01. How do I start the process of getting a MOPS Engineering Report for my proposed pump station?
A/ Visit www.eMOPS.com and click on the design application navigation button on the homepage.  Fill out each text field and data field with the project information and hit the “submit” button at the bottom of the page.  Alternatively, you can use the Word format and email or fax that form when completed.  This will initiate the MOPS service for your pump station.

02. How much does the engineering report cost?
A/ The MOPS Pump Station Engineering Report is provided at no charge to consulting engineers and land planners.

03. Why do you not normally charge a fee to do a MOPS Engineering Report?
A/ We provide the complete Engineering Report at our expense as a no-cost time saving service to the engineer and to further advance the MOPS name and product.

04. How long does it take for you to produce the MOPS Engineering Report?
A/ Normal turnaround time is 2-5 days.

05. Am I under any obligation after I receive my MOPS Engineering Report?
A/ No, but we employ the best engineering practices which we sign and seal to compliment your efforts with your project.

06. What kind of pumps do you use?
A/ We provide the MOPS Pump Station as a complete functional package, and do not promote a particular pump brand.  With that stated, we quite often use grinder pumps and non-clog pumps.

07. Can I use MOPS for pump stations that are to be dedicated to the city/county?
A/ MOPS are stations designed to be 100% in compliance to DEP specifications, but not to the many nuances required by the design criteria of particular cities and counties for ‘dedicated’ stations. HOWEVER, when it is allowed, tightening municipal budgets sometimes dictate the savings that can be realized by using a MOPS station in place of a city/county standard station.

08. How can your stations be odorless?  All pump stations have sewage odors.
A/ True, all pump stations generate sewage odor.  It is what escapes untreated that is offensive.  MOPS Pump Stations have a multi-stage Odor Gas Scrubber that eliminates the odor normally associated with sewage.

09. Why do you put explosion-proof or FM (Factory Mutual) rated pumps in MOPS stations?
A/ We install these types of pumps in MOPS Stations because, in most cases, the DEP rules require it.  The DEP uses the latest edition of the “Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities”, also known as the Ten States Standards.   An integral part of the RSWF is the National Electrical Code – this code defines the wet well and the valve box of a sewage pump station (one not serving only a single-family dwelling) as a Class 1, Division 1, Group “D” rating – requiring special precautions be taken in equipment selection and installation.

10. Why are the control panels you build designed as Intrinsically Safe per UL standards?
A/ It is due to the Class 1, Division 1, Group “D” rating given to certain areas of sewage pump stations outlined above.  The control panel we build ourselves is rated UL 698A, Control Panels for Hazardous Locations.

11. How small/large can you build pump stations?
A/ MOPS Pump Stations can be as small as two feet in diameter and as large as twelve feet in diameter.  Depth of a MOPS station can vary from five feet to thirty or more feet.  The maximum size is generally based on truck shipping restrictions.

12. Do you design stormwater pump stations also?
A/ Yes, there are special considerations for stormwater stations, and we have experience in this field.

13. Who installs MOPS Sewage Pump Stations?
A/ We approach this issue differently and efficiently.

The Old Way: The general contractor brings in a subcontractor, whose specialty is strictly installing pump stations. This specialty subcontractor is the only entity that deals with both the underground work and the electrical work required to install a pump station. He brings his men and equipment to the jobsite, and adds his labor and profit to the price.

The MOPS Way: We work with the site contractor. Upon receiving an order, we manufacture the MOPS station – but we do not simply ship it and walk away. We work with the site contractor, who places in the ground the MOPS wet well and valve box at the proper elevation. Then MOPS personnel arrive on site and perform the Trim-Out Service – they install the pumps, float switches, and control panel. The only responsibility the G.C. has is to bring power up to the disconnect box, then the station is ready for start up procedures. When the station must be started up with official approval, MOPS personnel return to commission the station. Any official, the engineer, and MOPS technicians are coordinated for this event.

The advantage to MOPS is that one less contractor is involved. The company who designed and manufactured the station is performing the most critical work, which covers the actual performance and appearance of the station. The responsibility of a properly operating sewage pump station falls upon MOPS, eliminating problems associated with multiple unrelated parties involved in the installation.

14. Aren’t your MOPS pump stations more expensive than pump stations from [Company B]?
A/ Apples to apples, we are not undersold.  With our standard MOPS offering, we do include more in our pump stations than anyone else. For instance, we include our Trim-Out Service (description above) and most of them the first year’s maintenance, among other items.

