Finding solutions to problems

Suck it up, pressurise it and send it to the treatment plant. In theory, this should be a straightforward job for pumps at a lift station. However, as we all know, the curse of so-called ‘flushable’ products in our sewer systems is also proving that some so-called ‘non-clogging pumps’ are getting clogged. If you do not have a problematical lift station in your network, you are either lucky or have the most environmentally responsible residents in the country. Or perhaps you have already solved the beast of a problem with a piece of equipment that has been around for over 70 years. As more maintenance teams are having to contend with, the rise in non-biodegradable products almost inevitably results in problems for wastewater lift stations. This critical piece of infrastructure is further hindered by today’s low-flow household wastewater systems that honourably save water, but allow solids to build up. Unclogging the supposedly non-clogging pump can be a thoroughly unpleasant job,...