Buildup in sewer force mains can cause problems for wastewater treatment and collection system personnel. These issues encountered daily in our industry have been present for decades.
What’s Causing the Blockage? The buildup can be anything from grease to bacterial slime growth and can cause major problems for not only the wastewater system, but the surrounding community as well in regard to odor complaints.
Air release valves clogging and pressure build up will result in a decrease of wastewater flow. Build up in force mains will also increase anaerobic bacteria growth that live behind the slime layer in force mains and feed on the sulfates in wastewater. This results in the release of hydrogen sulfide.
Treating The Buildup
In a past Utility application, Aulick was able to lower the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in a collection system force main by applying 225 Force Main Stripper (in addition to Sul-Fight) at a discharge location.
The OdaLog graph pictured below shows hydrogen sulfide levels at the discharge of the utility before 225 Force Main Stripper chemical application.
As shown, sulfide average and max were high throughout the 6-day testing period.
- H2S gas ppm Avg: 75
- H2S gas ppm Max: 474
After Chemical Application
After applying 225 Force Main Stripper, Aulick again tested H2S levels at the discharge using an OdaLog. See graph below.
- H2S gas ppm Avg: 9
- H2S gas ppm Max: 134
In summary, 225 Force Main Stripper, in addition to Aulick’s Sul-Fight, was successful in reducing H2S spikes by 75% and H2S averages by 88%.
Aulick’s experience is that if applied in later summer or warmer months, 225 Force Main Stripper is successful in protecting against hydrogen sulfide odor and corrosion issues.
225 FMS is a super concentrated solution designed to be added directly into the lift station and pumped into the force main during normal operation. 225 FMS strips the walls of the force main immediately leaving behind perfectly cleaned pipes.
