Flood Threat Cured at South London Hospital

The Challenge

A large NHS Hospital in London had a number of sumps fitted with a single submersible pump installed with a traditional float switch as the level control.  The pumps and level control kept failing or getting stuck in the small sump. This resulted in flooding due to stormwater and boiler room leaks. The constant flooding was not only inconvenient but the damage it caused was costly and time-consuming.

The hospital is home to a busy 24-hour A&E department, a maternity unit, diagnostic facilities and countless other units and patient care centres. As a constantly moving site that puts patient welfare before all else, a flood threat and endless downtimes were wasting hospital resources and potentially putting welfare at risk.

Our Solution

To solve the stormwater issue, our team provided a pre-built package system for each pump. This system consisted of two Grundfos Unilift AP 35 submersibles pumps, non-return valves, and stainless steel manifolds. The system was also complete with probe level control and a control panel with an incorporated high-level alarm.

Due to the busy nature of the hospital site, our engineers had to create a solution that was as quick and effective as possible to reduce downtime that would impact the hospital’s services. We supplied all system parts in a way that would allow the on-site hospital team to install them rapidly by just swapping out the necessary systems.

The Results

The results were simple: No more floods = no more damage!

With a reliable twin pump system and probe-level controls without “moving parts” that can get trapped in a tight sump, the systems have worked faultlessly.

In the event of a pump failure, the twin pump system provides a backup pump, and if something really does go wrong, the high-level alarm provides early warning with sufficient notice for action to be taken before flooding.

Now the hospital has a simple twin sump pump solution that was pre-built for easy installation and the innovation and ability to operate for years with good reliability.