Update on Theresa Water Tower’s Submersible Mixer Failure

During his monthly report, Director of Public Works Bill Weisensel updated the Village of Theresa Public Works Committee on the water tower’s submersible mixer failure at its meeting on Monday, March 17.
Submersible mixers help improve water quality by maintaining temperature to prevent stratification (the development of temperature layers) and equally distributing water disinfectants.
The water tower’s submersible mixer was installed in 2023 and failed in November 2024 “likely due to bearing failure.”
Weisensel reached out to the mixer’s manufacturer and reported to the committee:
“The mixer itself would be covered under warranty; however, the installation of the new, replacement mixer would not be covered under warranty because when they did the project, it was not installed by the...manufacturer.”

“The new mixer would be shipped to us for free if we choose to have a private contractor install it, and that cost estimate was based off of the company we usually work with, Lane Tank. They proposed a price of about $5,500 to do that installation, along with their annual tank inspection. They didn’t realize that the cable, where it’s hanging inside the bowl of the water tower, is off to the side, so you can’t just reach in from the manway hatch and grab it and pull it out. You would almost have to do a tank entry or somehow be able to physically hook the mixer,” continued Weisensel. “Their cost might be higher than the $5,500 that they initially bid; however, that is a lot cheaper than the original manufacturer’s proposal of $9,000 to come out here from North Dakota, I think, and install it themselves.”
“If we would hire Lane to do it, would they do it the right way then and put the cable where it is supposed to be?” asked President Jody Steger.
“That is what I would propose,” said Weisensel. “If it should fail in the future, of course, you don’t want somebody to have to crawl into the tank all the time to do any maintenance. It would be a lot easier just to have that checked when they come and do their annual inspection of the fence and screens of the water tower.”
Trustee Jim Polster added, “When that tower was put up in ‘97, it wasn’t installed with the circulation fan and everything else. That is something we added because when we put the paint on, that is something they said would keep the frost off in the winter time and make the paint last longer. So we want to have that fixed.”
Approval of a new submersible mixer was not an agenda item, so no action could be taken.
Committee Matters:
• The committee discussed renewing its contract with Cintas for Department of Public Works (DPW) uniform rentals. The motion to recommend the board renew the contract with Cintas was made by Trustee Shawn Krapfl and passed unanimously.
• The committee also considered purchasing a new truck for the DPW as one of its trucks has rusted through the floorboards, brake repair needs, and an oil leak. If the floorboards and brakes were addressed, Weisensel figured the truck could last a few more years. The committee decided to make the repairs instead of purchasing a new truck.