Does Your Sewage Lift Station Require Retrofitting?

March 18, 2020

If your pump clogs at sewage lift stations, it may be time to consider retrofitting it with a grinder. This will improve the functioning of your sewage lift station and allow your staff members to address other issues rather than constantly removing clogs. It also serves the needs of growing communities, which will place more demands on wastewater treatment facilities. However, retrofitting must be considered thoroughly, as it is not a simple project and mistakes can lead to more problems. Here are three elements to consider before you retrofit your sewage lift station in Camden County, MO:

  • Candidacy: In truth, every municipality is a candidate for retrofitting. It is often not a matter of if a pump station will have issues, but when. Older lift stations may not be designed for higher solid loading, and outdated plugs require manual cleaning, which results in several hours of overtime for your maintenance workers. If you have a station that clogs more than once a week, it is time for a retrofit. Even if your station has not reached that point, population pressures and evolving sewage needs may make a retrofit necessary sooner rather than later.
  • Need for a grinder: Wastewater treatment has changed. Sewage produced today contains more high solids content than it did in the past, mainly because of the types of wipes used in most households. The loading process for these solids places higher demands on pumps, especially those that handle solids. Operators find more clogs and failures, and many times, the clogs are wipes-related. A grinder breaks down the solids and reduces clogs, so there is less time spent removing them. It grinds wipes along with other waste, and that increases efficiency while reducing repair costs.
  • Design: There is always a question when it comes to where to place a grinder. This is often challenging as stations are not in perfect locations. Space is also an issue, and sometimes a grinder has to be installed to a nearby wall mount. Otherwise, it is installed directly onto a wet well. If the lift station wet well is too small for additional equipment beyond the pumps, a grinder vault is installed upstream of the wet well. This step requires creativity, as grinders were not considered during the initial installation of most stations. However, innovative engineering often makes it possible.

Retrofitting is a method of modernizing wastewater treatment as municipal areas grow and demands on your systems increase. The retrofit is mainly an insurance policy to ensure communities receive consistent and reliable wastewater treatment and municipalities can avoid increased costs with an initial investment. An assessment of your systems can determine your need for a retrofit and how it is installed.

Your first step in securing a retrofit is to find a skilled partner who will create the best solution for your systems. Enviro-Line Co., Inc. is your sewage lift station expert in Camden County, MO. We are a leader among wastewater companies and can deliver products and services at scale. Contact us today to help your systems run better.

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