Crane's Fluid Connection Blog | Fluid Handling Tips

How to Prevent Flushable Wipe Issues in Wastewater Treatment

Written by Emily Togstad | June 30, 2024

Municipal wastewater treatment plants are vital in protecting public health and the environment. Crane Engineering helps optimize wastewater treatment operations across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Upper Michigan, ensuring effective treatment and responsible use of resources. Learn how our wastewater treatment equipment can reduce costs for your water facility.

Challenges in Wastewater Treatment: Addressing Flushable Wipes and Debris

Wastewater treatment facilities face many challenges including the difficulty when flushable wipes and other debris clog the wastewater pumps, pipes, and other equipment. Flushable wipes are not biodegradable and can lead to sewage blockages, backups, overflows, and wastewater equipment damage. This results in cities having to manually remove flushable wipes from the equipment daily or weekly, causing significant expenses of time, resources, and money.

Innovative Solution: Val-Matic Swing-Flex Check Valve for Wastewater Treatment

Crane Engineering has a solution to eliminate the clogging of pipes due to flushable wipes. Our Val-Matic Swing-Flex Check Valve provides efficient operation for wastewater treatment facilities as it prevents clogging and allows full flow. Crane Engineering can retrofit your current system and modify the piping to eliminate clogs thus reducing the time and cost required to manually take apart a system and remove debris. The Swing-Flex Check Valve has a unique design that is more resistant to clogging from debris compared to standard check valves.

Optimizing Wastewater Treatment for Cost Reduction

It can require 72 to 144 hours or more annually for municipal wastewater treatment facilities to manually unclog equipment in a single location due to flushable wipes and other debris. Many facilities are manually unclogging equipment on a daily or weekly basis. By installing the Val-Matic Swing-Flex Check Valve, cities can save tens of thousands of dollars per year by checking manually just once per year, showing a return on investment in just a matter of months. Crane Engineering also guarantees our valves for 20 years, ensuring your investment is built to last.

If your municipal wastewater treatment facility in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Upper Michigan is struggling with the manual removal of flushable wipes and other debris, contact Crane Engineering today to discuss solutions for your application.