Mitchell, Lewis & Staver - Since 1882

Join the Goulds Team for this fun Customer Appreciation Event at Gilley's

after the show on Wednesday!

Great food, drink and FUN! And, Goulds thanks you for your business.

Have a great show!

This custom mixing station that MLS Packaged Systems engineers designed and built for WaterTec, is a highly-efficient, VFD-controlled component, integral to irrigating greenhouse crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and more. The station blends recycled, excess water, which was not absorbed by the plants with treated fresh water for use in the next irrigation cycle. In the mixing tank, fertilizers are added as a balancing acid to regulate the PH of the water to optimum levels. The water is then pumped from the tank, passing through a series of media filters, and out to the greenhouse.

The frequency of station operation is determined by a Growth Management System that constantly monitors the amount of sunlight, greenhouse temperature and humidity, while measuring the amount of water and fertilizer returning from the plants.

The amount of fertilizer in the outgoing water cycle is regulated using electrical conductivity (EC) sensors located downstream of the mixing tank. The treated water will have a consistent low level of conductivity due to the lack of impurities in the water. Adding fertilizers to the water raises the EC. The grower determines the optimum EC level when selecting the fertilizer mix.

Three to seven fertilizer injector pumps cycle on and off to maintain the fertilizer levels at the correct proportions, all this controlled by the Growth Management System. The outgoing PH is monitored by sensors installed downstream of the mixing tank, and activate the acid pump as needed to maintain the selected set-point. A target PH for tomatoes as an example is around 5.

MLS Packaged Systems advance the growing process enabling a continuous, robust crop cycle, whatever the crop. Operational accessibility and flexibility is a key attribute of MLS custom packaged systems.

–Michael Watterson

MLS Product Manager, Packaged Systems

Mitchell Lewis & Staver, Co. has expanded its footprint into Santa Maria, California. The Santa Maria office is the seventh location in California, located at 3070 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93455, our 16^th overall branch.

This new warehouse will provide customers with immediate access to inventory, local service and deliveries, and even more options for specialized technical support for turbines, controls, packaged systems and industrial applications.

“Our new location – the second on the Central Coast of California – will better position Mitchell’s to provide pumping solutions to the vibrant agricultural and industrial markets in and around Santa Barbara County,” said Matt Johnson, VP of Business Development.“We’re excited to improve product availability and provide technical support for the area’s pumping needs.”

The Santa Maria location will feature a full suite of products from Goulds, Berkeley, Fairbanks, Sta-Rite, Myers, Danfoss and more.

M-F 8am to 5pm

The ENTIRE month of October includes TRIPLE point opportunities! That’s 6X MORE

points for Stainless Dealers! There’s no better time than now to stock up on the Goulds

Water Technology & CentriPro products the industry depends on.

Discover the NEW GFK & GFV series submersible sewage pumps with 3X the normal point value!

Contact your MLS Rep today for more information on products from the industry leader: Goulds

A frighteningly good deal it is!

Get DOUBLE the MLS REWARDS points the entire month of October!

If you are not currently a MLS REWARDS member, contact your MLS Rep today and sign up.

866-748-8077

This large, powerful mixing packaged system was designed and manufactured entirely at Mitchell's Wilsonville facility for our client: WaterTec. Ultimately, the finished, component, four pad system will be used in blending and dispersing combinations of water, fertilizers and other liquids in achieving and sustaining the ideal mixes to support commercial vegetation farming. This style system is not only for tomatoes, but is also used for large scale growing of cut flowers, specialty cucumbers, red/orange/yellow sweet peppers, annual bedding plants, poinsettias and herbs. 

This unit will serve to mix fertilizers into and lower the PH of water that is on its way to the plants. When the irrigation water comes from the well, it is treated and filtered to remove all particulates and organic materials that could affect the plants. Depending on the water quality, there may be no treatment beyond microfiltration, but typically treatment would include RO, ozone gas, pasteurization, or chlorine gas. This water is typically blended with left over water from previous watering cycles that has not been taken up by the plants. That water is filtered and sometimes treated before being blended back with the treated water. This return water is reused as much as is practical to reduce the energy cost of water treatment, to utilize trace fertilizers entrained in the water, and to mitigate high nitrate waste water discharge.

One pump on this skid is called the fill pump. When an irrigation cycle is initiated, water is pulled into this pump through two pipes, one being the return water and the other the treated water. The water is blended by using a modulating valve system to accurately maintain their correct proportion. The fill pump pushes this water into a mixing tank where up to 5 different fertilizers and acid is introduced in direct proportion to the volume of water being pumped to the plants, as measured by a flow meter downstream of a second pump, called the booster pump. This pump moves all the blended and fertilized water from the mixing tank through additional media filters and on to the plants, as well as drive water through EC and PH sensors to confirm correct adherence to the growers fertilizer and PH requirements.

It used to be that growers grew their plants in small isolated blocks within the greenhouse, so that they were assured of a constant, rotating crop in production. Now the common method is to plant a block to 50% capacity and when that crop is at 50% maturity, plant new plants between the existing ones to maintain a continuous crop. This requires two independent parallel irrigation systems as the growing and maturing plants have different irrigation and fertilizer requirements.

Michael Watterson          

Packaged System Product Manager, MLS

Meet Curt James, our detail-obsessed turbine expert... singer of western song and cowboy poet!

He's constantly in tune to his customers' needs, applying his extensive experience in designing turbine-based irrigation systems best-suited to the application.

Curt's one of our many key assets at Mitchell. Experience and a continuing appetite for technical knowledge make Curt indispensable in bringing what is best to our customers.

Precision engineered and manufactured Alfa Laval pump products partner with MLS in broadening their distribution.

