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SynC · Historical revision

Packaged Pump and Lift Stations

Revision4
EditedOct 12, 2026
StatusSuperseded
Contents

View changes in this revision   Revision history

Historical revision. This is editorial revision 4, kept so citations to it stay resolvable. It is not the current text of this standard — see the current revision.

SynC Standards Team — Specifier (Platform Standards) ✓ OfficialDiscloses employment SynC (SynC Platform Team)
Datasheet constraints: every range, checkbox and listbox field now states its direction

1 Scope

1.1 Boundary of Work

NOTE This standard governs a packaged pump or lift station as a unit of supply: the basin, the pumps and their motors, the removal system, the discharge piping and valves inside the station limit, the level devices, the control panel, the ventilation and odor provisions, and the standby power interface at the station, furnished as one coordinated package. (1.1.1)
NOTE The station begins at the influent connection on the basin wall and ends at the discharge connection at the station limit, which is the downstream flange of the valve vault where one is furnished and the discharge flange at the basin wall where valves are in the basin. (1.1.2)
NOTE The boundary with Sump And Sewage PumpsSump and Sewage PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/sump-and-sewage-pumps is drawn by function and location, not by size: a basin pump inside or immediately adjacent to a building that lifts into the building drainage system belongs there, and a station on the site that lifts to a site sewer, a force main, or an outfall belongs here. (1.1.3)
NOTE Work outside this boundary is governed by the standards named below, and this standard defers to them rather than restating their requirements: (1.1.4)
  • The site gravity sewers that feed the station and the sewage force main beyond the discharge connection, including its material, thrust restraint, air release valves, and discharge manhole, under Sanitary Sewer SystemsSanitary Sewer Systems (Site)Resolves to the current adopted revision.sync/sanitary-sewer-systems
  • The storm sewers and inlets upstream of a stormwater station under Storm DrainageStorm DrainageResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/storm-drainage, and the detention or treatment facility it discharges to under Stormwater Management SystemsStormwater Management and Detention SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/stormwater-management-systems
  • Excavation of the station pit, construction groundwater control, and backfill above the pipe zone under EarthworkEarthworkResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/earthwork, and any engineered excavation support or designed dewatering system under Excavation Support And DewateringExcavation Support and DewateringResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/excavation-support-and-dewatering
  • The engine-generator set under GeneratorsEngine GeneratorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/generators, the automatic transfer switch under Automatic Transfer SwitchesAutomatic Transfer SwitchesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/automatic-transfer-switches, and the system-level classification, source selection, and transfer scheme under Emergency And Standby PowerEmergency and Standby Power SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/emergency-and-standby-power
  • The feeder, raceways, and conductors from the distribution equipment to the control panel line terminals under Conductors And CablesConductors and CablesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/conductors-and-cables and Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit, and the grounding electrode system under Grounding And BondingGrounding and Bonding for Electrical SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/grounding-and-bonding
  • The supervisory system that receives the station's signals under Building Automation SystemBuilding Automation SystemResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/building-automation-system or SCADA And HMI SystemsSCADA and HMI SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/scada-and-hmi-systems
NOTE The bedding beneath the basin, the anti-flotation ballast, and the pipe zone of the station's own influent stub and discharge piping within the station limit are within this standard; EarthworkEarthworkResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/earthwork resumes above the pipe zone and supplies the backfill class and compaction target for the area in which the station falls. (1.1.5)
NOTE The design flow, the total dynamic head, the number of pumps, the wet well dimensions, and the force main size are established by the civil engineer of record in the hydraulic calculations and recorded on the civil drawings; this standard defers each of those values to the drawings and does not select them. (1.1.6)

1.2 Utility Ownership

1.2.1 Where the station will be dedicated to a public utility for ownership and operation, the utility's design standards, approved product lists, and acceptance procedures shall govern over the selections in this standard wherever they differ.
1.2.2 The ownership disposition of the station shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Station Ownership After Acceptanceradio
○ Privately owned and maintained by the Owner
○ To be dedicated to the public utility
Per drawings — the civil general notes and the utility agreement (deferred by default)
1.2.3 Where the station will be dedicated, the Contractor shall obtain the utility's written approval of the station submittal before fabrication, and shall schedule the utility's inspections and witness tests as hold points in the station work.
NOTE A utility that will own the station for decades has standardized its pumps, its control panels, and its hatch patterns so one crew can maintain every station in its system, and a package that meets this standard but not that list is rejected at the dedication inspection after it is in the ground. (1.2.4)

