Pump it Up! Keeping the Customers Happy

If you run a business you need to have the assurance that all your facilities are working, particularly when it comes to the toilets. Businesses in the hospitality sector are particularly vulnerable if their toilets aren’t in use. It makes the customers unhappy, and it can mean having to close down until the problem is fixed.

 

Whose Pump Is It Anyway?

There is legislation imminently coming into effect that will transfer all pump stations to ownership of the main utilities companies. However, up to this time, there are still properties served by private pump stations, which makes the properties responsible for the pipe network.

In a recent case, we were called out to a pub where the toilets couldn’t be used by the customers because they were backed up. Not pleasant

Obviously this needed fixing urgently, so we set about diagnosing the problem. Public sewer connections can be a bit tricky, and when the drains block, the consequences are all to evident – you can smell the results!

We discovered that the pumps in the pump station serving the pub had overheated, tripping both switches.

This had resulted in the sewer pipe no longer taking the waste away from the pub toilets.

The first thing we needed to do was to reset the pumps. Once we did this and they started to work again, the levels of waste began to drop. After about one hour and 30 minutes, the backup had gone.

We could then check that the pipework was clear, including around the manholes. Once we were sure of this, we could leave the pump station to carry on in auto mode.

In the end the problem didn’t take too long to sort out, but the relative straightforwardness of the solution didn’t subtract from the seriousness of the situation with the pub toilets.

 

Interestingly, the client who called us out had a meeting booked with United Utilities the next day, which was another reason for the urgency of the task.

 

Drainage Consultants Ltd specialises in public sewer connections, along with a whole range of essential drain maintenance and repair services. Whether you’re a business, a homeowner or a landlord, call us for a quick, cost effective solution to your drainage problems.