Pumping Station Maintenance
Regular maintenance of pumps, levels and control panels is highly recommended. The most frequent cause of pump failure is through lack of regular maintenance and care. With this in mind, Unbloc employ a team of qualified engineers, meaning that we can provide both mechanical AND electrical maintenance for your pumps.
Pumping Stations – “Do’s”
Regular maintenance is essential to the smooth and trouble-free operation of a pumping station. We offer a range of pumping station servicing and maintenance plans that will keep your pumping station grease-free, clean, block-free and in good running order. Although servicing isn’t free, most people find the cost of properly maintaining their pumping station is paid back by not having to call companies out when their un-serviced pumping station breaks down. Regular servicing of pump stations and pumping equipment will extend the life expectancy of your pumping station, hydraulic efficiency and will reduce running costs & ultimately the number of unnecessary call outs. It is worth noting that pump stations over time will accumulate settled solids, therefore it is good practice to check the mechanical and electrical operation of the station and empty (desludge) the station at regular intervals – this is vital to your pumping station’s ongoing operation. Mechanical and electrical servicing must be performed by properly trained personnel, suitably qualified and experienced in this type of work.
Pumping Stations – “Do Not’s”
It’s important to remember that everything you flush down your toilets and drains will end up in your pump station. Although pump stations are designed and built to handle foul water, sewage, natural human waste and biodegradable products (chiefly toilet paper), they are not designed to handle many other things residents tend to flush away. Fat and grease build-up in sewage pump stations is a major reason for our teams to be called out by residents of faulty pump stations. We regularly see the fats and oils flushed down kitchen sinks build up in the pump stations storage chamber, where it encases the float switches, creates blockages and can even lead to the pumps being unable to run.
Another common cause of pumping station failure is foreign objects being flushed down toilets that pumping stations just aren’t designed to handle, these can include rags and clothes, sanitary towels and even nappies. Although there are many products about today marketed as biodegradable and safe to flush down toilets (such as fibrous wipes), they often fail to break down in water and as such we don’t recommend using them in any pumping station. In summary, the following should not be discharged into the drainage system/s: –
- Cleaning Rags
- Cloths
- Syringes; Hypodermic Needles
- Medicines; Medical Equipment. Take unused medicines to a pharmacist for safe disposal.
- Fats, Oil & Grease. These products tend to cool down, separate from water and coagulate within the pump station chamber. FOG’s encase the pump and floats, causing blockages and failure of pumps.
- Nappies, Sanitary Towels, Incontinence Materials, Soft Toys, Tennis Balls etc. It may seem a bit obvious to say this, but it is amazing what gets flushed down the loo from time to time, causing blockages of the drains and pump stations.
- Even so-called disposable nappies and sanitary towels often do not degrade fully and can lead to malfunction, so it is best to dispose of them by other means. Fabric cleansing wipes & nappy liners can block pipework or your pump station and they should not be flushed into the drainage system.
Oil Separator / Interceptor Maintenance
A Separator or Interceptor is primarily installed to contain oil leaks from vehicles, plant and accidental spillages and therefore prevent the oil from polluting the environment which can lead to prosecution.
All of our services are modeled on the requirements of the European Standard EN858-2 and the Environmental Agency’s PPG3 guidelines; these guidelines states that every 6 months experienced personnel should service all electrical equipment, check all coalescing devices and replace these devices if necessary. Also, whilst on site, the tanks should be physically inspected to assess the depth of accumulated oil and silt. Operators now have a legal responsibility to ensure that the interceptor being operated complies fully with mandated requirements and that regular maintenance and testing of the equipment installed is being carried out.
Unbloc’s range of services for oil separators/interceptors are carried out by qualified engineers who are familiar with the calibration, servicing and tankering requirements of intrinsically safe equipment. BS EN 858-1: 2002 and BS EN 858 -2: 2003; reference 5 (see Environment Agency PPG3 Guidelines) now legally governs the full design, use, selection, installation, operation and maintenance of all prefabricated separators within the United Kingdom.
Water Booster Maintenance
As well as the general mechanical and electrical maintenance of the Water Booster sets, with the increasing coverage in the press with regards to the hygiene of water systems and in particular Legionella bacteria, you may or may not be aware, there is a large amount of legislation surrounding the subject of Legionella bacteria in the UK. On average there are 250-300 reported cases of the disease every year with an average fatality rate of 14%, therefore regular maintenance of the water boosters is essential for ensuring a clean water supply and again, Unbloc employ a team of electricians, meaning that we can provide both mechanical AND electrical maintenance for your clean water pumps.
Sewage Treatment Plant Maintenance
Regular maintenance of all Sewage Treatment Plants is highly recommended. The most frequent cause of plant failure is through a lack of regular maintenance and care. With this in mind, Unbloc employ a team of electricians, meaning that we can provide both mechanical AND electrical maintenance for your plant. All service work is completed to the equipment manufacturer’s service schedule by engineers who are British Water Accredited. (Copies are available by request).
Lift Shaft Pump Maintenance
The Unbloc M&E department are now fully qualified to safely isolate and access lift shafts and we hold the EOR/202N certification. Therefore unless the client has a resident lift engineer (or one based on site), one of the M&E team can attend and legally/safely isolate the lift/s in order to carry out necessary works. No unauthorised access should be made into a lift shaft without a qualified person in attendance and we hold the correct lift keys, stops, barriers, signage and carry RAMS packs as standard.