another feature of the Crisafulli pump, as you will notice in the pictures, is its low profile.  Even with the right angle gear drive option, it was three or four feet shorter than the propeller pump with a combination right angle gear drive.  The aesthetics of the lower profile are significant when the pump is located on top of a 25 foot high dike.  It also lends itself to any future fiberglass enclosure that could be installed in the future for vandalism protection."

August 2005.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources purchased a Crisafulli 16" L-Series vertical pump, dual drive (gear and belt), and accessories, to replace a very old pump of unknown brand, and made the following comments about Crisafulli product quality and customer service: the vertical pump was good value, performed as expected and met the customer's needs; Crisafulli's authorized Factory Rep was knowledgeable about the vertical pump, provided adequate technical information, and Crisafulli's Operations & Maintenance Manuals contained adequate parts/service information. The customer would buy again from Crisafulli.

The customer said that in its buying decision these factors were important or very important: the vertical pump's performance, product features, price, overall quality of the product, Crisafulli's brand reputation, and availability of after-sale service and support, and comparisons to other brands.  The customer rated these aspects of Crisafulli's customer service as good - employee friendliness and courtesy, ease of purchasing and ordering, and ease of payment.

The customer added..."It solves our problem at a realistic price."