Let’s face it – whether you own a piece of commercial, industrial or residential real estate – precisely no one is an actual expert on lift stations or pumping stations and almost no one really knows or understands what goes into their maintenance.
That being said -it’s important that you do! Lift stations are a tremendously important part of your wastewater system and can’t be ignored. Here are some of the basic lift station maintenance tips you should be aware of. Let’s jump right in!
What maintenance should consist of
Each station is a little different to the next but most maintenance pros will check the essential vitals of a pumping station: its amp draw voltage updates as well as any debris or abnormalities around the site. They’ll perform basic tests, making sure things like the hatch, locking mechanism and warning/alarm lights are in good, working order.
How often should a lift station be checked?
This largely depends on the size, scale and application of a particular lift station. Residential/small commercial stations can be looked at every six months or so. Large, industrial or municipal pumping stations could involve service pros being on hand for a week to not only make any fixes and check/double check – but to also observe the overall function of the pumping station over a longer period of time.
Why is maintenance so important?
While most routine inspections can be made every few months to a year – every five years or so you should really have a deep, thorough cleaning, especially if you’re noticing an uptick in the number of issues that are occurring. All in all though – routine and thorough maintenance can extend the life of your system significantly. Naturally, while you can’t account for every single potential pitfall that might occur, most stations will last up to 10 years longer.
What’s the best way to keep up?
The best way is to schedule regular inspections by your lift station company. Most have a variety of plans you can purchase – from annual, semi-annual, quarterly and even weekly. Most of these will have electrical checks, valve operation inspections, level control checkups and more.
We hope this gives you a little better understanding of what goes into lift station maintenance and some ideas of what you can do to make sure it’s in good, working order. If you need any guidance or assistance, feel free to give us a call today and we’ll be sure to help. Until then – good luck!