Years after their introduction, Tsurumi Pump is seeing an increased demand for automatic moisture-sensing pumps

Dewatering pumps featuring electric probes that detect rising water levels to prevent dry running are becoming more favourable in the construction and industrial market since there’s a tangible need for such automated technology, according to Tsurumi Pump.

Although the company has produced these pumps for several years, a variety of factors such as product enhancements, rising energy prices, labour shortages and the increased appetite for the benefits that the technology can offer mean Tsurumi is now gearing up to meet an anticipated rise in demand across North America. Tsurumi’s KTZE and KTVE series pumps, for example, take the outstanding performance of its KTZ and KTV models and enhance it through the incorporation of a durable, fixedposition stainless-steel probe on the pump head cover, connected to an internal relay unit. When this e-probe comes into contact with water or other conductive media, a signal is sent to a timer. If the contract lasts for more than one second, a continuous low-voltage electric circuit is formed between the probe and the pump body, acting as the ground, prompting the relay to switch on the pump. Once the water level has receded below the level of the probe, the pump will continue to operate for a further 60 seconds before shutting off, reducing the chance of short cycling due to potential turbulence in the water, and preventing the pump from running dry. By preventing unnecessary dry operation, damage on the wear parts is minimized, extending the lifespan of the pump. “This makes these pumps ideal for any dewatering application where an operator isn’t present to manually turn them on and off according to water levels,” said Mike Klimes, applications engineer at Tsurumi. “To enable automatic operation, you would typically need to utilize a tether float switch, suspension probe, or pressure transducer in addition to an automatic control panel.” Instead, the Tsurumi models use the far simpler and less expensive approach of a moisture-sensing electrode control device, thereby enabling the costly automated control panel to be replaced with a much simpler manual panel — an immediate cost saving that is soon followed by significant energy savings due to the shorter operating time.

Safe from harm

As well as the financial advantages, a crucial factor in the rising adoption of these solutions is how the e-probe technology complements the robust and durable nature of the pumps to which they are attached. Unlike a design relying on tethered float switches, the robust probes do not stick out beyond the pump’s footprint and are therefore at little risk of damage. This enables them to easily withstand the inevitable rough handling at the job