8 Strange things we’ve found in a blocked pump station
WARNING: if you are about to tuck into your lunch, you may want to save this read for later…
Blockages are one of the most common causes of pump station breakdown.
Typically the reason for this is that the system has not been maintained or specified correctly in the first place. If the pump chosen has not been designed to cope with the level of use required, you’re likely to run into issues on a regular basis. Not only is this inconvenient, but downtime and repair can be costly.
Blockages can occur in a variety of places within the station, including the pipework, valves or the pump itself, and in all cases it can cause failure. From our years of experience, some of the most common causes are the buildup of fat, typically from cooking waste, or ragging as a result of wet wipes, but we have also met some rather unexpected blockage challenges.
It may be disgusting, yes, but you’ve read this far so you must still be a little curious. So here goes nothing! These are the strangest things we’ve found in a blocked pump station (so far):
Bottles
You don’t even want to know what they fill up with when passing through a pump… Although we’re sure you can imagine. It’s not pretty.
Bricks & gravel
Don’t have time to take your unwanted scraps to the dump? Why not chuck them down the drain, right? Wrong!
Chicken bones
Why did the chicken cross the road? Probably not to get stuck in a pump.
Men’s jeans
So let’s picture the scene, maybe you’ve put on a few pounds, you try and squeeze into your favourite pair of jeans, and they no longer fit. It’s upsetting. So naturally you chuck ‘em down the loo.
Mop heads
Perhaps someone was doing a spot of cleaning and thought ‘You know what, I’ve had enough.’ I guess we will never know.
Nappies
We get it, you want to get rid of that smell, and fast. But no matter how convenient it seems we really do recommend you head to the bin instead.
Underwear
When an unfortunate accident happens, instinctively you want to destroy the evidence. Unfortunately for us, that evidence can resurface.
Even a pallet!
We’ve been racking our brains trying to figure out how someone can so dramatically misplace an entire pallet. Someone truly made the impossible, possible. We were definitely strangely impressed to find this one!
In all seriousness, making sure that everyone is not flushing anything they shouldn’t be is crucial to keeping your system up and running efficiently, and to avoiding a hefty repair bill. So next time you see someone trying to stuff their jeans down the toilet, maybe politely suggest they dispose of them elsewhere.
No matter how unusual the issue with your pump station is, our team of experienced pump engineers are ready to take on the challenge and will determine if your system is right for your application! Get in touch today on 01604 648 800