Lifting pump maintenance: preventing failures and overflows

A lifting pump removes water that cannot flow naturally to the drainage network. It is found in cellars, basements, car parks, commercial buildings, sanitary installations, lifting stations and technical structures. Like any electromechanical equipment, it needs regular maintenance: waste, grease, sludge and deposits gradually disturb its operation and increase the risk of failure. Weber Water services, cleans, checks and repairs lifting installations.

A lifting station works in a demanding environment: solids, grease, sludge and deposits, wipes and unsuitable waste, corrosion, humidity, repeated cycles, large level variations. Without maintenance, these disturb the float, the non-return valve, the impeller or the pipework.

Frequent starts, a pump that no longer starts, unusual noise, reduced flow, slow discharge, tripping of the electrical protection, water level rising abnormally, bad smells, level alarm. Prompt action stops a small fault turning into an overflow or a major breakdown.

Visual check of the tank, cleaning and pumping out deposits, checking the pump(s), floats or level probes, inspecting the non-return valve and valves, inspecting the discharge pipes, electrical check, testing the safeties and the alarm, operational test. The aim is to check the whole lifting chain, not just the pump.

The level system controls the station. A float stuck by a deposit or a faulty probe, and the pump fails to start at the right time — or runs abnormally. Checking the start, stop and alarm levels is therefore essential.

The non-return valve stops discharged water flowing back into the tank when the pump stops. Stuck, fouled or faulty, it lets part of the water fall back: cycles multiply and the pump wears. Its condition is checked at every service.

A lifting pump failure quickly becomes a problem in a cellar, plant room or occupied building. Fault finding covers the whole system: power supply, control, levels, pump, pipework, valve and drainage. Replacing the pump without finding the cause risks repeating the failure.

A maintained installation can be secured according to needs: high-level alarm, second pump on certain installations, protection against abnormal operation, remote alarm or monitoring, preventive maintenance, periodic tank cleaning. The level of redundancy depends on the risk, the use of the building and the consequences of an overflow.

It depends on the type of water, the use, the amount of matter and the size of the installation. A station receiving heavily soiled water or in intensive use needs more frequent visits than a lightly used one. A maintenance schedule tailored to the site beats a one-size-fits-all frequency.

Weber Water works on lifting installations for homeowners, businesses, co-owned buildings and commercial premises: station servicing, tank cleaning and pumping out, pump servicing and replacement, float and valve checks, fault finding, parts replacement, alarm testing, securing installations and repairs.