Sumps or Pumps in lift pits
A sump and pump installed in a lift pit can often seem a easy or straight forward application?
You would think so, but, no its not. Careful consideration must be at design stage, assessments must be made to ascertain that in all probability the shaft will probably end up will lift oil at the base at some point. lift rams may leak, oil seals to the lifts mechanics may fail all leading to build up of oil.
There are exceptions however, new build fire fighting and fire evacuation lifts can have a vacuum pump installed to draw water away in case of an emergency. This also requires a UPS system to power the pump in power loss conditions. Additional monitoring and frequent maintenance may also be required.
The most important factor of the pits design is waterproofing. Groundwater can often fill the shaft without the correct waterproofing design. So, you can see that its not just about installing a pump.
Oils are prohibited by Law not to be pumped into our sewer system, Ideally a sump tank must be designed external the the shaft to deal with the groundwater issue and an additional oil and water alarm installed within the shaft itself. The shaft can then be monitored in case of heavy oil from the lift mechanics and groundwater failure.
If a pump has to be installed within the shaft then this should be pumped to a oil separation tank external to the shaft ( unless a traction lift has been installed ). The pump should be designed to accept the working pump head height and flow rates. Incorrect design of these factors can lead to early failure of the pumping equipment or damage to the lift mechanics. Also careful consideration of the correct pump must be undertaken. Most basic pumps will struggle to pump or lift heavy oils, oil is much heavier than water, so in principal the pump will struggle to operate or discharge fluids long term.
London Basement Pumps offer a free design service of lift shaft pumping applications. We work along side some of the market leaders in the waterproofing industry to also combat groundwater problems. London Basement Pumps can supply service and repair all types of lift pumps, oil alarms and oil separation tanks. monitoring & battery back up systems.
Why not contact us on 0800 009 21 20 to speak to a member of our team.
