National pump hire company

MJ Abbott was approached by a supplier to a national plant hire company to design and manufacture a comprehensive range of ‘hirer proof’ submersible pump control panels. The range covered pumps with 3Ø 400V motors ranging from 2 to 56kW.

Due to the arduous conditions found in the hire market, the client specifically wished to avoid the use of electronically controlled soft starters or frequency converters to reduce starting currents to an acceptable level.

MJ Abbott, in conjunction with the client's engineer, prepared a specification and built a prototype unit for test and evaluation by the client.

Following acceptance of the design, over a 14 month period MJ Abbott built a total of 139 panels which were dispatched to the client's hire depots throughout the UK.

Features of the panels included:

• Bespoke hot-dipped galvanised steel mounting stands with forklift pockets to protect the panels from accidental damage in transit
• Heavy duty polyester coated steel equipment enclosures
• High quality components used throughout the build for maximum reliability
• Individual MCB protection for each incoming supply phase
• RCDs (Residual Current Devices) for personnel protection
• DOL motor starters for panels of 2.0, 3.1 and 7.5kW ratings
• Auto transformer motor starters with 50% & 65% tappings for panels of 13.5, 22, 30-37 & 56kW ratings
• Plugs and sockets for incoming and outgoing power supplies to avoid the requirement for an electrician to install the panels at the start of a hire
• Plug and socket for optional float switch to allow the panel operation to be made automatic where required
• An internally mounted phase reversal switch to allow easy adaptation to site power supplies without rewiring
• Emergency Stop button.