DIMMINUTOR® Saves Monterey County Time, Money, and Manpower

The pump stations at Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) were having a problem with their channel grinders. The twin-shaft, drum-style channel grinders were used in the ten pump stations in the region that feed into the main Monterey Regional plant.

The plant is located in northern Monterey County, California, on 100 acres, and has a capacity to treat 29.6 million gallons per day. It receives 18.5 million gallons of water each day from the 250,000 people it serves, and uses a primary treatment processes of physical separation using a bar screen and settling tanks, and a secondary treatment of using microscopic organisms found naturally in the environment.

The pump stations were having major trouble with the channel grinders. They were constantly breaking down and needing to be rebuilt. It was causing a lot of downtime, extra manpower, putting a strain on their maintenance budget, and interrupting their treatment process. They knew they had to replace the machines with something better. That’s when they turned to Franklin Miller, to learn more about the DIMMINUTOR®.

“When we heard about the stack cutter assembly in Franklin Miller’s DIMMINUTOR, we wanted to learn more,” Bret Boatman, Maintenance Supervisor, said. “The fact that the DIMMINUTOR has no bottom bearings was very attractive, as the bottom bearings on the other company’s units kept giving out.”

Once they installed the DIMMINUTOR, the effect was immediate and dramatic.   “We have so much less downtime and maintenance costs on the new machines. Ordering, installing and using the DIMMINUTOR has been very straightforward.”  Over the past seven years, the plant has switched out eight of their old twin-shaft units to the Franklin Miller DIMMINUTOR.

The DIMMINUTOR provides automatic screening and grinding of liquid-borne solids with a straight through open channel design. This unit reduces plastics, wood, vegetable matter, disposables, and other oversized items to a fine particulate. The DIMMINUTOR’S unique design, heavy precision construction, dependable operation and simplified maintenance have earned it a solid reputation amongst operators and specifying engineers worldwide.

The unit has been specifically designed to handle tough wipes which have been a significant issue for plants nationwide.

The DIMMINUTOR is designed for reliable operation and easy maintenance. For example, with its cantilevered design, the DIMMINUTOR needs no seals or bearings near the gritty channel floor. The unit’s screen is stationary so it never wears against bottom grit. Each cutter is interchangeable and cutters can be removed or adjusted independently. The unit’s seals and bearings are immersed in an oil bath for long life and low maintenance.

“The experience with Franklin Miller has been great, from the machines, of course, down to ordering parts and the exceptional customer service.”