Hidden Cost Savings with OBIC Wet Well Rehabilitation

In previous blogs, we have talked about OBIC’S quick cure times providing a fast return to service. Where this benefit really manifests itself is the substantial cost savings provided for a wet well rehab project.

A day in the life of a wet well rehab

A typical 6’ diameter by 10’-20’ deep lift station can be fully relined by an OBIC certified installer in a single day. Depending on the circumstances, this can sometimes be done without bypassing. Below is a typical schedule for this type of wet well rehab project.

8:00 a.m. OBIC certified installers isolate the station by plugging the upstream manhole. The wet well is then manually pumped down and a vac-truck is used to rinse the walls and remove any debris.

9:00 a.m. The lining technician enters the wet well and begins the surface preparation using the appropriate pressure washing equipment. The technician then addresses any leaks or other defects requiring attention.

10:30 a.m. A large dry air heater duct is put into the wet well to accelerate the drying of the interior surfaces. This is important when dry masking any interior components that require protection.

12:00 p.m. The lining technician begins the spray application of the OBIC lining system. Depending on the station depth this process can take anywhere from 3-5 hours.

4:00 p.m. After the technicians have completed the lining installation, they will remove the masking and equipment. The upstream manhole is then unplugged, and the station is returned to service.

Of course, no two wet wells are the same. The above process is used when the flow is low enough that the main lines have enough storage to hold 8-10 hours of flow. When the system does not have quite that amount of storage, our approach is a little different.

  • A vac-truck may be used to remove excess and release it downstream of the station.
  • When flow is such that a vac-truck cannot keep up, a bypass pump can be used.

OBIC saves you time and money

Other materials used for wet well rehabilitation often require 1-3 days of curing before the structure can be returned to service. OBIC products, on the other hand, can have you back up and running in only 8-10 hours, even when bypass is required. The only exception to this rule involves large structures that might take 2-3 days to complete. Even these projects require a much shorter bypass time, ultimately resulting in considerable savings.

How much savings? Let’s break it down.

  • The average cost of a small bypass pump and accessories is $1,500-$2,000 per day. Multiply that by 1-3 days of bypass and your costs range from $1,500-to $6,000.
    • Don’t forget to add in the cost of a backup pump and remote dialers if the bypass lasts multiple days.
  • Finally, we factor in labor fees at a minimum of $2,000

In summary, you can easily end up paying almost three times the cost of a single day wet well rehabilitation with OBIC.

Chose OBIC for your next wet well rehabilitation

If you are interested in learning how OBIC can help save you money while extending the life of your wet well by 50 years or longer, give us a call at 419-633-3147. You can also find more information on our website www.obicproducts.com/wet-wells.