Thompson Piston Pumps Assist in Utility Work in the Town of Ocean City, MD

Replacing phone and electric utility lines within a populated area can be a major ordeal. Not only does the job need to be handled correctly, but also swiftly so that businesses do not experience a slowdown while the construction is taking place; in addition, sound considerations must be taken into account when using noisy equipment in a populated area.

The Town of Ocean City, Maryland needed to tear down and replace their old utility lines with new underground lines. Ocean City has the charm of yesterday, offering an old-time boardwalk, cruises and other tourist attractions, and is also known for its resorts and retirement community. The 6 – 7-month job required the replacement of existing overhead utility lines with new underground utilities, within a 1-mile heavily populated section of town. To lessen the economic impact, Town officials realized that the work needed to start during winter, and was to be completed before the peak of tourist season in the spring.

Time was of the essence, and officials knew whom to call. They needed a supplier who would not only rent to them the pumps that would do the job effectively, but also be able to meet their noise issues. The Town of Ocean City has been a loyal customer of Thompson Pump for the past 15-years, and knew that Thompson Pump could help complete the project.

Thompson Pump provided three of its new Piston Wellpoint Pumps. The Piston Wellpoint Pump, with flows up to 400-gpm, is equipped with a Silent Knight® sound attenuated enclosure, which reduces sound to 64 dBa at 23-feet. The Piston Wellpoint Pump is extremely efficient with a fuel consumption of less than four gallons per day, and is also capable of running dry and unattended for long periods of time. The Piston Wellpoint Pump also has a high air-handling capability, up to 53-cfm, which makes it perfect for wellpoint applications. Dean Dashiell, Public Works Construction Superintendent and Bill Bratten, Assistant Superintendent for the Town of Ocean City were more than pleased with Thompson’s Piston Wellpoint Pump’s operation. They reported, “not only did the Piston Wellpoint Pump reduce the sound considerably, but it was also extremely fuel efficient and was more pleasing to the eye.”

Thompson also supplied all the wellpoint equipment to complete the system, which was about 300-feet long with wellpoints 6-feet on center and jetted 12-feet into the ground. Construction was completed noise-free, and in time for tourist season.