We are pleased to announce our new partnership with Alfa Laval who are recognized as one of the world leaders in the areas of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling for high purity and sanitary applications. Their products include, but are not limited to: 

• Food grade centrifugal, piston and lobe pumps 

• Mixers and agitators 

• Fittings and valves 

• Complete CIP stations 

• Heat Exchanger 

• Tank cleaning equipment and accessories 

• And much more

What does this mean for you? Combine a distributor with 100+ years of pump experience and a manufacturer with 2500 patents and hundreds of thousands of installations, you get the highest quality equipment, engineered for your application, with an entire team of pump professionals at your service.

Ty Collins

Industrial Market Manager

A day in the life here at Mitchell Lewis.

One of Mitchell Lewis’ long standing relationships is with the Department of Fish & Wildlife. We are proud to support an organization that does so much for present and future generations providing opportunities to hunt, fish and explore the outdoors. As many of our employees and customers are avid outdoorsmen; we wanted to share one of the recent projects we did for the Department of Fish & Wildlife.

This project was acquired by Industrial Controls Product Manager Darin Malcolm. Darin visited with the Department of Fish & Wildlife to better understand their needs for supplying and maintaining water levels for their fish hatcheries. This specific panel was designed for the Rock Creek Fish Hatchery in southern Oregon. This fish hatchery produces Chinook, coho, steelhead salmon and two stocks of rainbow trout.

The water source for the hatchery are the Rock Creek and North Umpqua rivers. There are five short set turbines that pump out water from these two rivers into the hatchery.

After consulting with our electrical engineering team, Mitchell Lewis & Staver provided a comprehensive solution that will monitor and maintain water levels for both their fish pond and fish trays.

This panel is equipped with 5 – 75HP Danfoss VFD’s that are utilizing a cascade control card which controls a five pump system alternating on a lead lag system.

This is just another example displaying the wide range of expertise and solutions we provide on a daily basis.

We are very proud of the MLS Controls Team and the solutions we provide of customers!

Matt Johnson, VP of Business Development, MLS

MLS SUMMERTIME SCRATCHERS STARTS 6/1! OVER $50,000.00 IN PRIZES!

Mitchell's is giving you unlimited chances to win prizes this June and July just for being a customer! Purchase any pump, motor and control unit together on the same sales order and receive one (1) Summertime Scratcher. There is no limit to how many Scratchers you can earn and prizes you can win. Ask how to receive a Summertime Scratcher on your next order. BIg Prizes, Big Fun!

• All-inclusive Alaska Fishing Trip
• Traeger Grills
• YETI Coolers
  
• Little Giant 17' Ladders
  
• Gerber Multi-tools
• Amazon Echo Dots
  
• Ridgid Wet/Dry Shop Vacs
  
• Porter Cable Drill Sets
  
• SodaStream Machines
• and more!
  

The Summertime Scratcher sweepstakes runs from June 1st - July 31st 2018, and is open to all Mitchell Lewis & Staver customers.

For full list of prizes and contest rules, please visit any Mitchell's location.

Typically, water storage tanks are positioned at an elevation above the community, letting the pressure, naturally generated through gravity, pressurize a community’s water system. This MLS Pressure Booster System however, enabled the flow of fresh water to residences positioned at an elevation above water storage tanks.

MLS Packaged Systems are the choice of project engineers throughout the Water Systems, Agricultural, Industrial and Commercial markets. Our Consult, Engineer and Build, three-phase strategy, produces the most-efficient, robust system for your specific application.

Project Specs:

Design Point: 50 GPM at 250’ TDH (108 PSI)

Components: 7.5HP Goulds 10SV6 Vertical Multistage Pump, 7.5HP Danfoss FC202 Variable Frequency Drive – NEMA12 Out-of-Box Design, 0-150 PSI Discharge Pressure Transducer for control, 316SS Sch40 Piping, Safe-T-Cover insulated, marine grade, aluminum enclosure with louvers, 1000W King utility heater, Flomatic butterfly and check valves, Amtrol 44 gallon Well-X-Trol hydropneumatic pressure tank, fabricated and powder-coated steel base with forklift pockets, lifting eyes, and bolt-down provisions.

Spend $25,000 in new orders placed during the month of May and receive a custom Goulds YETI Tundra 35 Cooler!*

Spend $50,000 in new orders placed during the month of May and receive a TRAEGER Tailgater Pellet Grill!*

Text GOULDS to 555888 for official rules and to be entered to win a special, custom Goulds Traeger Pro 22 Grill with YOUR LOGO!

No purchase necessary to enter.

*One promotional gift per account (Yeti Cooler for orders totaling $25k-$49,999, Traeger Grill for orders totaling $50k and above).

Contact your local MLS representative today for additional details and full contest rules: 866-748-8077

Protect the lifespan while maximizing the performance of your
motor and pump with a great, value-priced Soft Start from MLS.
75hp to 300hp in stock, up to 600hp available, 230V to 480V.

These Nema 4 and Nema 12 Soft Start panels are easily
configured to meet the requirements of a variety of
demanding applications from agricultural and municipal
pumps to manufacturing conveyors and mixers,
and many more.

The easy to read, four line, plain English graphical display
and three menu (Quick, Application Setup, and Main) format
inside provides configuration and programming ease and
effective systems feedback.

Contact your local MLS sales rep today for details: 866-748-8077

On the road to achieving its goal of becoming a Zero Waste Nation, the island nation of Singapore is committed to promoting sustainable practices within its industrial sector.

West Salem Machinery (WSM), with over 67 years of experience across multiple industries, shredding, grinding, milling, and the mass volume screening of materials, was selected in 2017 to supply the urban waste reduction equipment for the 800 Super recycling company of Singapore. The WSM system grinds urban wood waste, reducing its particulate size to less than 75mm creating fuel for the system. Wood waste which would have typically been shipped off the island, becomes fuel for a boiler and produces energy, which in turn, is used by 800 Super to reduce operations costs. The WSM system consists of a Metso 1000 pre-shredder, a WSM Grinder, a Steinart metal separator, and auxiliary conveyors. Clean wood waste is produced, with consistent sizing, enhancing the performance of a power-generating, steam-driven turbine.

