What is the Difference Between a Lift Station and a Pump Station?
Commercial plumbing companies and wastewater treatment plants commonly use pump stations and lift stations. But what is a lift station? And what is a pump station? These devices serve similar functions in the water treatment process and are often grouped. Lift station vs. pump station can be tough to discern, but we will answer all standing questions in this blog.
Lift Station vs. Pump Station Differences
A lift station moves sewage and waste material from a lower elevation to a higher elevation. A pump station raises water, not sewage material, to a higher elevation.
Materials Processed
Equate “lift” with sewage. Equate “pump” with water. A lift station typically deals with sewage and waste, while a pump station handles water.
Security Features
Since sewage lift stations transfer effluent waste, they have more security features and containment mechanisms. Increased security allows the safe movement of hazardous materials.
Equipment
A sewer lift station may be equipped with a grinder or chopper/cutter pump. Grinder pumps macerate materials from sewage and items suspended in wastewater. Cutter/Chopper pumps cut or chop solid material to help larger items pass through the system. Grinders process materials from sewage and items suspended in wastewater. Lift stations often process solids and non-water items, but pump stations do not.
How Do Lift Stations Work?
Sewage and wastewater lift stations act like ski lifts or elevators, pushing waste upward from a building into a sewer system. A well-maintained lift station does not have too much dead time. Dead time is the period when the lift station is turned off—if there is too much dead time, wastewater turns septic and emits unpleasant smells.
You can prevent septic water and its dangerous side effects by having your lift station professionally installed and regularly maintained.
Types of Lift Stations
There are two main types of lift stations: submersible and traditional. A submersible lift station is submerged in the wastewater and sewage it processes. The area the submersible lift station occupies is called a wet well.
A traditional lift station is separated from the wastewater and sewage it processes. It uses a dry well, where the pump and motor are not submerged, but are instead connected to a wet well by a suction pipe.
Benefits of Lift Stations
Moving sewage and wastewater to treatment facilities is an important and hazardous task, but lift stations make it simpler. Without lift stations, we could not move sewage and wastewater properly, as gravity prevents these materials from moving uphill.
Lift stations can also lower the costs of sewer system installations.
Lift Station Maintenance Requirements
Sewer lift stations need a properly sized basin, pipe and pump to operate effectively. Improper sizing can lead to noticeable inefficiencies, like clogging and failures, which must not happen when transporting hazardous materials.
Sewer lift stations must also have adequate storage basins, and these storage basins must be maintained. Improper care can lead to sewage leaks and other environmental concerns.
How Do Pump Stations Work?
Pump stations move water to a higher elevation by collecting it in a tank and shooting it upward. They are often used in water drainage systems. This sounds similar to what a lift station does, but lift stations move sewage and waste, while pump stations move rain and runoff.
Pump Station Maintenance Requirements
Matching your pump size with its expected water volume is important. If your pump is too small, the pump station can become overwhelmed quickly. With proper sizing and regular monitoring of your system’s performance, you can ensure that your pump station remains efficient year-round.
Monitoring your pump station’s float switches is also a great idea, as it measures the amount of liquid inside a pump station.
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