Below Ground Pumping Stations

When sizing a pumping station, especially for foul drainage and sewage, odours and septicity should be considered.  We ensure that a pumping station is sized so that effluents are both collected and discharged within a window of time that prevents the medium from becoming septic.  Septicity within pumping stations is the largest contributing factor to odours.

A lifting station and a pumping station are the same thing, it is purely terminology.

As the key working elements of a pumping station are submerged during operation, they are practically silent with the exception of the occasional opening and shutting of valves etc.

Older pumping station designs traditionally contained elements that were above ground (motors / shafts etc), hence why a lot of very old pumping systems are housed in very ornate buildings or brick built houses.  The vast majority of pumping stations however now are self contained and submerged below ground.

To size a pumping station, you need to know several key pieces of information as follows:

1. medium to be pumped
2. incoming flow rate if known or type / qty of properties to be served / people count
3. pumping distance and lift (static head)
4. power supply available
5. any site specific needs, i.e. access cover loading type, control gear location / housing etc
6. is the station to remain privately owned or to be adopted

From the above information, we can confidently size a pumping station to suit the application.

As the key working elements of a pumping station are submerged during operation, they are practically silent with the exception of the occasional opening and shutting of valves etc.

There are several types of submersible pumps which are design to handle sewage and waste waters.  We select the best pump to cater for the flow rates that are required, the nature of foul waste to be handled and also the most efficient unit for the job.

A domestic pumping station is the same as a pumping station for more large scale / industrial projects, yet the equipment selected within the station is more suited to the nature of a domestic application i.e. housing etc.

A domestic sewage pumping station includes a holding chamber, submersible pump(s), level control and a control panel / system.  Flows entering into the pumping station via the stations inlet sockets and the chamber fills to a key point where the integral level control / float switches are activated to alert the system that flows are present.  The level control sends a signal to the control panel and the control panel signals the pump(s) to operated, discharging the retained flows within the pumping station chamber.  Once the chamber reaches a near empty position, the level control deactivates the pump(s) via the control panel until the system fills again and the process repeats itself.

Private pumping stations remain the property of either the initial developer whom constructed the site, or the house owners for whom the pumping station serves.  For larger adoptable pumping station designs, ultimately the water authority will take ownership of pumping station (adopted) when the housing development has matured / near completion yet this can take several years from the date that the pumping station initially becomes operational.