As an acknowledged industry leader in custom engineered electrical switchgear and automation controls for OEM in the “Bio Prep” field, MLS was once again chosen by WSM to develop system controls for 800 Super, Singapore. MLS provided the electrical switchgear for the entire system including a Danfoss MCD500 Reduced Voltage Soft Start for the grinder, and multiple Danfoss FC51 Variable Frequency Drives for proportional control of the conveyors feeding the boiler.

MLS also provided the automation equipment, including a Siemens programmable logic controller to monitor and control the Metso, West Salem Machinery, Steinart, and auxiliary conveyor systems, enabling a maximum production of 50 metric tons of fuel per hour.

As a trusted partner of WSM, MLS provided the engineering, manufacturing, programming, and startup support for the 800 Super “Bio Prep” system.

Mitchell Lewis Controls – engineered, efficient solutions for specific industrial applications. Contact one of our application engineers today at controls@mitchellewis.com.

Darin Malcolm

Industrial Controls Product Manager

Mitchell Lewis & Staver Co.

27120 SW 95th Avenue

Suite 3230

Wilsonville, OR 97070

503-570-1234 Office

503-704-5075 Cell

OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR ON THE TOP BRANDS!

See details on the flier from your MLS Rep: 866-748-8077

OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR ON THE TOP BRANDS!

See details on the flier from your MLS Rep: 866-748-8077

Peter M Albanese

Vertical Turbine Product Manager

Mitchell, Lewis & Staver Company

Determining overall plant efficiency (OPE) in deep well vertical turbine pumps (VTP’S) (often referred to as “wire to water” efficiency) is essential in our design process for VTP’s at MLS. The OPE determines what the end user will pay in dollars to run his pump. The higher this number is in efficiency percentage, the lower those payments will be.

Pumping plant field efficiency tests are conducted to determine the OPE of a system. This number will help an end user decide whether or not to repair or replace his current system. The power savings often enough will pay for a new system within a few years.

Let’s look at some basic terms we use:

Power can be measured both mechanically and electrically.

Mechanically, power is typically expressed as horsepower (HP). One HP is the power required to lift 33,000 lbs one foot in one minute or 550 lbs one foot in one second.

Electrical power is measured in watts

1000 watts = 1 kilowatt

1 kilowatt = 1.34 HP

1 HP = .746 Kilowatts

Pump HP = GPM x Total head (in feet) / 3960 x hydraulic eff

Pumps and motors, like all machines, cannot convert all of the power supplied to them as useful work.Losses occur from slippage, hydraulic and mechanical friction. These losses can be set to a minimum with proper design.

Efficiency = Power output / power input

Let’s simplify this –

Power is billed to the customer in kilowatt hours (KWH). KWH used is determined by the input HP to the system and read at the electrical meter. The more we can reduce the KWH required, the more efficient the system, ultimately reducing the operating cost to the end user.

OPE is determined by taking the hydraulic efficiency of the pump at its operating point X the electrical efficiency of the motor, minus the losses in the system.

Let’s look at an example –

If a pump is operating at 86% hydraulic efficiency and the motor is operating at 95% efficiency, the OPE will be .86 x .95 or .81% before we add in our losses. Losses typically will be 5-6 % in a properly designed system and even more in a poorly designed system.

A OPE is 75% is considered to be high.

If we picked a pump that was 80% efficient at our design point and used the same motor, our OPE would drop to 71% (still considered good) using the same criteria a above.

Let’s look at some numbers. A system that requires 2000 GPM @ 400 feet of head with 86% bowl efficiency will use 235 bowl HP. The same conditions with 80% hydraulic eff would require bowl 253 bowl HP. That’s 18 more HP to do the same job. 18 HP / .95% (motor eff) = 14.00 KW. At .14 cents a KWH, that’s $1.96 more per hour.If we run our pump 2100 hours per year, that’s over $4000.00 per year in additional operating costs. Over 10 years that’s 40Kplus in savings for a 6% increase in hydraulic efficiency!

Efficiency pays rewards.

Electric motor efficiencies have been set by the Department of Energy (DOE), but pump efficiencies have yet to be set. Our best way to improve OPE is by picking the highest efficiency pump we can, while still meeting our design criteria. Losses in turbine pumps consist of column friction losses and shaft and thrust bearing losses. Column friction losses increase the total head required. Thrust bearing and shaft HP losses increase the load to the motor.

While in the design process for a deep well pump, we look for several factors on the pump performance curve. Obviously, we want the highest efficiency at our operating point. We also want to pick a curve that puts our operating point 1-2 % to the right of the BEP (best efficiency point on the curve).We do this for two main reasons, as the water table declines and as the pump wears, the operating point moves to the left on the curve (towards shutoff).As this happens the pump efficiency actually increases and stays efficient longer as it moves toward BEP and beyond. In deep well pumps, we also look for the steepest curve that meets our other requirements (the highest shutoff head). By selecting the steepest curves, the capacity drops off slower as the pump wears and the water table drops.

We also need to insure our column size is correct and adequate for capacity and velocity while incurring the least amount of friction losses. The same with our line shaft, it must be able to handle the HP required and be suitable for our elongation requirements while keeping our additional shaft HP to a minimum.

As I stated, motor efficiencies have been regulated by the DOE (Dept of Energy), and now must meet the premium efficiency standards set. The DOE is also setting efficiency standards for pumps which will begin to take effect in 2020. The DOE is well aware that the higher the OPE’s we have, the less energy will be consumed and need to be produced. As responsible suppliers and designers, we need to make the best selections for our customers in regards to quality and overall plant efficiencies.A well designed pump system with the highest OPE is in the best interest of all and begins to pay dividends immediately.

