July 2016
General contractor, Glenn Johnston, Inc. developed a very unique and innovative solution to installing over 200 grinder stations at this Private lake community.
Lake Stonycreek is a hidden paradise nestled in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania’s Somerset County. The Lake spans 166 acres of clean, healthy waters providing unlimited recreational activities for residents of this private lake community. https://www.lakestonycreek.com/about
In 2016 Trombold Equipment Company (TEPCO) reached out to us for this challenging project. The Lake Community developed a plan of pressure sewers to protect this pristine location. The Lake is the center of this community and boasts of all manner of water activities. Pressure sewers made perfect sense due to the soft footprint on the land and ability to traverse all types of terrains. Thus the designation of All Terrain Sewers.
Installation of the grinder pumps required a soft touch to the land as well. This is where Ernie Guffey and his crew from Glenn Johnston, Inc. rose to the occasion. Using a modified hydraulic driven auger system, they were able to bore precise holes to place the pump and Bal-Last ring.
Ernie and his mechanic modified the auger to allow for the added outside diameter of the E/One grinder pump with Bal-Last ring installed. The hole auger allowed enough room to then sprinkle in stone backfill around the pump chamber. The images below show the steps of this process.
With the hole prepared the crew installed the Bal-Last blocks and moved the pump chamber into position.
Backfilling with much less stone to the pipe inlet and discharge elevations. This reduced the amount of disturbed soil and made for a safer work area to make final connections.
Ernie and his crew were installing 8 stations a day with greatly reduced disruption of the yards and easier cleanup. Benefits of this method was a greatly reduced imported stone bedding material. Ernie made the comment that if he had a dollar for every bag of concrete he has mixed in his life, he could have retired. and after working with Bal-Last he is glad he never has to mix another bag.