2 Referenced Standards

2.1 Equipment, materials, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
2.2 Where referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
Standard Title
ANSI/HI 1.1-1.2 Rotodynamic Centrifugal Pumps for Nomenclature and Definitions
ANSI/HI 1.3 Rotodynamic Centrifugal Pumps for Design and Application
ANSI/HI 1.4 Rotodynamic Centrifugal Pumps for Manuals Describing Installation, Operation, and Maintenance
ANSI/HI 9.6.1 Rotodynamic Pumps Guideline for NPSH Margin
ANSI/HI 9.6.3 Rotodynamic Pumps Guideline for Operating Regions
ANSI/HI 9.8 Rotodynamic Pumps for Pump Intake Design
ANSI/HI 11.6 Rotodynamic Submersible Pumps for Hydraulic Performance, Hydrostatic Pressure, Mechanical, and Electrical Acceptance Tests
ANSI/HI 14.6 Rotodynamic Pumps for Hydraulic Performance Acceptance Tests
NFPA 820 Standard for Fire Protection in Wastewater Treatment and Collection Facilities
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (Articles 430, 500 through 504, 700 through 702)
UL 508A Industrial Control Panels
UL 698A Industrial Control Panels Relating to Hazardous (Classified) Locations
UL 778 Motor-Operated Water Pumps
UL 1008 Transfer Switch Equipment
NEMA MG 1 Motors and Generators
NEMA 250 Enclosures for Electrical Equipment (1000 Volts Maximum)
NEMA ICS 2 Industrial Control and Systems: Controllers, Contactors, and Overload Relays Rated 600 Volts
ASTM D3753 Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polyester Manholes and Wetwells
ASTM C478 Circular Precast Reinforced Concrete Manhole Sections
ASTM C913 Precast Concrete Water and Wastewater Structures
ASTM C443 Joints for Concrete Pipe and Manholes, Using Rubber Gaskets
ASTM C923 Resilient Connectors Between Reinforced Concrete Manhole Structures, Pipes, and Laterals
ASTM C990 Joints for Concrete Pipe, Manholes, and Precast Box Sections Using Preformed Flexible Joint Sealants
ASTM A240/A240M Chromium and Chromium-Nickel Stainless Steel Plate, Sheet, and Strip
ASTM A312/A312M Seamless, Welded, and Heavily Cold Worked Austenitic Stainless Steel Pipes
ASTM A536 Ductile Iron Castings
ASTM D1784 Rigid Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (PVC) Compounds and Chlorinated Poly(Vinyl Chloride) (CPVC) Compounds
ASTM D2321 Underground Installation of Thermoplastic Pipe for Sewers and Other Gravity-Flow Applications
AWWA C110/A21.10 Ductile-Iron and Gray-Iron Fittings
AWWA C151/A21.51 Ductile-Iron Pipe, Centrifugally Cast
AWWA C153/A21.53 Ductile-Iron Compact Fittings
AWWA C508 Swing-Check Valves for Waterworks Service, 2 In. Through 48 In.
AWWA C509 Resilient-Seated Gate Valves for Water Supply Service
AWWA C515 Reduced-Wall, Resilient-Seated Gate Valves for Water Supply Service
AWWA C517 Resilient-Seated Cast-Iron Eccentric Plug Valves
AASHTO LRFD LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (Section 3, Loads and Load Factors)
GLUMRB Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities (Ten States Standards)
29 CFR 1910.146 Permit-Required Confined Spaces

3 Submittals

3.1 Action Submittals

3.1.1 The Contractor shall submit the following for review and acceptance before the station is released for fabrication:
  • Product data for the basin, pumps, motors, valves, level devices, hatches, and control panel, identifying the configuration, materials of construction, and listing marks of each
  • Certified pump performance curve for the pump furnished at the design speed, plotted from shutoff to runout, with the station system head curve overlaid and the single-pump duty point, the parallel-operation point, and the firm-capacity point marked
  • Wet well sizing calculation showing the active volume between the pump-off and lead-on levels, the resulting minimum cycle time and starts per hour at the design flow, and the emergency storage volume above the high-level alarm
  • Shop drawings of the basin, valve vault, piping, guide rails, hatches, and vent, with the influent and discharge connections, the level setpoint elevations, and the hazardous location classification boundaries under NFPA 820 shown
  • Anti-flotation calculation for the empty basin at the groundwater condition stated in this standard, with the ballast or anchorage furnished
  • Basin structural calculation for the burial depth, the soil and groundwater loads, and the surface loading at the station location
  • Control panel schematic, panel layout, and bill of material showing the alternation logic, the motor protection, the level device inputs, the alarm and telemetry outputs, and the standby power interface
  • Electrical one-line diagram of the station showing the feeder termination, the transfer means where furnished, and the conductor and raceway schedule
  • Where the station will be dedicated, the utility's written approval of the station submittal
Action Submittals Requiredcheckbox
☑ Product data with materials and listing marks
☑ Certified pump curve with system curve and firm-capacity point
☑ Wet well sizing and cycle time calculation
☑ Basin, vault, piping, and hatch shop drawings with NFPA 820 boundaries
☑ Anti-flotation calculation
☑ Basin structural calculation
☑ Control panel schematic, layout, and bill of material
☑ Station electrical one-line diagram
☐ Utility approval of the station submittal
3.1.2 Fabrication shall not begin until the action submittals have been returned marked no exceptions taken or make corrections as noted.
NOTE The curve overlay is the submittal that catches the station that cannot work: a pump selected for the duty point alone can run out past its allowable region when the force main is new and clean, and can fail to reach the firm-capacity point at all when the standby pump is the only one running. (3.1.3)

