Lift Station Cleaning & Repair — Prince Frederick, MD
A commercial property in Prince Frederick had a lift station that hadn't been serviced in over five years. The float switches had failed, the wet well was full of grease and debris, and the alarm had been silenced rather than addressed. We cleaned, repaired, and restored the system to full operation.
The Problem
A commercial property manager in Prince Frederick called us after the lift station alarm had been going off intermittently for weeks. The previous maintenance company had stopped servicing the account. When we arrived, we found a wet well filled to within 6 inches of overflow with a thick layer of grease and debris on top. Both float switches had failed — one was stuck in the "on" position, running the pump continuously; the other had failed completely. The pump was running hot and the motor was showing signs of stress.
Our Diagnosis
We pumped down the wet well and inspected the interior. The wet well walls were coated with a 2–3 inch layer of grease and organic debris that had accumulated over years without cleaning. Both float switches were fouled with grease and had failed mechanically. The primary pump was operational but running hot from continuous operation. The backup pump had a seized impeller from debris ingestion. The control panel showed 847 hours of runtime on the primary pump with no maintenance record.
The Repair Process
- 1Pumped down the wet well using a vacuum truck
- 2High-pressure washed the wet well walls and floor to remove grease and debris accumulation
- 3Removed and inspected both submersible pumps
- 4Primary pump: cleaned, tested, and returned to service — motor in acceptable condition
- 5Backup pump: impeller was seized from debris — replaced with new Flygt pump
- 6Replaced both float switches with new mercury-free tethered floats
- 7Cleaned and tested the control panel — replaced the failed alarm relay
- 8Tested the system through multiple pump cycles — both pumps cycling correctly
- 9Documented the service and established a quarterly maintenance schedule
The Outcome
The lift station was restored to full operation in one day. Both pumps are cycling correctly, the alarm system is functional, and the wet well is clean. The property manager now has a quarterly maintenance schedule that will prevent this level of neglect from recurring. We also installed a remote monitoring system that sends an alert to the property manager's phone if the alarm activates.
Key Takeaway
Lift stations require regular maintenance — typically quarterly cleaning and annual pump inspection. Neglecting maintenance doesn't save money; it leads to emergency repairs, pump replacements, and potential sewage overflows that carry significant regulatory liability.
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