New Control Panel and Level Sensor Upgrade for HMP Belmarsh Sewage Pump Station

The Challenge

HMP Belmarsh, a prison situated in East London, had an issue with the automatic controls on their triple sewage pump station. This meant that they were continually having to manually pump the tank down using the hand switch on the control panel, which was extremely inconvenient for the estates team as it needed to be monitored around the clock.

The prison had been offered a replacement control panel, but it had a long lead time and there was a risk of flooding that needed to be limited. They reached out to us to see if we could supply them with an alternative on a shorter lead time, so we sent two members of the Dura Pump team to the prison to see how we could help.

Our Solution

A sales consultant and a member of our technical team assessed the prison’s requirements and looked at the underlying issues that its current system had. 

One aspect noted, other than the fact that the controls did not work, was that the existing level control was ultrasonic and when the system went into high level mode, the ultrasonic stopped working because of the dead space on the sensor. 

We recommended a triple control panel with radar level control, which provides a highly accurate reading and has no dead spot like the ultrasonic so it will continue to read the level even if the system is flooded. 

Another benefit of this control panel is its GSM alert system that notifies up to eight people via text or email when the pump trips, if there is an alarm because the pumps have been running for an excessive time, or if there is a power outage. 

Importantly, the control panel specified was on a six-week shorter lead time than other solutions offered. 

Once the order had been placed and the panel had been manufactured, the Dura Pump team attended the site, removed the existing panel, supplied, installed and commissioned the new control panel and ensured that it was working correctly. 

The Result

Dura Pump’s quick response and specification of a control panel with a shorter lead time meant our client could overcome their issues more quickly and their engineering attention was reduced. The new system was more reliable with the upgraded radar controls, and they had an early warning system should a fault occur within the system, enabling them to react before the issue became critical.