Changing a Lift Station Pump

A lift station, also called a pump station, is an underground pit (called a “wet well”) that’s connected to the underground sewer network and equipped with special pumps, electronics, water leveling and a monitoring system. A lift station is a critical asset in a sewer network.

• Purpose – Lift stations have one purpose: to pump and move raw sewage or storm water thru a sewer collection system, often from a lower elevation to a higher or when long distance restricts gravity flow engineering.
• Maintenance – A properly operated lift station is the key to keep raw sewage and/or storm water flowing thru the underground sewer network. Failure of a lift station system is often the result of a poor mechanical maintenance, a clogged pump or a power failure.

Many commercial properties have both storm drains and main sanitary sewer lines flowing into a lift station to keep wastewater flowing off the property and on to the connected municipal sewer collection system. Should a lift station backup, it will cause the entire sewer line to stop draining and will likely overflow, causing an environmental pollution crisis.