3.2 Closeout Submittals

3.2.1 The Contractor shall submit the following before the station is accepted:
  • Factory test reports for the basin hydrostatic test, each pump performance test, and the control panel functional test
  • Operation and maintenance manuals meeting ANSI/HI 1.4 for the pumps, and the manufacturer's manuals for the level devices, the valves, and the control panel
  • Record drawings showing the installed basin elevation, the influent and discharge invert elevations, every level setpoint elevation as set, and the alarm activation level
  • Field acceptance test report recording each test required by this standard, signed by the Contractor and the witnessing party
  • Confined space entry information for the wet well and valve vault, including the classification and the ventilation provided, for the Owner's entry program under 29 CFR 1910.146
  • Warranty documentation for the package, correlated to each pump and panel serial number and to the acceptance date
  • Spare parts inventory identifying each item by manufacturer part number
  • Where the station will be dedicated, the utility's acceptance documentation
Closeout Submittals Requiredcheckbox
☑ Factory test reports
☑ Operation and maintenance manuals
☑ Record drawings with setpoint and alarm elevations
☑ Signed field acceptance test report
☑ Confined space entry information
☑ Warranty documentation by serial number
☑ Spare parts inventory
☐ Utility acceptance documentation
3.2.2 The level setpoints shall be recorded on the record drawings as elevations and as depths above the basin floor, measured after the devices are set, not copied from the shop drawings.

4 Quality Assurance

4.1 Single-Source Responsibility

4.1.1 The basin, pumps, removal system, discharge piping, valves, level devices, and control panel shall be furnished as one package by or through a single station manufacturer, who shall be responsible for the coordinated performance of the assembly.
4.1.2 The station manufacturer shall have produced packaged pump stations of the arrangement furnished for not less than the period indicated in the datasheet.
Station Manufacturer Experiencerange
Not less than
years
35101520
4.1.3 The pump manufacturer shall have produced solids-handling pumps of the type and size furnished for not less than five years.
4.1.4 The station manufacturer shall provide a factory-trained representative at the pre-installation conference, at the setting of the basin, and at startup.
NOTE A station bought as a basin from one supplier, pumps from another, and a panel from a third has no party who owns the interfaces, and the interfaces are where stations fail: a level device that the panel cannot read, a discharge elbow that does not match the pump, a hatch that will not clear the guide rails. (4.1.5)

4.2 Listings and Qualifications

4.2.1 The control panel shall be assembled by a panel shop holding a UL 508A listing and shall bear the UL 508A listing mark.
4.2.2 Where the control panel contains intrinsically safe barriers or associated apparatus serving devices in the classified wet well, the panel shall additionally be listed under UL 698A.
4.2.3 Pump motors shall be listed under UL 778 or shall be certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for the service.
4.2.4 Electrical equipment installed within a classified location shall be listed for the class, division, and group of that location under NFPA 70.
4.2.5 Welding of stainless steel piping and guide rail brackets shall be performed by welders qualified under a recognized procedure, and welds on wetted stainless steel shall be passivated after fabrication.

4.3 Pre-Installation Conference

4.3.1 A pre-installation conference shall be held before the station excavation reaches the basin bearing elevation, attended by the Contractor, the site utility subcontractor, the electrical subcontractor, the station manufacturer's representative, the civil engineer of record, the geotechnical engineer of record, and the utility's inspector where the station will be dedicated.
4.3.2 The conference agenda shall cover the bearing surface and bedding, groundwater control through backfill, the setting and ballasting sequence, the influent and discharge connections, the hazardous location boundaries and the conduit seals at them, the feeder termination and standby power interface, the level setpoints, and the startup and witness test sequence.
4.3.3 Minutes of the conference shall be distributed to all attendees and to the Engineer of Record within five business days.

5 Service Conditions

5.1 Station Service

5.1.1 The station service shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and every wetted component shall be selected for that service.
Station Serviceradio
● Raw sanitary sewage
○ Screened or settled effluent
○ Stormwater
○ Combined sewage and stormwater
NOTE Raw sewage carries rags, grit, and grease and generates hydrogen sulfide and methane, so it sets the solids passage, the corrosion protection, and the hazardous location classification; screened or settled effluent from a treatment unit or interceptor carries fewer solids and admits smaller passages and smaller pumps, but still generates gas; stormwater carries grit and debris in large surges, generates no sewer gas, and is unclassified, so its pumps are sized for peak surge rather than for a daily pattern; combined service takes the solids and gas provisions of sewage with the surge capacity of stormwater. (5.1.2)
NOTE The design flow of a stormwater station is established by the civil engineer of record for Design Storm FrequencyDesign Storm FrequencyParameterEach project supplies its own value.design-storm-frequency, and the pump selection shall deliver that flow at the total dynamic head at the maximum receiving-water level the civil drawings show. (5.1.3)

