Fiberglass Shelter for Sewage Treatment PlantCase Study
Protecting Wastewater Equipment
Shelter Works buildings are perfectly suited to protecting the Headworks Bar Screen wastewater equipment for a sewage treatment plant. That’s what Cindy Munger and her crew have discovered. Cindy is Director of Operations for the Aqua Illinois water utility company that manages waste water treatment for University Park, a village just south of Chicago in Illinois.
This type of equipment works at the beginning of the water treatment process to remove large, unwanted debris such as rags, towels, and clothing and has water running 25 feet under the equipment.
R-Value, Heaters and Electricity
The building was part of an upgrade to the facility to save money, protect investment dollars and improve the longevity of the equipment. Of course, the weather in this part of Illinois can be extremely harsh, particularly in the winter. Exposed to the outdoor elements during those cold months, the equipment had to be run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in order to keep the mechanisms from freezing or malfunctioning. By protecting the Headworks Bar Screen wastewater equipment with the Shelter Works building, the professionals at Aqua Illinois were able to put the equipment on an automatic setting that allows the equipment to self-regulate, turning on and off as needed. This saves on electricity and cuts down tremendously on equipment wear and tear.
“This was one of the best things we did this past year,” Cindy explained. “In researching this project, we went to visit another building Shelter Works had done and were very impressed with what we saw.” Every Shelter Works prefabricated building can be built to a specified R-value and can come with any heating unit or electrical package necessary. Cindy Munson appreciated the customization possibilities and said, “The Shelter Works prefabricated fiberglass shelter has performed much better than expected and was completely customized to the needs of this particular site.”
Extra Wall Height
This equipment is particularly tall and protrudes out of the ground, which normally presents a challenge for other building manufacturers. Protecting the Headworks Bar Screen wastewater equipment required extra tall wall heights, which was no problem for Shelter Works. The composite construction of the building provides insulation for the winter months and is impervious to the gases that can build up at the site.
Multiple Access Panels
Aside from doorway access for personnel entry to the building, protecting the Headworks Bar Screen wastewater equipment also has several removable panels that allow the necessary access to the equipment from multiple entry points. In addition to facilitating maintenance needs, the access panels can be conveniently removed in the hot summer months to avoid gas buildup inside of the structure.
Knockout Panels
Because the equipment had already been installed, there were existing pipes that needed to be accommodated. This was no problem for Shelter Works; we simply added knockout panels where the piping needed to be. This allowed the building to be added without disrupting the facility’s vital work.
Unusual wall heights, knockout panels to accommodate existing pipes and access panels placed exactly where they needed it–these are just a few of the many reasons why a Shelter Works building is protecting the Headworks Bar Screen wastewater equipment in University Park.