When you’re operating a lift station, having properly functioning pumps is vital to keeping things working.
But how do you test the pumps to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to? In this post, let’s look at how to keep your lift station pumps operating at peak performance.
Issues with measuring lift pumps
Older lift stations often don’t have equipment to measure the flow of liquids through the system. The problem is that without knowing these figures, it’s very difficult to determine how much liquid a lift station is processing and whether it’s keeping up with demand or if problems have developed that can cause the pumps to fail.
Testing Options
One effective way to get around a lack of flow meter equipment is by testing pump drawdown. By timing the drawdown of a set volume of liquid from a wet well, an estimate can be determined of how much liquid a pump is processing. Although this is a very simple method, it works well for equipment that has difficult accessibility issues that prevent the use of a clamp-on flowmeter.
Avoiding System Problems
Of course, the best way to keep your lift system pumps functioning properly is to provide regular inspections of your equipment. Setting up a regular inspection of your pumping equipment helps you stay on top of problems in your lift station and allows you to get pumps repaired before the problems become more serious and expensive.
Taking Care of Pump Problems
When you do find problems with meeting capacity in your lift station, taking care of the issue sooner rather than later can help minimize the expense of more extensive repairs later on. Older systems may need to have new parts fabricated due to a lack of available replacement parts, but you’ll want to have these fabrications completed by a company that is experienced in repairing pumps so that they understand fluid dynamics and the demands of your system.
If you find that your lift station pumps are in need of flow measuring equipment, repairs, or specialized fabrication to keep your station running, we’re happy to help in any way we can. We offer a wide variety of services to industrial and municipal services, including highly specialized repairs and fabrication of hard-to-find parts. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about improving your lift station pumps.