5.2 Hazardous Location Classification

5.2.1 The wet well, the valve vault, the dry well where one is furnished, and the spaces around their openings shall be classified under NFPA 820 for the station service and the ventilation furnished, and the classification boundaries shall be shown on the shop drawings.
5.2.2 The wet well classification shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Wet Well Hazardous Location Classificationradio
○ Class I, Division 1
○ Class I, Division 2
○ Unclassified
Derived — the station service and the wet well ventilation mode, classified per NFPA 820 (by default)
NOTE A sewage or combined-service wet well is a Class I location under NFPA 820, and whether it is Division 1 or Division 2 follows from the ventilation furnished; a stormwater wet well generates no sewer gas and is unclassified, which is the one condition under which the wet well equipment need not be listed for a hazardous location. (5.2.3)
5.2.4 All electrical equipment, wiring methods, level devices, and junction boxes within a classified location shall be listed and installed for that classification under NFPA 70 Articles 500 through 504.
5.2.5 Conduit seals shall be installed at every boundary where a raceway leaves a classified location, including the raceway from the wet well to the control panel and from the wet well to the valve vault.
5.2.6 The control panel shall be located outside every classified location, and the Contractor shall report any location shown for the panel that falls inside the Division 2 envelope around a hatch or vent before the panel is set.
NOTE The classification is the single most often omitted requirement in a pump station specification, and omitting it produces the station that is built with ordinary motors, ordinary junction boxes, and no conduit seals, then found at the final inspection by an electrical inspector who reads NFPA 820 even though the designer did not. (5.2.7)

5.3 Site Conditions

5.3.1 The basin shall resist flotation when empty with the groundwater at Seasonal High Groundwater ElevationSeasonal High Groundwater ElevationParameterEach project supplies its own value.seasonal-high-groundwater-elevation, as required in the basin article of this standard.
5.3.2 Piping in the valve vault and the vault drain shall be protected against freezing where the vault lid lies above Frost DepthFrost DepthParameterEach project supplies its own value.frost-depth, by insulation of the lid, by a heat-traced drain, or by both.
5.3.3 The control panel heater provision shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Control Panel Heaterradio
○ Thermostatically controlled heater with condensation control
○ Not provided
Derived — Site Ambient Temperature MinimumSite Ambient Temperature MinimumParameterEach project supplies its own value.site-ambient-temperature-minimum at the panel location (by default)
NOTE A panel heater does two jobs, keeping the enclosure interior above freezing and above the dew point; condensation inside an outdoor panel corrodes terminals and trips ground fault protection long before the temperature falls far enough to freeze anything. (5.3.4)
5.3.5 Pump motors and the control panel shall be rated for continuous operation at Site Ambient Temperature MaximumSite Ambient Temperature MaximumParameterEach project supplies its own value.site-ambient-temperature-maximum with the enclosure in direct sun, and the panel manufacturer shall confirm the enclosure interior temperature at that condition does not exceed the rating of any component inside it.
5.3.6 Where the station is at AltitudeAltitudeParameterEach project supplies its own value.altitude above 3,300 ft, the pump manufacturer shall confirm the net positive suction head available for a dry-pit or suction-lift arrangement at the corrected atmospheric pressure, and the motor manufacturer shall confirm the motor rating at that altitude.
5.3.7 Above-grade equipment, the control panel, and the valve vault piping shall be anchored for Seismic Design CategorySeismic Design CategoryParameterEach project supplies its own value.seismic-design-category, and the anchorage shall be shown on the shop drawings.

6 Station Configuration

6.1 Station Arrangement

6.1.1 The station arrangement shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Station Arrangementradio
● Wet well with submersible pumps
○ Wet well and dry well with dry-pit pumps
○ Wet well with above-grade suction-lift pumps
NOTE A submersible station puts the pump in the sewage and leaves nothing above grade but the hatch, the vent, and the panel, so it is the smallest footprint, the lowest first cost, and the arrangement nearly every packaged station takes; its cost is that every pump inspection is a pump lift. A wet well and dry well arrangement keeps the pump and motor in a dry room beside the wet well where they can be inspected and serviced in place, at the cost of a second structure that must itself be ventilated, drained, and classified. A suction-lift station mounts self-priming pumps above grade over the wet well, so the pumps are serviced standing up without a lift or an entry; its limits are the static suction lift the pump can reprime against, which falls with AltitudeAltitudeParameterEach project supplies its own value.altitude and with warm sewage, and a station that cannot reprime is a station that is off. (6.1.2)
6.1.3 Where the suction-lift arrangement is selected, the static suction lift from the pump-off level to the pump centerline shall not exceed the pump manufacturer's published repriming lift for the pump furnished, corrected for AltitudeAltitudeParameterEach project supplies its own value.altitude.