15. Can I get a list of references of other engineers?
A/ We respect the professional privacy of every engineer we work with, so as a matter of policy, we do not provide a list.

16. Isn’t a fiberglass pump station going to float out of the ground with a high water table?
A/ No, not with a MOPS pump station.  We calculate our flotation figures very conservatively.  The weight of the wet well, any residual water within the wet well, pumps and other equipment is neglected.  Soil friction and the cone effect of soil being pushed to the sides when an object is ejected from the ground are neglected.  Plus, a safety factor of 10% is added above and beyond.  If the calculations demonstrate ballast is required, then the proper amount of cement is added to an oversized base flange.  Quite often with smaller stations, no ballast is required with the oversized anti-flotation flange, saving money for the client and scheduling issues with the contractor.

17. I need a pump station with traffic-rated (H-20) hatch covers.  Can you do that?
A/ Yes we have designed and built fiberglass pump stations for H-20 loading.

18. Do you design concrete pump stations?
A/ No, they do not lend themselves to being manufactured in a factory setting, which is our area of expertise.

19. Do you perform service contracts on existing pump stations?
A/ Yes.

20. How much will my pump station cost?
A/ Please contact us with basic design criteria – or better yet, enter it on the design application, and we can produce an accurate quotation.

21. There are other engineers at my company that will be interested in MOPS.  Can you set up a meeting with them?
A/ Yes, we often hold MOPS presentations with groups of engineers.  Please contact us for details.

22. Can you design a pump station that serves only one guardhouse or public park bathroom?
A/ Yes, we have successfully placed in operation many similar low-flow applications.

23. Why isn’t your website called www.MOPS.com?
A/ Our website is called www.eMOPS.com because Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers already owned the MOPS domain name.  So such as e-commerce and e-mail, we use www.eMOPS.com.

24. Do MOPS pump stations have an outlet to connect a generator in case of a power outage?
A/ Yes, every MOPS station has an emergency generator receptacle as required by FDEP.

25. How long does the MOPS Odor Gas Scrubber work?
A/ The OGS is designed to function properly for 2-3 years, but in practice, they are lasting far longer. We make sure that they are sized with excess capacity to address variances in sewage flow.

26. I am designing a public library/town hall/police station/fire-rescue station.  Can I use a MOPS station?
A/ We have MOPS stations at all of the above types of buildings.  When the initial cost savings is realized, MOPS becomes an extremely attractive alternative to a concrete pump station built to municipal standards, especially with tight budgets.

27. I have a critical application for a hospital/apartment complex that must be in operation 100% of the time – do you have a standby generator system available?
A/ Yes, there is a MOPS-specific system available for standby emergency power.  It is unique in that it only operates when the station needs to be pumped down, saving fuel and increasing the total functioning time during extended power outages.

28. I have a special application for a pump station. Can you help?
A/ Yes, please contact us with special operating conditions for your proposed station.

29. There is a low-pressure sewer system with a number of pump stations on one of my projects.  Is this within your capabilities?
A/ Yes, we have been involved with a number low-pressure sewer systems for residential developments.

30. My client just placed a project out to bid with a concrete pump station I designed some time ago, before I was familiar with MOPS.  Can you bid a MOPS station as an alternate?
A/ Yes. Your client can certainly benefit from the features of a MOPS Pump Station, and we would normally be pleased to bid on the project. 

31. The permit review department concerning pump stations for a particular area I work in places a number of additional requirements above and beyond the Florida DEP rules.  Can you design a pump station in compliance with these additional features?
A/ Visit www.eMOPS.com and click on the design application navigation button on the homepage. Fill out each text field and data field with the project information and hit the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. Alternatively, you can use the Word format and email or fax that form when completed. This will initiate the MOPS service for your pump station.

32. How do I start the process of getting a MOPS Engineering Report for my proposed pump station?
A/ We have supplied a number of MOPS stations to the Caribbean.  The fact that the MOPS station is manufactured in our plant, rather than constructed completely on site, lends itself to be easily transported.

33. There is an existing pump station on a property where I am designing a new development.  Can I reuse the station? Can you ‘rehab’ the station?
A/ It is sometimes possible to rehabilitate an existing pump station.

34. I have a sewage pump station requirement only once a year or less.
A/ MOPS is ideal for you.  We keep abreast of the latest developments with sewage pump station requirements, so you can concentrate on other portions of your project, and know that the MOPS station that we design for you is 100% compliant with current statues.