I will be glad to answer any questions you may have. I encourage you to contact me.

palbanese@mitchellewis.com

About 100 miles north of Montana, in the town of Medicine Hat, you’ll find Big Marble Farms, home of a 1.5 million square foot greenhouse, yes, 1.5 million. Even though Medicine Hat is in the heart of the Canadian Sunbelt, with 2000 hours of sun a year, it isn’t quite enough to hold off the Alberta Winter, so Big Marble took their operation indoors.

A green house that has 300,000 cucumber plants, along with 60,000 tomato vines needs quite a bit of high tech equipment to keep their crops happy and healthy. Cucumbers in particular like a very humid environment to flourish. Mitchell Lewis was contacted by one of our valued partners Watertec, out of British Columbia, to help design a system to meet the customer’s needs. Key parameters included system foot print, required water flow and pressure, initial cost, and energy efficiency. To create and maintain the essential level of humidity, the system would use fog nozzles to create a fine mist spray to fill the growing area. The customer’s previous system was falling apart, quite noisy and inefficient.

The packaged pump system from Mitchell Lewis was designed to be a “plug and play” skid that contained the maximum amount of equipment on one single base that only needed to be mounted, wired and plumbed to be operational. The packaged system contained a water storage tank, filtration down to 1 micron, fabricated SS headers, custom UL controls and of course pumps to supply the 50gpm @ 1000psi required. The custom header also included 5 actuated ball valves to open and close depending on which zone of the greenhouse needed misting. Powerful, highly-efficient pumps enable the system to support all 5 zones simultaneously using a single pump at reduced speed. The system provides built-in redundancy and increases energy cost savings.

With the ever-increasing demand for energy and water efficiencies, Mitchell Lewis & Staver and its network of valued partners stands ready to meet these challenges with the latest in technology, engineering expertise and good old fashion experience.

OUR ORANGE COUNTY, CA BRANCH IS NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

We're located close to Angel's Stadium, just off the I-57 at the Orangewood Exit. Swing by and check out our new facility and meet the MLS Pro staff. We're open M-F, 8am to 5pm. Quick, efficient Will Calls and deliveries available.

MLS is a distributor for the brands you know and trust, including Goulds and Pentair products, plus many more. Mitchell Lewis & Staver has been serving the irrigation community since 1882. 

Mitchell Lewis & Staver
634 N Eckhoff St
Orange, CA 92868

 888-329-7862 Toll Free
714-941-2274 Main
714-941-2275 Fax

Michelle McDonnell, Branch Manager
714-864-1787
mmcdonnell@mitchellewis.com

OUR DENVER BRANCH IS NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

Swing by and check out our new facility and meet the MLS Pro staff. We're open M-F, 8am to 5pm. Quick, efficient Will Calls and deliveries available.

MLS is a distributor for the brands you know and trust, including Goulds and Pentair products, plus many more. Mitchell Lewis & Staver has been serving the irrigation community since 1882.

Mitchell Lewis & Staver
4900 Osage Street, #700
Denver, CO 80221

888-232-2211 Toll Free
303-217-8722 Main
303-217-8723 Fax

Mike Pacheco, Branch Manager
303-563-9506
mpacheco@mitchellewis.com

Danny Powell, Territory Sales Manager
303-563-9324
dpowell@mitchellewis.com

Jim Adams, Territory Sales Manager
720-576-8973
j.adams@mitchellewis.com

This summer, MLS features a range of controls as qualifying product that will get you Scratchers!

Goulds and Pentair bring reliability and value to basic water system controls. Tried-and-true engineering and quality manufacturing assure years of service from these rugged, efficient, simple, Start/Stop controllers. Your knowledgeable MLS rep can match the right controller to your specific application, contact your salesperson for a complete run-down on these great products.

Don't miss the fun this summer playing MLS Summertime Scratchers!

MLS 2017 SUMMERTIME SCRATCHERS STARTS TODAY 6/1!

(YOUR PRIZE IS WAITING)

Mitchell's is giving you unlimited chances to win prizes this June and July just for being a customer! Purchase any Goulds or Pentair brand pump, motor and control unit together on the same sales order and receive one (1) Summertime Scratcher. There is no limit to how many Scratchers you can earn and prizes you can win. Best part? Every card is a winner! Ask how to receive a Summertime Scratcher on your next order

Prizes include:

• All-inclusive Alaska Fishing Trips
• Traeger Grills
• Yuneec Drones
• Equinox Kayaks
• Gerber Multi-tools
• GoPro Hero Cams
• Yeti Coolers
• Fandango Movie Cards
• Cabela's Gift Cards
• Gas Gift Cards
• Starbucks Gift Cards

The Summertime Scratcher sweepstakes runs from June 1st - July 31st 2017 and is open to all Mitchell Lewis & Staver customers within the United States.

For full list of prizes and contest rules, please visit any Mitchell's location.

The Portland location of a national motel chain was having severe sewage issues. The equipment in their wet well was old, failing regularly, and causing the site manager a ton of problems. Additionally, the ever-changing waste stream was plugging the pumps, which in turn caused overflow conditions and on several occasions the need for a vac truck.

One of Mitchell Lewis & Staver’s longtime partners, Hillsboro Pump Service was contacted by the motel manager for much-needed help. Mitchell Lewis met with HPS for an on-site review. It was determined that the existing pumps were still a good choice for the required flow/head, but the liquid now contained many “non-pumpable” solids that needed to be addressed. To handle this, the team decided on the tried and true solids destroyer, the Landia Eradigator, a submersible chopper pump, that would also mix the wet well contents with its angled discharge nozzle.