6.2 Number of Pumps and Firm Capacity

6.2.1 The number of pumps in the station shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Number of Pumpsradio
○ Simplex, one pump
○ Duplex, two pumps
○ Triplex, three pumps
○ Quadruplex, four pumps
Per drawings — the lift station schedule on the civil drawings (deferred by default)
6.2.2 The station shall provide firm capacity: with the largest pump out of service, the remaining pump or pumps shall deliver the design peak flow at the total dynamic head.
6.2.3 A simplex station shall not be furnished for sanitary or combined service unless the Contract Documents direct it and the Authority Having Jurisdiction has accepted a simplex station for that location.
NOTE Firm capacity is the rule the reviewing agency applies first, and it is why a duplex station is sized so that one pump carries the peak flow alone: the second pump is the standby, not half the capacity. A triplex or quadruplex station with lead, lag, and standby staging is sized the same way, with the largest pump out, and buys the ability to follow a flow that varies widely across the day without short-cycling the pumps at the low end. (6.2.4)
6.2.5 Where two or more pumps can run together, the pump selection shall show the operating point with all duty pumps running against the system curve, and each pump shall be non-overloading at that point and at single-pump runout.

6.3 Design Duty

6.3.1 Each pump shall be selected to deliver the design flow at the design total dynamic head indicated in the datasheet.
Design Flow per Pumprange
gpm
1025507510015020030040050075010001500200030005000750010000
Per drawings — the lift station schedule on the civil drawings (deferred by default)
Design Total Dynamic Headrange
ft
101520253040506075100125150200250300
Per drawings — the lift station hydraulic calculations and force main profile (deferred by default)
6.3.2 The design operating point shall fall within the allowable operating region of the pump furnished, determined per ANSI/HI 9.6.3, and the selection report shall state the design flow as a percentage of the flow at best efficiency.
6.3.3 The system head curve used for the selection shall be prepared for both the new force main and the force main at the end of its service life, and the pump shall remain within its allowable operating region on both.
NOTE A force main's friction loss rises as the pipe wall roughens and grease and slime accumulate, so a pump selected on the clean-pipe curve alone runs out when the main is new and climbs up its curve toward shutoff as the main ages; the two-curve selection is what keeps the pump inside its region across the life of the main. (6.3.4)

6.4 Wet Well Volume and Cycle Time

6.4.1 The active volume of the wet well between the pump-off level and the lead-on level shall be sized so that no pump starts more often than the limit indicated in the datasheet at any inflow.
Pump Starts per Hourrange
Not more than
starts per hour
2468101215
Derived — the motor manufacturer's published starts-per-hour limit for the motor furnished (by default)
NOTE The starts-per-hour limit is a motor property: each start heats the winding far more than a minute of running does, and a large motor needs more time between starts to shed that heat than a small one. The minimum active volume for one pump is the pump rate multiplied by the minimum cycle time and divided by four, and the worst case occurs when the inflow equals half the pump rate, not at the design flow. (6.4.2)
6.4.3 The wet well shall provide emergency storage above the high-level alarm, below the lowest influent invert, for not less than the time indicated in the datasheet at the average daily flow.
Emergency Storage Above the High-Level Alarmrange
Not less than
hours
0.512481224
NOTE Emergency storage is the time an operator has between the alarm and an overflow, and the right number depends on the standby power interface selected in this standard: a station with an automatic transfer switch and a permanent generator rides through a power outage without using it, a station with a portable generator receptacle needs enough storage for a crew to arrive with the generator, and a station with no standby power needs enough storage to cover the longest outage the Owner will tolerate. Many utilities and state reviewers set a minimum in hours at average flow, and the datasheet value is checked against that minimum where the station will be dedicated. (6.4.4)
6.4.5 Where the wet well cannot provide the emergency storage indicated, the deficit shall be made up by storage in the upstream gravity sewer below the lowest connected building drain, documented in the sizing calculation, or the Contractor shall report the condition to the Engineer of Record before fabrication.

7 Wet Well Basin

7.1 Basin Material

7.1.1 The wet well basin shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet.
Wet Well Basin Materialselect
Fiberglass-reinforced polyester
Precast reinforced concrete
Polymer concrete
Polyethylene
Coated welded steel
7.1.2 Fiberglass-reinforced polyester basins shall conform to ASTM D3753, with the wall laminate designed for the burial depth and the groundwater condition and an anti-flotation flange molded integrally where the anti-flotation method requires one.
7.1.3 Precast reinforced concrete basins shall conform to ASTM C478 for circular sections and ASTM C913 for other shapes, with joints sealed per ASTM C443 or ASTM C990 and pipe penetrations through resilient connectors per ASTM C923.
7.1.4 Polymer concrete basins shall be cast of a resin-bound aggregate without portland cement, and the manufacturer shall certify the resin's resistance to sulfuric acid at the concentrations that form in a sewage wet well.
7.1.5 Polyethylene basins shall be rotationally molded or fabricated of a resin the manufacturer certifies for buried wastewater service, with molded or welded flanges for anchorage, and shall be limited to the burial depth and diameter the manufacturer publishes for the wall thickness furnished.
7.1.6 Coated welded steel basins shall be fabricated of steel plate with continuous welds, blast-cleaned, and coated inside and out with a coating system the manufacturer certifies for immersion in wastewater, and shall be furnished with the cathodic protection or dielectric isolation the soil condition requires.
NOTE Fiberglass is immune to sulfide attack, arrives as one piece with the flanges, brackets, and penetrations already in it, and is the basin nearly every packaged station is built on; it is limited in diameter and depth by the laminate the manufacturer can build, and it must be ballasted against flotation because it weighs almost nothing. Precast concrete reaches the large diameters and depths fiberglass cannot, and its own mass resists flotation, but it is attacked by the sulfuric acid that forms above the waterline in sewage service and needs a lining there. Polymer concrete carries the mass and stiffness of concrete with the acid resistance of a resin, at a higher price and from fewer suppliers. Polyethylene is the lightest and least expensive basin for small shallow stations and the one with the lowest burial depth limit. Coated steel is used where a shape no molded or cast basin offers is needed, and its life is the life of its coating. (7.1.7)

