Whatever kind of application you have, it’s vitally important to choose the right pump for the job – you would never use a diaphragm pump where a fire fighting pump was needed, for instance. Grinders and cutters are commonly used in sewage systems and serve a similar function; that is, cutting or grinding solid waste material found in waste for easier transport and to reduce strain, blockages, and other mechanical issues. But the methods by which these two pumps achieve that function are slightly different. In this blog, we discuss how these two kinds of pumps work and how to choose the right one for your sewage system application.
Why Would You Need a Cutter or Grinder Pump?
Cutters and grinders are used to break down solids in wastewater. This includes toilet paper as well as a growing number of “flushable” household cleaning products like paper towels, wet wipes, and scrubbing pads among other items that could otherwise cause damage to the pipes and pumps in the sewage system or lead to blockages.
Cutter Pumps
Cutter pumps typically use a sharpened, tungsten carbide cutting blade attached to the impeller to cut solid objects into more manageable pieces. They are designed to deal with a variety of flushable or other materials that end up in wastewater such as smaller fabric rags, plastics, and flushable cleaning products, cutting larger items down to around 25mm pieces for easier pumping and discharge. They are an energy-efficient, lower-cost solution best suited to domestic sewage applications.
Grinder Pumps
Grinder pumps are a more complex, more heavy-duty pump. The mechanism they use is a grinding, (typically stainless steel) cutting blade that rotates inside a cutting ring equipped with multiple teeth. This grinds solid, fibrous matter down into much smaller parts than would be possible with a cutter pump, meaning they can be used with smaller-diameter pipes. Grinder pumps are typically installed at the main source of supply to the sewage system, and they can handle a broader variety of materials than cutter pumps, such as larger fabric rags, rope, and cord, some of the toughest, most problematic material to find its way into sewage systems.
Which One is Best?
As with any engineering decision, the pump you use will depend on the specifics of the job. Overall, grinder pumps are better able than cutters to reliably break down tougher materials found in wastewater, and for this reason they are more commonly used in commercial settings. If lots of tough waste material frequently passes through your sewage system, a grinder pump is going to be a better option than a cutter. However, the greater cutting power of grinder pumps is not without its costs. Grinders use more energy than cutters and are therefore more expensive to run and more environmentally taxing.
Why Choose Aline Pumps?
Aline Pumps has been providing high-quality, customer-focussed solutions to the Australian plumbing, building, and fire protection markets since 1995. Today, we are Australia’s leading manufacturer of fire protection pumping solutions to residential, commercial, and industrial markets.
Contact Aline Pumps Today
For information on our range of cutter and grinder pumps or to speak to one of our expert team members about the requirements of your next project, head to the contact section of our website and get in touch by phone or email.