The complete solution is put into action when the pump on float activates. The Eradigator runs for 1 min to chop and mix all wet well contents, it then shuts off, and the on-call, self-priming pump removes the liquid until the stop float is reached. MLS provided the UL control panel as well which required the use of a Danfoss VFD to convert the sites 1/230v power to 2/230v power to run the Eradigator. The MLS Control Panel provided some dry contacts, so the manager could have remote indication of any problems. While only in service for a short time at this point, the station has been trouble-free and the site manager is very appreciative of everyone’s efforts.

STOCK UP SPECIAL!

NOW through the end of 2016,

2X & 3X Your REWARDS Points!

ANY PURCHASE, ANY BRAND, ALL BRANCHES!

Purchase $10,000.+

Get DOUBLE the REWARDS points!

Purchase $25,000.+

Get TRIPLE the REWARDS points!

Valid on a single order placed between December 1-31, 2016. Bonus points will be awarded on paid invoices for accounts in good standing.

Must have a valid Mitchell’s Rewards account at time of order. Invoices may not be combined for the purposes of this promotion.

Limit one bonus point award per account.

Must ask for the “Stock Up Special” when placing your order over $10k for bonus points to be awarded.

A tour of a Mitchell Lewis & Staver electrical controls manufacturing facility. We discuss our capabilities in building custom panels with variable frequency drives (VFD), SCADA systems and packaged systems for a variety of applications.

MLS Midvale is now serving Utah with Goulds pumps and accessories!

A premiere, time-tested brand, Goulds is now available from MLS in Utah! MLS features a full suite of Goulds products, including water systems, irrigation, sump, sewage &effluent. Whatever your application, MLS & Goulds delivers.

Contact the MLS Midvale office at 800-733-6065 to get started purchasing Goulds products today!

The uninterrupted flow of water for irrigation is a paramount concern for any farming operation. The vast and diverse Stahl Farms in Irrigon, Oregon relies on its custom-designed pump system to faithfully deliver Columbia River water to expansive fields, miles away. Unwelcome noises from two of the pumps had Herb Stahl reaching out to his irrigation specialist, Valmont NW., who in turn, contacted the irrigation system experts at Mitchell Lewis & Staver. Upon inspection, it was determined by MLS engineers, that the foreign noises were attributable to the pumps operating at too low of pressure, causing the pumps to operate off the end of their performance curves – resulting in unsettling noises. The trusted engineering experts at MLS bring decades of experience to their work – from custom irrigation system design to remote "house calls", MLS keeps it flowing!

MLS and Polaris deploy jet ring power to save customer and competitor from costly downtime.

Moses Lake WA - Basic American Foods, a major processor of potatoes, was experiencing routine clogging, and inability to self-prime with their existing chopper pumps in their waste pit. The waste stream fluctuates between water with just a few skins and pieces, to large slugs of potato chunks, sticks and dirt. During these large influxes of solids the existing chopper pumps were unable to pull a suction lift, or chop such a high solids concentration at once. A solution was needed that could not only handle these solids, but also “stir the soup” to keep a uniform solids concentration, and stand up to the abrasive sand present in the waste stream.

Mitchell Lewis selected a 15hp, hard iron slurry pump from Polaris to do the job. This pump can handle solids concentrations up to 60%, is made of a high chrome metal for abrasion resistance and came equipped with an externally mounted jet ring to continuously mix the sump and keep the solids even dispersed throughout the water. The jet ring is fed from a separate water source and shoots high pressure water jets to break up large masses of solids.

We are pleased to note, that after two months after installation, the Polaris has been able to keep the self-priming pumps clog free and the system running 24/7.

With increasing demand for a reliable source of potable water, the government of Cameroon in 2015 embarked on an ambitious project to rebuild and replace their insufficient, aging colonial French water infrastructure. The robust, new system will deliver much-needed water to the capitol, Yaounde. Engineers at MLS have designed a powerful, scalable new system, which utilizes some of the existing built-ins, while delivering substantially more water volume to the central civic reservoir. Once completed, the new water system will feature a series of five Goulds vertical turbine pumps powered by US Motors, rated at 1250HP, delivering 6600 GPM @ 581 ft. This project will be completed later in 2016.

Several months back, Mitchell Lewis & Staver provided the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport Oregon, several sump pumps and variable frequency drives (VFDs). The VFDs allow the pumps to run at reduced speeds when demand is low, saving energy and money. Working in conjunction with level sensors, the VFDs help the pumps maintain a certain sump level at all times by running the pump at a proper pace and not having them start and stop all of the time. Running pumps at reduced speeds also helps increase the overall lifetime of the pump. Gary Smith, Head of Maintenance for the aquarium, states “We are saving on average $60-70 dollar per month, per pump by using VFD’s, and with the level maintenance process, we never run the pumps dry.” Gary has since added 2 more VFDs to other existing pump controls. Danfoss VFDs are an integral part of powerful and efficient MLS Controls. 

Call your MLS Rep or your local MLS branch for additional details.

We are honored to receive the 2015 Sales Excellence Award from Pioneer Pump. Known for their hardworking, reliable and innovative products, Pioneer Pump products lead the industry, and are in constant demand. Pioneer Pump will continue to be an important, crucial part of business at Mitchell, Lewis & Staver.

In order to meet expanding current and future demand for their popular products, a major dairy in Boardman, Oregon, recently acquired an additional 7,000+ acres of land for dairy cow feed, livestock grazing and potato cultivation. Upgrading their irrigation capabilities is a priority and includes a complete rebuilding of their 18 pump system. Time is of the essence, as these crucial irrigation pumps are offline during the rebuild period. Under this tight deadline, MLS is moving quickly to rebuild the 18, 4 to 5 stage vertical turbines, which operate at between 200 and 500 hp, delivering up to a maximum of 5,600 gallons of water per minute. An engineering challenge, as each rebuilt pump must match the existing discharge head and column. Valmont Industries selected MLS as the best source for the scale and schedule driving this project.

