Darlington Equipment Company has been manufacturing and repairing RBCs for over 10 years. During these ten years, we have accumulated some information and procedures that you may find helpful. Check back often for new tidbits!
If you have any questions, please contact us.
Inspections: Annual inspection of the media and media support system can prevent major failures. A missing or loose bolt, left uncorrected, can cause a major failure. A large portion of our business is repairing catastrophic media collapses that could have been prevented if caught early. For this reason, we recommend that all media frames and fasteners be inspected annually. Replacing/repairing any missing or broken parts during this inspection can help avoid non-scheduled down time.
Bearing Maintenance: Although RBCs are turning relatively slowly, it is imperative that the bearings receive additional grease on a monthly basis. Add grease until fresh grease is squeezed out around the seals. Not only does this grease keep the bearing lubricated, it also forces out water that may have accumulated in the bearing. With proper maintenance, bearings should outlast the RBCs.
Cleaning: Cleaning your RBC involves removing biomass from the media. Over time, layers of biomass grow on the media and can begin to restrict the flow. A 'dirty' RBC is also a heavy RBC! An RBC with excess biomass is harmful to the biological process as well as the mechanical health of the unit. Since RBCs have been operating in the US (about 30 years), many methods for cleaning the RBC have been attempted. Everything from chemical treatments to reversing the rotation have been tried. Some methods simply did not work, others had undesirable side effects.
The most effective method for removing biomass from your RBC is to starve it. This is a very simple yet incredibly effective technique. By shutting off the flow and allowing the RBC to rotate in the same water, the bacteria will starve, die and begin to slough off of the unit. This process takes about 4 weeks to complete however significant cleaning will be seen after one week.
After the cleaning process is complete, your RBC can be inspected, repaired (if necessary) and placed back in service by returning the flow to the unit.
Weights and measurements: A low density RBC has approximately 100,000 square feet of surface area per unit while a high density RBC has approximately 150,000 square feet of surface area per unit. A new, low density RBC weighs between 25,000 and 30,000 Lbs. A new high density RBC weighs between 30,000 and 35,000 Lbs. Either units can reach 100,000 Lbs when fully loaded.