7.2 Concrete Basin Interior Protection

7.2.1 Requirements in this article apply where a precast reinforced concrete basin is selected in the datasheet.
7.2.2 The interior protection of a concrete basin shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Concrete Basin Interior Protectionselect
100 percent solids epoxy lining
Polyurethane or polyurea lining
Embedded thermoplastic liner sheet cast into the concrete
Calcium aluminate mortar lining
No lining
7.2.3 Where a lining is furnished in sanitary or combined service, it shall cover the interior from the basin floor to the underside of the top slab and the underside of the top slab itself, and shall be holiday-tested before the basin is shipped.
NOTE Sulfuric acid forms where hydrogen sulfide meets the moist concrete above the waterline, so the attack is worst at the top of the basin and the underside of the slab, not in the sewage; an unlined concrete wet well in raw sewage service loses its surface within a few years and its reinforcement cover within a decade. A sprayed epoxy or polyurethane lining is the common protection and depends on surface preparation and thickness; an embedded liner sheet is anchored into the concrete at the plant and cannot delaminate, which is what recommends it for large or deep basins; a calcium aluminate mortar resists the acid chemically rather than by sealing it out and is used where a cementitious surface is wanted for repair. No lining is the position for a stormwater basin, where no acid forms. (7.2.4)

7.3 Basin Dimensions

7.3.1 The wet well inside diameter shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and shall be not less than the diameter needed to house the pumps, the guide rails, the level devices, and the influent connection with the clearances ANSI/HI 9.8 requires between the pump inlets and the basin wall and floor.
Wet Well Inside Diameterrange
in
364860728496108120144
Per drawings — the lift station plan and section on the civil drawings (deferred by default)
7.3.2 The wet well depth from the top of the basin to the floor shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Wet Well Depthrange
ft
6810121416182025303540
Per drawings — the lift station plan and section on the civil drawings (deferred by default)
7.3.3 The influent connection size, invert elevation, and orientation and the discharge connection size and elevation shall be as indicated on the lift station plan and section on the civil drawings.
7.3.4 The basin floor shall be sloped or filleted toward the pump inlets so that no flat area remains in which solids can settle outside the reach of the pump intake.
NOTE A flat-bottomed wet well grows a bank of settled grit and grease in every corner the intake does not sweep, and the bank is what a crew eventually enters the wet well to remove; a benched or filleted floor is the difference between a station that cleans itself on every drawdown and one that does not. (7.3.5)

7.4 Loads and Anti-Flotation

7.4.1 The basin and its top shall be designed for the burial depth, the lateral soil and groundwater pressure, and the surface loading at the station location, and the design shall be stated in the basin structural calculation.
7.4.2 The surface load rating of the basin top, cover, and hatches shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Basin Top and Hatch Load Ratingradio
○ Pedestrian loading, 300 psf
○ AASHTO HS-20 vehicular loading
Derived — the station location relative to the drives, parking, and fire lanes shown on the civil site plan (by default)
NOTE A hatch in a lawn needs a pedestrian rating; a hatch that any vehicle can reach, including a vacuum truck backing up to service the station, needs the vehicular rating, and the truck is the load case the lawn location is most often sized without. (7.4.3)
7.4.4 The basin shall resist uplift when empty, with the groundwater at Seasonal High Groundwater ElevationSeasonal High Groundwater ElevationParameterEach project supplies its own value.seasonal-high-groundwater-elevation, with a factor of safety not less than the value indicated in the datasheet, counting only the dead weight of the basin and its permanent ballast and the soil above the anti-flotation flange or slab.
Anti-Flotation Factor of Safetyrange
Not less than
11.11.21.251.52
7.4.5 The anti-flotation method shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Anti-Flotation Methodselect
Concrete ballast collar poured around an integral basin flange
Extended precast base slab with the basin anchored to it
Mass concrete ballast beneath the basin
Basin dead weight alone
NOTE A factor of safety near 1.0 counts every pound of ballast exactly and leaves nothing for a groundwater level above the one assumed or a basin that is emptied for cleaning in a wet season; the higher values are what reviewers and utilities ask for where the water table is at grade. The ballast collar is the method fiberglass and polyethylene basins are molded for and it is poured in the excavation around the flange; an extended base slab suits a precast concrete basin, where the slab is cast with the first riser; mass concrete beneath the basin works where the excavation is already over-excavated for a soft bottom; dead weight alone is only a position for a heavy concrete basin on a site where the water table never reaches the basin floor. (7.4.6)
7.4.7 Ballast concrete shall be placed with the basin held at its design elevation and plumb, and shall reach the strength the manufacturer requires before the basin is backfilled above the flange or the groundwater control is discontinued.
7.4.8 The weight of the soil above the flange shall be counted only where the backfill will be placed and compacted over the full flange width, and shall not be counted where the flange is within a paved area whose base course will be excavated during the life of the station.

