Overcoming Pump Station Failure at Bloor Homes

When an adoptable pumping station servicing a development of 500+ new homes began blocking and failing on an almost weekly basis, T-T Pumps were asked to investigate the issue and provide a solution to deliver long term reliability.

The Problem

A sewage pumping station at a Bloor Homes development in Hereford had severe blocking problems, with regular failure after commissioning which became a weekly event.

After a thorough investigation, T-T found that surges of household wipes were entering the sewage system in such volumes to cause the pumps to block. These wipes are a huge issue when pumping domestic sewage, with wipes and fibrous materials inundating the pumps and causing the station to fail. The failure may be identified early on through a built-in warning system, but this is not always the case, resulting in environmental consequences.

In new housing developments where a sewage pumping station is required, the developers need to prove that the station is reliable and compliant with specifications before the local water company will adopt it. In this case, the pumping station design complied with all Sewers for Adoption requirements but did not perform reliably. A long-term solution was required.

The Solution

T-T Pumps recommended that a pair of PTS Chopper pumps were installed, along with our revolutionary SEER telemetry monitoring system to provide 24/7 observation and remote alarm facilities.

As the name suggests, the PTS range of pumps chop through the pumped medium via a very robust three-way cutting system.  Unlike a traditional macerator pump which breaks down waste into very small particles through a series of blades, a chopper unit contains hardened cast materials throughout the chopping section and breaks down the waste so that it is both passable through the pump and pipe work, yet equally of a handleable size therefore the risk of by-passing or blinding key screens and filters further into the sewer network is removed.

The T-T SEER monitoring system provides 24/7 observation and remote alarm facilities where both the customer and pump maintainer can monitor the pumping station in real time.

SEER uses cloud-based technology to continually communicate plant status to an internet-based portal that has multiple notification settings. This results in the selected recipients being instantaneously informed of any faults, errors or changes in pump or plant status. Not only does the monitoring system report live status and alarm activation but most importantly, observation of the whole system with historical data collection that allows potential issues to be identified early.

Data such as wet well level, pump current, voltage monitoring per phase, pump operation, fault conditions such as overload, overheat and seal leak are available and, when used with certain specifications of Sewers for Adoption / Design Construction Guidance control systems, allows remote reset of such faults.

With this client, we were able to determine a healthy wet well cycle using the historical data and then diagnose abnormal conditions such as prolonged run due to valves becoming lodged due to wipes and blockages. This valuable data enabled us to present a picture of the issues to the client, but more importantly, then offer a viable solution. 

Post installation of both the PTS chopper pump units and SEER telemetry, we were able to remove the issue of sporadic, problematic system breakdown plus demonstrate that the pumping station was operating correctly and without issue.  

After more than 6 months of operating with the PTS Chopper pumps Bloor Homes Western reported the following via email on 2nd February 2021.  

“I can confirm that the Chopper Pump has worked great since its installation and has resulted in no further site/ callout issues (which prior to installation was on a weekly/ monthly basis).

“We are considering the installation of these pumps on other stations also moving forward (ideally prior to the installation of the standard pumps) but would also look to upgrade on our larger sites if we have ongoing issues.

“Further to this, all new quotation must include for the Seer Unit, as again this is deemed to be a very important and timesaving upgrade for all involved. “

Learn more about our PTS chopper pumps and T-T SEER monitoring system. For more information and expert advice, chat to our experts on +44 (0)1630 647200