The ability to immediately suppress any dockside shipboard fire is a perennial safety concern for the U.S. Navy. Historically, securing a ready-source of high-pressure water in the event of fire, particularly in foreign ports, has posed significant challenges, sometimes with tragic consequences.

Following exacting USN specs, Mitchell Lewis & Staver created a highly efficient, powerful solution. This month the U.S. Navy will receive the final shipment – 54 vertical, multi-stage pumps in all, from MLS. Each pump incorporates non-corroding, stainless steel or bronze components throughout, and is framed in a custom-designed, galvanized (marine air resistant) frame allowing the pump to be rapidly deployed from either dockside surface or sub-surface vessel. Vessels will carry a pump fore and aft. Each pump runs at 226gpm at 174 tdh, powered by a Goulds Water Technology 46SV 20 hp pump with a Leeson VFD.

MLS worked closely with our business partner Balco to secure this opportunity to proudly serve.

When New Earth of San Antonio, Texas went looking for a heavy-duty, aggressive grinding machine to annually convert 350,000 tons of highly-variable organic waste into high-grade garden products, they turned to West Salem Machine (WSM). Typically, this type of diverse, organically-rich waste including food waste, grass clippings, leaves, livestock manures and tree trimmings ends up buried in conventional landfills – going to waste. New Earth gives it a second, vital purpose.

Lorentz Solar is supplying powerful, "off-the-grid" solutions to remote Ag customers.

Farmers in Turkey faced problems with unreliable grid electricity which resulted in the loss of crops. The solution was the installation of a grid-independent PS40k2 solar pump system. This system provides 1200 tons of water per day from 80 meters below ground level. Being independent from the grid and receiving water reliably with solar energy is a great relief for the farmers.

The REAQUA video shows how in an area with a dry, sandy and hot climate, 5000 head of cattle on an isolated Australian farm are fed. REAQUA installed two LORENTZ submersible pumps which provide year round water to center pivot systems each covering an area of over 40 hectares per pivot.

MLS partners with Lorentz in bringing our Ag customers dependable, power-generating, solar-based solutions. With over 20 years of continuous innovation, Lorentz is an Industry leader in solar-powered, water pumping technology.

See how Lorentz is bringing power (and much-needed water) to remote Ag sites worldwide.

Mitchell Lewis & Staver will be attending the National Groundwater Association Expo this year in Las Vegas, December 16-17, 2015. Come by and say hello and we'll deposit 5,000 bonus points in your Rewards account just for dropping by.

In order to qualify for 5,000 bonus points, you must stop by our booth at space #420 and register, and have an active Mitchell's Rewards account in good standing.

We'll see you at the show!

The Moscone Center in San Francisco CA is one of the largest convention centers in the state. Moscone West contains the kitchen for the entire facility as well as several bathrooms. The kitchen produces a good deal of food waste, floor debris, commercial dish washer water and occasionally, a rubber glove finds its way down the drain along with everything else. Combined with the bathroom waste, these solids often plugged the standard, non-clog pumps previously operating in the wet well. As the pumps were on rail systems and needed to be cleaned constantly, it became a maintenance headache. General contractor, Koffler Electric, turned to Mitchell Lewis for solutions to the plugging problem at Moscone. Mitchell Lewis having had several recent successes with the Landia chopper pump, was able to select a model to hit Koffler’s desired design specs: (250gpm @ 36ft TDH). The Landia pumps were installed recently and have run “clog-free” ever since.

The Landia Chopper continues to impress here on the west coast. MLS has installed several Landia pumps which continue to perform flawlessly, some for over two years, and not a one has been pulled off line, for any reason….ever.

Contact a Mitchell, Lewis & Staver Industrial Product Specialist today at 503-682-1800 to learn more about the innovative product solutions available to you.

From the desk of our President & CEO:

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RE: New Mitchell’s Controls Manufacturing Facility

To our valued customers,

Mitchell Lewis & Staver is growing! I am pleased to announce we have moved our electrical control manufacturing operations to a larger, dedicated facility. While the new building is just a hop, skip and a jump from our previous location, the technology, capabilities and additional capacity it provides are a major leap forward. 

This new controls manufacturing facility now employs even more engineering expertise and skilled staff. We’re also employing more state-of-the-art machinery than ever before, allowing us to assemble, package and make complex, precision cuts in a fraction of the time. The expanded warehouse space also allows for more stock – and greater variety – on hand at all times. This will allow us to service you more efficiently and effectively throughout the season.

Mitchell’s Controls feature premium Danfoss Variable Frequency Drives and come in a full array of configurations and horsepower ranges. For more information, contact our Engineered Solutions office at 503-682-1187, or toll free at 866-748-8077. 

David Brown

Looking for a great solids-handling option for your wastewater application? The Myers® V2 Series from Pentair is a newly innovative 2 hp submersible grinder pump designed specifically for use in today's complex wastewater environment. It features an advanced cutting technology and semi-open impeller design to effectively macerate typical domestic sewage solids into a fine slurry.

Click here for interesting review from Water & Wastes Digest. For more info, give us a call at 866-748-8077 and ask for Industrial Sales.

MLS helps solve excessive pump wear problem for local composite manufacturer.

A manufacturer of glass composite materials, located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley has a real issue with abrasive liquids. Pumping liquids containing ground glass for their process had proven to be a challenge for their existing pumps. While the previous pumps were made by a top quality manufacturer, they were not the best style for this application, nor were the pump construction materials ideal. 