7.5 Access Hatches

7.5.1 Each hatch shall be sized so that each pump can be removed on its guide rails, with its discharge elbow clearance and its lifting chain, without a worker entering the wet well.
7.5.2 The hatch material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Hatch Materialradio
● Aluminum with stainless steel hardware
○ Type 316 stainless steel
○ Fiberglass-reinforced composite
NOTE Aluminum is the common hatch, light enough to lift by hand and resistant to the wet well air, and it needs a bituminous coating where it bears on concrete; stainless steel is the choice where the hatch is in a traffic area that will be struck or where the utility standardizes on it; a composite hatch does not conduct and cannot be stolen for scrap, and it carries a lower impact rating than metal at the same load rating. (7.5.3)
7.5.4 Hatches shall be furnished with a hinged cover, a hold-open arm that locks in the open position, a lift handle, a recessed padlock hasp, and a fall-through grating or safety net below the cover.
7.5.5 Hatches over a classified wet well shall be gasketed so that the cover seals against the frame, and the hatch frame shall be set in a bead of sealant on the basin top.
7.5.6 Hatch locations shall be coordinated with the Division 2 envelope around them so that the control panel, the generator receptacle, and the vent are outside it.

8 Pumps and Motors

8.1 Pump Hydraulic Type

8.1.1 The pump impeller type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Impeller Typeradio
● Non-clog solids-handling channel impeller
○ Vortex recessed impeller
○ Grinder
○ Chopper
NOTE A channel impeller passes a large solid at the best efficiency of the four types and is the impeller nearly every sewage lift station runs; it clogs on stringy material when the passage is small relative to the rag load. A vortex impeller sits out of the flow path so the solid passes through the volute without touching the vane, and it tolerates stringy and abrasive material better at an efficiency ten to twenty points lower. A grinder macerates the solids to a slurry so the discharge can be a small-diameter pipe, which is what a low-pressure sewer needs and what a large-flow station cannot afford in energy. A chopper cuts rather than grinds, with cutters at the impeller eye, and is used where the rag load has defeated a channel impeller and a grinder is too small. (8.1.2)
8.1.3 Non-grinder pumps in sanitary or combined service shall pass a spherical solid not smaller than the diameter indicated in the datasheet.
Spherical Solids Passagerange
Not less than
in
22.534
NOTE A 3 in. spherical passage is the sewage benchmark that most state criteria and most utilities require; a smaller passage is admitted for screened or settled effluent and for small stations where no 3 in. pump exists at the duty, and a larger passage is specified where the station receives unscreened flow from a large tributary area. (8.1.4)
8.1.5 Pumps shall be rated for continuous operation in the station service and shall not depend on submergence for motor cooling at the pump-off level unless the manufacturer certifies the motor for that condition.
8.1.6 The pump casing, impeller, and wear rings shall be of the materials indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Casing and Impeller Materialradio
● Cast iron casing and cast iron impeller
○ Cast iron casing and ductile iron impeller
○ Cast iron casing and hardened stainless steel impeller
○ Stainless steel casing and impeller
NOTE Cast iron throughout is the sewage pump as sold and holds up in domestic sewage for the life of the pump; a ductile or hardened stainless impeller resists the abrasion of grit-laden stormwater and combined flow and the cutting duty of a chopper; a stainless casing and impeller are specified where the wastewater is corrosive, as with an industrial contributor or a brackish infiltration, and cost several times the iron pump. (8.1.7)

8.2 Submersible Pump Construction

8.2.1 Requirements in this article apply where the wet well with submersible pumps arrangement is selected in the datasheet.
8.2.2 Each submersible pump shall be furnished with a permanently installed discharge elbow at the basin floor, a sliding bracket on the pump, and guide rails, so the pump seats on the elbow by its own weight and is removed and reinstalled without bolting and without a worker entering the wet well.
8.2.3 The guide rail material shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Guide Rail and Bracket Materialradio
● Type 304 stainless steel
○ Type 316 stainless steel
○ Hot-dip galvanized steel
NOTE Type 304 is the rail most packaged stations ship with and lasts in domestic sewage; Type 316 is specified where chlorides are present, from brackish infiltration, road salt in combined flow, or an industrial contributor; galvanized steel is the lowest first cost and the one whose coating the wet well air consumes within a few years. (8.2.4)
8.2.5 Each pump shall be furnished with a lifting chain or cable of stainless steel, sized for the pump weight with a factor of safety the manufacturer publishes, long enough to reach the hatch with the pump seated, and secured at the hatch frame.
8.2.6 Each submersible motor shall be furnished with a moisture sensor in the seal chamber and thermal sensors in the windings, wired to the control panel, which shall indicate a seal leak and shall stop the pump on winding overtemperature.
8.2.7 The power and sensor cables of each pump shall be continuous from the pump to the control panel junction without a splice in the wet well, and shall be of the length the installed distance requires.
8.2.8 Submersible pumps shall be furnished with a tandem mechanical seal arrangement with an oil-filled chamber between the seals, and the seal faces shall be silicon carbide or tungsten carbide on the lower seal.

