Lift Stations vs Pump Stations Differences and Requirements

December 19, 2022

Running a sewage and wastewater treatment plant requires obtaining comprehensive knowledge of the components that will be used in your maintenance systems. For example, do you know if you need a lift station or a pump station?

Determining if you need a lift or a pump station is a must. Learn more about their differences as well as the requirements of setting them up by continuing below.

Lifting Station vs Pumping Station Differences

Lifting stations and pumping stations are essential elements of your sewage and wastewater treatment system, but the way they go about doing their jobs is not completely the same. Let’s discuss how they differ in this section of the article.

Materials Processed

The first notable difference between lift stations and pump stations is related to the materials they process. Pumping stations are designed to process wastewater and freshwater. They transfer wastewater and freshwater up to the higher levels of your treatment plant.

On the other hand, lifting stations process both wastewater and sewage. Lifting stations also move the wastewater and sewage to the upper levels of the plant.

Security Features

Lift and pump stations also differ in terms of their security features. To be more specific, lifting stations utilize more security features because they have to process more dangerous waste.

To ensure that lifting stations can do their jobs safely, they are outfitted with features that enable them to contain dangerous solids and gases. They excel at ensuring the safe transfer of those hazardous substances.

Presence of Grinding Equipment

Look inside lift and pump stations, and you’ll notice that one utilizes more equipment than the other. Once again, lift and pump stations have to be designed differently because of how they’re supposed to work.

Lifting stations are loaded with grinders that are used to process the solids suspended in the wastewater. Pumping stations do not need those grinders because the solids are already removed from the wastewater they process.

Lifting Station vs Pumping Station Requirements

Diligently maintaining your lifting and pumping stations will be crucial to keeping your treatment plan in working order. In this section, we discuss the maintenance requirements for both of them.

Maintenance Requirements for Pumping Stations

The most important aspect of pumping station maintenance is choosing the right pump size. The size of the pump must be adequate for the amount of water that the station will regularly process. Use existing data to identify the right pump size and monitor the existing station’s performance as well to ensure that you are on the right track.

Keeping a close eye on your pumping station’s float switches is also highly recommended.

Maintenance Requirements for Lifting Stations

The maintenance requirements for lifting stations are greater because you are dealing with more sensitive waste. Storage basins must be handled with great care to prevent potential leaks. Lifting stations must also be equipped with appropriately sized pumps and grinders. Without those pieces in place, your treatment system will not work as intended.

Successfully running a treatment plant requires familiarizing yourself with all the stations that you will be using. Hopefully, the details included here have given you more insight into the importance of lifting and pumping stations.

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Enviro-Line Co, Inc.