It is important that pump stations and sewage treatment plants are serviced according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Depending on the model a sewage treatment plant may require the replacement of filter matrix material, lubrication of mechanical parts, the replacement of belts or just a thorough clean and visual inspection.
Rarely sewage treatment plants can break down, some models incorporate a small ‘blower’ pump that is used to lift, spray or aerate the sewage to assist with bacterial action. If this stops working your treatment plant may continue to process sewage, however the standard of discharge will not be good enough to comply with regulations. However, it will be safe to run it for a short period in most cases.
Some sewage treatment plants require a pumped outlet to lift the discharged effluent to a higher level soakaway or perhaps to a water course. A pump or a pump chamber is used for this, unfortunately if this pump fails the sewage treatment plant will overflow and sewage could be discharged onto the ground from an adjacent manhole. In this instance it will be necessary to have the tank emptied and a new pump fitted.
Not all pump chambers are installed in conjunction with sewage treatment plants, some of them are used to pump sewage to an adjacent main where gravity drains are not suitable. These also require servicing on a regular basis.
In the near future there will be a statutory requirement to prepare and institute a maintenance schedule.
