Residential and Light Commercial
Have you ever learned something new about an old friend? Maybe you found that he had a hidden talent, or that he had developed a special skill you didn’t know about. After you discovered it, you may have felt as if you were getting to know him all over again, and your relationship takes on new life.
Time and again, calls to our Technical Service Hotline and discussions in the field reveal that there is a lot that people don’t know about Franklin Electric. For years, many people have known Franklin as a submersible motor manufacturer, and like an old friend, Franklin is always on hand to support our products and our customers. However, water systems professionals are often unaware that Franklin has steadily built its product offering to include a wide range of pumps, drives, and controls. These products cover applications from small residential and light commercial (RLC) settings to very large irrigation and industrial (I&I) functions. With that in mind, it is time to (re)introduce you to Franklin Electric. This issue of Franklin AID will cover RLC applications, and the next issue will cover I&I applications.
Pumps
For years, Franklin four-inch Super Stainless and High Thrust submersible motors have been a mainstay in RLC applications. 
Our acquisition of JBD (formerly Jacuzzi Brothers) in 2004 allowed us to enhance well-established pump designs and optimize them for our motors. Today we offer four-inch submersible pumps with Tri-Seal™ and Series Five hydraulics for pumping applications through 25 gpm and high capacity pumps through 90 gpm. Besides our standard pump assemblies, Franklin also manufactures submersible pumps and motors for specialty applications, such as E-Series environmental pumps for filtered effluent service, Sand Fighter® motors for applications where sand or other particulate matter is present, and Series 600M motors for fountain duty applications.
While the expansion of Franklin’s submersible product lines may not be news to you, the depth and breadth of our aboveground pump lines might come as a surprise. For instance, Franklin jet pumps cover both shallow well and convertible applications, and you’ll find them under the VersaJet, Cyclone, RM2, RP2, SRP3, and C Series names. In addition, within this offering our VersaJet pump provides maximum flexibility in shallow well jet applications. Its patent pending Quick Change nozzle, available only in VersaJet pumps, allows you to easily customize the pump for standard, high flow, or high pressure performance without removing the plumbing or opening the case.
For lawn sprinkling and turf irrigation, you will find a wide variety of self-priming, and small end suction centrifugal pumps in Franklin brands. These include the Turf Boss Series, which is ideal for lawn sprinkling and general recirculation. For heavier duty applications, the end suction DDD Series and the new multi-stage all stainless steel MH Series are available. The newest addition to self-priming lawn sprinkler product line is the Turf Boss, whose rugged design can lift water from depths up to 25 feet and is ideal for timer-operated irrigation applications.
Franklin also offers pumps for residential booster applications. Our BT4 Series pumps are designed to increase water pressure in both municipal and private well systems. They also provide an ideal solution to pressure washing, car wash, reverse osmosis, and filtration applications.
Controls and Protection
Besides pumps, Franklin Electric also manufactures controls for our submersible product line. Now that we have added pumps to our product offering, we can truly ensure that we provide system solutions by designing all the components to work together as an optimized system. Our single-phase control boxes and three-phase control panels are an integral part of that system, and rigorous component testing ensures the most robust product in the industry.
In addition, Franklin’s single- and three-phase protective devices have been exclusively designed to help extend the life of Franklin pumping systems. They monitor and diagnose motor load to prevent pump or motor failure due to adverse conditions such as low-flow wells, pump damage, clogging, bound pump or power mishaps. Single-phase products include Pumptec, QD Pumptec and Pumptec Plus, and SubMonitor covers three-phase applications. 
Although some of these products may be familiar to you already, you may not know that SubMonitor will protect any three-phase motor ranging from 5 to 350 amps, even aboveground models.
Constant Pressure Controllers
While you have likely encountered Franklin’s SubDrive constant pressure controllers by now—and hopefully even installed a few—you may not be as familiar with our MonoDrive controllers in this same family. These single-phase controllers have been often overlooked, but they are gaining momentum in the marketplace as an easy-to-install, affordable constant pressure option. Available for systems from ½ to 2 hp, MonoDrive controllers allow you to retrofit a three-wire system that is already in place, even without pulling the pump.
Sump, Effluent, and Sewage Pumps
Since Little Giant Pump Company joined the Franklin family several years ago, Franklin has been able to provide market-proven wastewater pumps to extend our product offering to residential grey water systems. Franklin Electric’s sump pumps are intended for light dewatering applications and are ideal for removing water from a sump pit or collection area. Our effluent pumps are designed for use in sump applications requiring a more robust and powerful pump, or in septic tank effluent pumping systems. Franklin’s submersible sewage pumps handle larger solids and are designed to remove wastewater from a basin or other collection area.
For 65 years, Franklin Electric has been your submersible motor partner. Today, we have grown into a full-service pump company, providing whole water systems for almost every type of residential and light commercial application, from clean water to grey water. You will find the same quality and durability you have come to expect from Franklin motors in all of our water systems products.
Check back in the next issue when we will continue our re-introduction of Franklin Electric, focusing on our irrigation and industrial products.
For questions or comments concerning this article, please contact us at 800-348-2420, or email us at hotline@fele.com.
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