With 25x Greater Control, This Company’s High-tech Pump Controller Optimizes Workflow

This article is sponsored by Vigilant Controls, a leader in high-tech pump control solutions for optimal flow management in water filtration.

Traditional pump control equipment can be difficult to set up and operate because it typically requires users to be on-site to monitor the system. But Vigilant Controls, a leader in high-tech pump control solutions, has set out to change that.

“Our service is meant to make water filtration tasks like monitoring levels and running an automated system much easier for our clients,” explains David Lake, founder of Vigilant Controls. “Users have to manage most water filtration systems on a day-to-day basis, taking time away from tasks in other areas of their business. With Vigilant Controls, our customers have the ability to monitor such things from their mobile devices without having to walk around or even be on-site.” 

Vigilant Control’s VC-D1 pump controller and Vigilant Shield products use cloud-based monitoring technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to minimize field time and staffing needs while simultaneously extending the life of diesel pumps and motors. For more complex jobs, the pump controller governs flow management through real-time, automatic adjustments. This enables one pump to keep up with a system’s varying demands as well as various flows and reservoir sizes. Vigilant Shield provides real-time alarming, allows users to change alarm configurations, and stores sensor readings in the cloud so that users can access and analyze them.  

Get to Know Vigilant Controls

• From anywhere in the world, Vigilant Controls’ VC-D1 pump controller provides remote monitoring, flow control, curve mapping, and reporting capabilities for customers’ diesel pump fleets, with common applications in the municipal, sewer bypass, construction, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, and environmental industries.
• The Nevada-based company launched production of its pump controller in 2019, the same year the company was founded. It is now available for rent nationwide.
• Vigilant Controls designed its VC-D1 pump controller for rugged applications, with an IP67 environmental rating. The company’s team of craftsmen builds this equipment with aluminum weatherproof enclosures, potted components, and a pressure equalizer to handle altitude variations in the U.S. The company will soon launch its VC-D2.

Thomas Insights (TI): What differentiates Vigilant Controls’ VC-D1 pump from the competition?

David Lake (DL): The VC difference lies in three categories: ease of use, superior functionality, and cost savings. When using other automated wastewater pumping equipment, customers often run into trouble. Such equipment really requires training and can be a bit difficult to understand. At Vigilant Controls, we offer simple solutions to complex problems. Our VC-D1 pump controller doesn’t require a lot of training, and with a self-configuring setup wizard, simple user interface, and intuitive menu structure, our product is easy to install and operate. 

The bulk of a pump’s operating costs are tied up in job setup and teardown time, fuel, maintenance, and downtime. We designed our intelligent controller to avoid the cycling that traditional controllers go through. Instead, the VC-D1 runs at a stable speed that’s optimized based on a client’s job requirements. 

Its robust and secure remote monitoring and controls are mobile-friendly and require little human interaction for “set it and leave it” efficiency. Customers can also get a weekly or monthly automated report along with the capability of checking in on their operations remotely whenever it’s convenient.

TI: What’s something that isn’t widely known about your pump controller technology that you’d like to highlight for our readers?

DL: When I was working as a general manager for a leading liquid handling solutions provider, I began thinking about how I could simplify the pump control process and installation so that it wouldn’t require a technical background to use but would still allow for precision control. That’s how I got the idea for Vigilant Controls. There is a high level of automation with the equipment, allowing users to handle more complex controls for more than just wastewater applications.

The VC-D1 provides electric pump performance in diesel pumps. With as much as 25 times the granular control over a diesel pump as other available controllers, it is capable of managing engine speeds at the individual RPM level for maximum RPM control for your job, with loose to tight tolerances. 

It uses a robust 4.3-inch full-color display screen and True PID — or Proportional, Integral, and Derivative — control for adjustable, automated operation. Our safety features include a linkable hardware E-Stop for simplified system shutdown and a large, multicolored, daylight-visible stack light equipped with an audio alarm for high visibility and easy identification of the pump experiencing a problem.

TI: What trends are you seeing in the pump industry, and what is Vigilant Controls doing to stay ahead of the curve?

DL: The pump market is going to continue to get busier and become more complex, and job sites are farther away despite greater demand for tighter timelines. As well, more people are moving to remote monitoring and control, and our product fulfills their needs. 

Vigilant Controls’ equipment allows customers to automate and remotely manage operations with ease, substantially reducing the time they have to spend on-site. This cuts down low value travel time, frees employees up for other tasks, and provides an overall cost savings.

TI: How has Vigilant Controls helped customers solve complex problems? 

DL: One of our customers wasn’t in compliance with their state’s regulations. Our team was able to overnight our products to them so that they could successfully meet regulations almost immediately. 

Because the customer was able to meet compliance in a timely manner, we helped them avoid paying the related fine. Through our consulting process, we were also able to determine what extra devices they would need to adhere to state regulations.

We also had a customer with a filter train that required personnel to be on-site to adjust the incoming pressure. Because our equipment is very flexible, our team was able to put a pressure sensor at the end of the filter train so that the pressure could be regulated without oversight or having anyone physically present. This allowed for both time and energy savings for the customer.

Challenges like these are the ones I enjoy most — helping people find solutions to their problems.