Vaughan Chopper Pumps Eliminate Clogging in Vegetable Processing Sumps 

 Recurring pump clogs were eliminated, maintenance was reduced, and sump reliability was restored. 

Vaughan Vertical Wet Well Chopper Pump 

The Vaughan Vertical Wet Well Chopper Pump is engineered to handle solids-laden wastewater in demanding food processing applications. Its patented chopping system reduces plastics, vegetable waste, and other debris before they can clog the pump, while the Vertical Wet Well configuration keeps the motor above the sump for easier maintenance and increased reliability. 

• Available Configurations: Flow rates from 75 to 13,000 GPM, available in Horizontal, Pedestal, Vertical, Submersible, and Self-Priming configurations.
• Patented Chopping Action: Solids enter the suction eye, where the primary chopping action takes place. Cupped and sharpened impeller blades rotate across a cutter bar to reduce plastics, vegetable waste, and other debris before they can clog the pump. An Upper Cutter behind the impeller further cuts stringy materials, reducing buildup around the mechanical seal.
• Durable, Easy-to-Maintain Design: All cutting components are hardened to 600 Brinell for exceptional wear resistance. As components wear over time, cutting clearances can be externally adjusted to restore factory tolerances, extending service life while reducing maintenance and downtime.

The Challenge

A vegetable processing plant was struggling with their main sump pumps clogging. They were regularly having to pull the pumps and remove plastics, vegetable waste and any foreign debris washed down the floor drains. This was creating significant downtime and constant fear of the sump pits overflowing. 

The Solution

After a site visit and inspection of the sump pits as well as the types of solids a Vaughan Chopper pump was selected. In consultation with the client a Vertical Wet Well design configuration was chosen. This type of pump construction puts the wet end with the chopping components in the sump for most effective chopping but keeps the motor high and dry out of the sump. In this case we are able to use a standard off the shelf motor reducing maintenance costs and downtime as well as provide best chopping ability. 

The Results

• Due to the chopping action all pump clogs were completely eliminated
• Eliminated the need to pull and inspect on a regular basis
• Gave confidence to the plant operators that the sumps would not overflow