When its time to overhaul your lift stations
If you want to see a town/municipal employee go crazy about something – just watch what happens when they have to deal with reoccurring issues with specific pieces of equipment – particularly when it comes to wastewater management. It get old and fast!
Every time you clear a plug, every time you burn fuel and manpower hours – it feels like it could all be spent elsewhere with a little bit more of a proactive approach. Especially in uncertain economic times like today, no one wants to deal with inefficiencies.
Unfortunately, reality is that sometimes your lift station needs a rehab and minor fixes and duct tape are no longer suitable. Here are some signs it might be time to get serious about making an investment. Let’s jump right in.
Plugged pumps
If pumps are getting clogged more than they’re doing their job is largely due to a composition in the wastewater. The things that should be decomposed aren’t decomposing and that means it’ll lead to clogs. If this is happening frequently – you either have issues with your lift station itself or elsewhere in your wastewater system.
Never-ending runtimes
If you’ve noticed that your pump keeps cycling over and over again – it’s likely because they’re simply worn out. As time goes on, there are gradual clearances that open up and the result is significant wear and tear on your impellers and casings. Because most pumps are hydraulic – they become less efficient and the overall flow through the pump begins to wane.
This also has a residual impact on solids decomposition. A lot of these solids will eventually buildup inside your system and, well – settle in; making it more difficult for water to flow through the station and the pump itself.
Poor electrical
While we wish things were different – most lift stations used by towns and municipalities tend to be on the older side to begin with. Most of the performance are tracked through personal records and paper documents. There’s old relays and their controllers aren’t just inefficient – there’s also enough wear and tear on them to the point where they’re simply malfunctioning due to years of use. Digital control panels are thankfully coming more into vogue these days and if you’re investing in a total overhaul anyway – any lift station plans should have these included in them anyway.
Hopefully you found today’s blog helpful. If you or your company is looking to make an investment in your wastewater management system – give us a call today and we’ll be happy to provide you with a free consultation. Until then – good luck!