Working with the plant engineer, Mitchell Lewis & Staver reviewed all of the critical application data (flow, head, solid concentration, solid type, solid size) and determined a low rpm, vortex/recessed impeller pump made the most sense. The Toyo DEH 61-50 was selected and driven by a 7.5HP motor at 1347rpm. A key feature of the DEH is its unique axial spiral casing design, allowing solids to follow the flow path directly out of the pump with only 15% of the solids coming into contact with the impeller. This major design benefit means internal recirculation -- a process which is detrimental to hydraulic efficiencies and increases pump wear -- is minimized. Sacrificial wear parts are not required with this advanced design DEH. 

End users will find that reduced life cycle costs are achieved with the benefit of lower power consumption. Additionally, the DEH is also made of 28% Hi-Chrome (HiC) material for increased resistance to wear. The initial two pumps have been installed and are working well, the facility has since ordered another set for a similar application.

Many of today’s bathroom products - baby wipes, feminine products, etc. - advertise themselves as flushable. While technically they can be flushed, these items can cause a world of trouble for the wastewater operators and the equipment that encounters them once they leave the bathroom. The majority of sewage pumps are of the 2-vane, non-clog style, again another misnomer. These pumps are more accurately “clog-resistant” and can pass most large solids and common sewage components without issue. Enter the flushable product, made of strong, synthetic, tear-resistant fiber, which can easily bind up a non-clog pump impeller. 

A major university in WA state had continuous problems with plugging of their non-clog sewage pumps. This resulted in downtime, constant maintenance and some near-miss overflows. MLS met with the campus facilities manager and reviewed the application data and changes in the waste stream. It was determined that a Landia submersible chopper pump would be the right solution to cut up the fibrous and stringy materials for pumping. The cutting mechanism in the Landia is a dual-action rotating and stationary hardened knife system. These knives chop and cut the materials prior to them entering the impeller. Many chopper pumps use the impeller itself and part of the cutting mechanism. The Landia approach allows for a more efficient impeller design, while still passing any small solids that remain.

The pump was installed in December of 2013 and has been maintenance free since. Zero maintenance.

If you are having plugging issues with your “non-clog” pump, give us a call, we excel at solving difficult pump problems.

We are pleased to announce Pentair's Bill Corey will be providing training opportunities for our customers at Mitchell Lewis & Staver locations across the west! Classes cover products in the categories of domestic water systems, agriculture and irrigation.

Bill's schedule is as follows:

Visalia, CA
Water Systems - 2/23
Ag / Irrigation - 2/24

Wilsonville, OR
Water Systems - 2/26
Ag / Irrigation - 2/27

Murrieta, CA
Water Systems - 3/9
Ag / Irrigation - 3/10

Phoenix, AZ
Water Systems - 3/12
Ag / Irrigation - 3/13

Salt Lake City, UT
Water Systems - 3/16
Ag / Irrigation - 3/17

Boise, ID
Water Systems - 3/19
Ag / Irrigation - 3/20

Topics vary by location, but these "101" level classes will cover a variety of topics, including terminology, curves, sizing, formulas, cavitation, pump software, VFDs and much more. Lunch is included, and seating is limited. Contact your local branch today for details.

The small town of Declo, Idaho, had experienced consistent plugging issues with their “non-clog” pumps. Like many other municipalities, Declo has seen a significant increase in difficult to pump items like baby wipes, duster pads and the like. These items tend to wrap around a standard non-clog impeller and bind up the pump, resulting in costly downtime and maintenance calls. One pump in the duplex system was in need of immediate replacement. Mitchell Lewis & Staver was asked to assist in the selection of a new pump and to explore alternative to help combat the plugging issue.

We determined the right solution to be a Landia dry-pit chopper pump. Its unique hardened knife blade system chops up the solids and stringy materials prior to them entering the impeller. Landia was also able to design and build a base/suction elbow to match existing suction and discharge piping height, making for a near seamless installation. After seven weeks in operation, the city reports no clogging issues or down time with the Landia. In fact, the other remaining non-clog pump is no longer used as the Landia remains trouble free. The city plans to replace the other pump with a Landia this summer.

A local plastic bottle recycler was having ongoing issues with the pumps that came as part of a larger piece of OEM equipment. The pump was used to circulate caustic wash water. The liquid itself was a challenge in that it contained pieces of shredded plastic and was 200º F with a pH over 12. To further complicate things, the OEM supplied pump was foreign made, which created issues with customer service and parts availability. The existing pump had plugging issues and leaked constantly. Mitchell Lewis & Staver was asked to visit the facility, examine the application and provide a high quality, domestically made, pump solution. MLS was able to offer several selections including a progressive cavity style pump and several end suction centrifugal models.

Design Criteria
8mm solids
3% solids concentration
14pH
200F
316SS or CD4 desired
40-50gpm @ 25ft TDH
VFD compatible motor

Although the pump does have a flooded suction, to meet the solid size handling criteria a self-priming trash pump was selected. The AMT Model 282F-98 was installed in late December and has been problem free since.

Headed to the National Groundwater Association show in Las Vegas next month? If so, be sure to drop by our booth #1111 and say hello, and while you're there we'll set you up with 5,000 bonus points in your account! Don't have an account? Not a problem, staff will be on hand to get you all set up. 

We'll also have product experts in the booth to answer your questions about our full line of pumps, parts and accessories for the domestic, ag, irrigation and industrial markets, electrical controls featuring quality Danfoss drives, and custom engineered booster systems and lift stations. See you at the 2014 NGWA show!

To help keep their exhibits happy and healthy, the aquarium uses quite a bit of fresh seawater. While they are able to recycle some of their water, they do draw some directly from the ocean, a few hundred feet away, on a daily basis. Pumping only during high tide, they use a Gorman Rupp 80 Series self-priming pump to pull from the sea and into their storage tank. 

