Maintaining Under-Sink Pumping Stations

Under-sink pumping stations are a good solution when traditional gravity drainage systems cannot be applied. Examples of this may be sinks in basements, drainage systems in granny flats where the drain line is below the SA Water Street system and adding on a new plumbing fixture where you cannot access the sewer pipes at traditional gravity methods which comply with Australian Standards. [gallery ids="6383,6382,6381"]

Important of Maintenance

When an under-sink pump station is used it is important to have regular maintenance performed to the system to help avoid failure of the pumping station. What tasks can be performed to help maintain the functionality of the under-sink pump system:

1. Avoid flushing items such as coffee beans, grease, nuts, unboiled rice and other hard objects.
2. Engage a licensed pump technician to open the chamber every 6 months and clean any fat deposits off the walls of the pump chamber.
3. Flush the pump with clean warm water regularly.
4. Keep an ear out for any weird sounds such as gurgling it could mean the non-return valve is blocked or broken and will need a plumber to attend the site.
5. If the pump stops working call a plumber to avoid any over flowing of the pump station.
6. When the pump is serviced at its yearly intervals it would be wise to have the carbon filters checked and if required changed for new carbon pellets.

When the pump system is initially installed, the plumber should install a ball valve (for waste line isolation), this will make any maintenance to the pump easier without having to make a large mess with huge volumes of wastewater escaping into the cupboard. Another key point to note is the pipe sizing, typically 25mm pressure pipe with 2 x 45-degree bends for elbows would be the correct method of installation.  A barrel union or something similar is also recommended to allow for ease of removal of the pump if required.

Brands

There are a few different brands on the market across Adelaide and they are:

• Sani-Flo
• Ciclon lifting stations
• All pumps
• Grundfos Sololift
• Hylift
• Kwikflo
• Reefe under-sink pump systems

At Mayfair Plumbing we work on all these brands of under-sink pump systems in locations such as pizza parlours, ice cream shops, office kitchenettes and residential houses. If you require any type of pump assistance you can call our team 24 hours and 7 days a week on 0429361819.