Pump Chamber & Sewage Treatment Plant Maintenance: Best Practices for Reliable Performance

Regular maintenance of your Sewage Treatment Plant or Pump Chamber is essential for ensuring efficient operation, compliance with environmental regulations, and long-term system reliability. As specialists in wastewater and drainage solutions including installation and servicing, we recognise the important of managing these systems responsibly. By following these best practices, you can prevent costly repairs, avoid system failures, and ensure reliability of your Pump Chamber or Sewage Treatment Plant.

Sewage pump systems and Sewage Treatment Plants are designed to handle foul water, natural human waste, and biodegradable products. Other household waste and non-biodegradable products should NEVER be disposed of through the drainage system.

Disposal of non-biodegradable products will affect the reliability of ALL pumping stations and Treatment Plants, causing pumps and internal components to block. Storage chambers become congested with non-pumpable waste which reduces capacity. Bear in mind too that it isn’t only the toilet that is connected to the station: anything that goes down the sink, bath etc. also ends up in your system.

The Following Must Not Be Discharged Into The Drains:

Cleaning Rags and Cloths
Syringes & Hypodermic Needles
Medicines & Medical Equipment: Take unused medicines to a pharmacist for safe disposal.
Grease & Fat: These products tend to cool down, separate from the water and coagulate within the pump chamber. Fat and grease encase the pump and floats, causing blockages and pump failure.
Nappies, Sanitary towels, Incontinence materials, contraception items, Soft toys, Tennis Balls etc: It may seem a bit obvious to say this, but it is amazing what gets flushed down the toilet from time to time, causing blockages of the drains and pumps.
Disposable nappies and Sanitary towels: Even these so-called degradable items often do not degrade fully and can lead to malfunction. It is best to dispose of them by other means.
Fabric cleansing wipes and nappy liners: These should not be flushed into the drainage system as they can block pipework.

Routine De-Sludging And Servicing

Over time, Pump Stations and Sewage Treatment plants accumulate settled solids. It is good practice to check, and if necessary, empty / de-sludge them. This is Vital to the system’s ongoing operation and should be carried out regularly.

We, along with the manufacturers, recommend every 6-12 months, depending on size and usage. Mechanical and electrical servicing, particularly, must be performed by properly trained personnel, suitably qualified and experienced in this type of work.

Do’s & Don’ts

DO:

Think before putting anything down the sink, toilet, or drains.
Tell guests / Visitors / staff that the drains do not flow into the mains sewer, but into a specialist sewage treatment system and tell them how to avoid harming it.
Read the label and use manufacturers’ recommended doses for all household cleaning products.
Use cleaning products little and often so the system is not overloaded.
Spread clothes washing throughout the week.
Use the same washing and dishwasher detergents and other cleaning products. Being consistent will help the bacteria in the system work more efficiently. If the products in the sewage do not vary widely, the bacteria can adapt to remove a wide range of products.
Use liquid cleaners for clothes washing and dishwashers.
Separately dispose of sanitary towels, tampons, disposable nappies, baby wipes, cotton wool, incontinence pads, etc., and not down the toilet.

DON’TS:

Spring clean and use large amounts of cleaners/bleach and chemicals in one day.
Have a ‘Washing day’—spread washing throughout the week where possible.
Use household bleach and other strong chemicals indiscriminately.
Keep changing the brands of household cleaners and washing powders.
Tip bottles of medicine, mouthwash, etc., down the toilet.
Put sanitary towels, tampons, disposable nappies, baby wipes, cotton wool, incontinence pads etc., down the toilet.
Over flush the toilet unnecessarily—use a water-saving flush if it is fitted.
Pour fat or grease from cooking or oil from chip pans down the sink or drains.
Use the treatment plant or pump chamber like a rubbish bin. Use it sparingly.
Pour garden chemicals or car engine oil down the drains.

If you are still unsure of any of the issues listed above, or would like to discuss a service interval suitable for your unit, please do not hesitate to contact us for advice from one of our fully accredited British Water Engineers.