The Gorman Rupp pump has been in service for many years and has only needed typical wear parts replaced. Even with the corrosive nature of seawater and the abrasive sand that is also drawn in by the pump, the Gorman Rupp has proven to be a dependable and durable piece of equipment for a local landmark. Mitchell Lewis & Staver is a proud service provider to our friends on the coast.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium contacted Mitchell Lewis & Staver about some issues they were having with one of their submersible sump pumps. The aquarium regularly drains several of their exhibits for cleaning and maintenance, and many of these exhibits contain solid matter like butter clams, red rock crabs shells, Dungeness crab shells and seaweed. 

The exhibits drain into a common sump which is them pumped to the treatment plant. The troublesome piece of equipment was a true submersible dewatering pump with a fine screen around the pump’s suction. Due to the solids in the liquid, the pump was susceptible to constant plugging in the intake screen, requiring constant removal and cleaning of the pump. 

Mitchell Lewis recommended a sludge pump from Grindex, allowing the passage of 2” solids along with a higher concentration of solids. The Grindex pump also came with zinc anodes to help combat the corrosive seawater environment.

Pentair today announced the availability of the new 6TMH-450 6" submersible turbine line. For more information, download the cutsheet here. Contact your local branch or sales rep for pricing and availability.

Mitchell's is happy to welcome Darryl Baker and Cliff "Scotty" Scott to our Domestic Water Systems sales team. 

Darryl has more than 25 years of experience in the pump drilling industry in the Pacific Northwest. Darryl will work from our Spokane, Washington office.

Scotty has worked in the pump industry for over a decade all across California. He will serve as sales rep for central and coastal California for both the Salinas and Visalia offices.

We're also excited to announce the addition of Alan Becker and Russ Albanese to our Ag & Irrigation team. 

Alan has worked in various pump industry roles since 2001, and been with Mitchell's in Domestic sales since 2011.

Russ has worked as an inside salesman for Mitchell's since 2007.

Both Alan and Russ will serve the California Central Valley out of the Visalia office.

Here's a great quick start installation video from Pentair Flow Technologies on the Pentek Intellidrive Variable Frequency Drive. 

Mitchell's carries off-the-shelve drive products along with custom engineered panels to fit your unique application. If you'd like more information on our full range of electrical controls and VFDs, contact your salesperson or one of our local branches.

Cornell Pump Company and Mitchell Lewis & Staver Announce Agricultural Distribution Partnership

Mitchell Lewis & Staver is excited to announce a new distribution partnership with Cornell Pumps. Through this agreement, Mitchell’s will now offer the Cornell agricultural pump lines in the states of Oregon, Washington, California, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona and Wyoming.

From Bob Jansen, Agricultural Market Manager for Cornell: “This arrangement will allow us to get product to you faster, with the additional inventory and service available from any of the Mitchell’s branch locations.”

Mitchell’s President David Brown shares what this news means for both current and new Cornell customers. “By partnering with Cornell Pumps, Mitchell’s continues to provide our clients with excellent options to meet their needs. In short, this means immediate Cornell product availability across the west, exceptional service support and custom application assistance from our staff of expert engineers.”

For more information, contact your Mitchell’s sales rep, or any one of our 12 western offices located here: www.mitchellewis.com/contact/

Please visit our Cornell Pumps page here to learn more.

One of the largest U.S. dairy farm operations in the Pacific Northwest recently contacted Mitchell Lewis & Staver to help them resolve ongoing pump maintenance problems and pump failures at their dairy’s methane digester installation. The farm’s innovative methane digester reduces greenhouse gas emissions by converting dairy waste into fuel. 

Collecting the methane gas from the manure and using the fuel at the dairy is a key goal of the farm’s sustainable farming practices. The manure collected from the dairy’s flushing systems is stored in agitated in-ground holding tanks. The original installation employed above ground, self-priming horizontal end suction process pumps that transferred the manure to the digesters. Due to the very high suction lift conditions coupled with a high temperature fluid, the transfer pumps were subject to constant cavitation and all of the associated problems such as limited parts wear life, excessive downtime, vibration and noise. The inability of the horizontal pumps to pick up the solids from the bottom of the tank also meant that the holding tanks required periodic cleaning with vacuum trucks every 30 days. 

After evaluating the available options, an 8” Series TBM 200LH-PBO submersible pump from Polaris Pumps was selected to be installed in the tank. The pump was started and gradually lowered into the slurry and accumulated solids until it came to rest at the bottom of the now cleaned out holding tank. The original horizontal pumps had an average run time of 2 weeks or less whereas the TBM 200LH submersible has now been operating continuously for the last 14 weeks of the initial 100 day trial period without any diminished performance or downtime. 

This is just one of many examples where the joint efforts between Mitchell Lewis, our manufacturers and the end user produce innovative solutions to solve pump maintenance and process problems.

Spring is in the air, and that means it's Open House time at Mitchell's locations throughout the west!

Our upcoming Open House schedule is as follows:

• Visalia, California - Friday, March 28th
• Meridian / Boise, Idaho - Friday, April 4th
• Phoenix, Arizona - Friday, April 4th
• Wilsonville, Oregon - Friday, April 18th
• Salinas, California - Friday, April 18th
• Spokane, Washington - Friday, May 9th
• Murrieta / Southern California - Friday, June 6th

Each open house will feature food, beverages, prizes, event-only discounts & terms, and vendor reps on hand to answer your questions and showcase new product. Attendance is open to all dealers. 

For more information or to find the nearest Mitchell's office, click here to visit our locations page.

Join Mitchell's for an amazing opportunity to relax and experience an EPIC Alaskan fishing trip. Enjoy rustic accommodations. Relax in pristine comfort. View stunning scenery. All while being pampered in warm Alaskan hospitality. MLS and the Clover Pass Resort—an unforgettable Alaskan adventure! Ask your sales professional for information on how you can participate in this exclusive 4-day, 3-night trip!