8.3 Dry-Pit Pump Construction

8.3.1 Requirements in this article apply where the wet well and dry well arrangement is selected in the datasheet.
8.3.2 The dry-pit pump construction shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Dry-Pit Pump Constructionradio
○ Dry-pit submersible pump with immersible motor
○ Vertical close-coupled dry-pit pump
○ Horizontal frame-mounted dry-pit pump
NOTE A dry-pit submersible pump keeps running when the dry well floods, which is the failure the dry well arrangement is otherwise most exposed to, and its motor is cooled by a jacket rather than by the room air; a vertical close-coupled pump is the compact dry-well pump with the motor above the volute and nothing to flood until the water reaches the motor; a horizontal frame-mounted pump gives the easiest access to the seal and bearings and takes the most floor area, and is the choice at the larger flows where the pump is maintained in place for decades. (8.3.3)
8.3.4 The dry well shall be furnished with a sump and a sump pump discharging to the wet well, a floor drain to that sump, a dehumidifier or ventilation that holds the room below the dew point of the pump surfaces, and lighting and a fixed access ladder or stair.
8.3.5 Suction piping from the wet well to each dry-pit pump shall be furnished with an isolation valve at the wet well wall, operable from the dry well, so that a pump can be removed without draining the wet well.
8.3.6 Dry-pit pumps shall be set and aligned on a baseplate grouted to a housekeeping pad, and the coupling alignment shall be recorded in the startup report.

8.4 Suction-Lift Pump Construction

8.4.1 Requirements in this article apply where the wet well with above-grade suction-lift pumps arrangement is selected in the datasheet.
8.4.2 Suction-lift pumps shall be self-priming solids-handling centrifugal pumps with a priming chamber that retains enough liquid to reprime from the pump-off level without a foot valve.
8.4.3 Each suction line shall be furnished with its own intake in the wet well, a vacuum gauge connection, and no high point between the intake and the pump, and shall be of the diameter the pump manufacturer publishes for the repriming lift.
8.4.4 The pumps, valves, and panel shall be housed in a weatherproof above-grade enclosure with a heater holding the enclosure above freezing and with ventilation that keeps the enclosure interior outside the classified envelope of the wet well vent.
NOTE A suction-lift station fails by losing prime, and it loses prime through an air leak in the suction line, a high point that traps air, or a lift the pump cannot overcome on a warm day; the three requirements above are the three ways to prevent it. (8.4.5)

8.5 Pump Motors

8.5.1 Pump motors shall conform to NEMA MG 1 and shall be rated as indicated in the datasheet.
Motor Nameplate Horsepower per Pumprange
hp
0.50.7511.52357.5101520253040506075100125150200250300
Per drawings — the lift station schedule on the civil drawings (deferred by default)
Motor Supply Voltagerange
V
115208230460480575
Per drawings — the electrical drawings and panel schedules (deferred by default)
Motor Supply Phaseradio
○ Single phase, 1Φ
○ Three phase, 3Φ
Per drawings — the electrical drawings and panel schedules (deferred by default)
8.5.2 Motor voltage and phase shall match the feeder serving the station as shown on the electrical documents, and any discrepancy between the civil schedule and the electrical documents shall be resolved before the station is released for fabrication.
8.5.3 Single-phase motors shall be furnished only within the horsepower range for which the pump manufacturer offers single-phase construction, and the capacitors and starting relays for a single-phase motor shall be mounted in the control panel, not in the wet well.
8.5.4 Motors shall be non-overloading across the full published curve of the pump furnished, from shutoff to runout, without relying on the service factor.
8.5.5 Motors in a classified wet well shall be listed for the class, division, and group shown on the shop drawings.
8.5.6 Motor insulation shall be a 155°C system or higher, and motors driven by a variable frequency drive shall be rated for inverter duty under NEMA MG 1 Part 31.
NOTE The runout condition is the one a lift station motor meets most often: a new force main, a second pump that has just dropped out, or a wet well drawn down to the floor all move the pump far to the right of its duty point, and a motor sized to the duty point with the service factor as the margin overloads there. (8.5.7)

9 Discharge Piping and Valves

9.1 Valve Location

9.1.1 The check valve and isolation valve on each pump discharge shall be located as indicated in the datasheet.
Discharge Valve Locationradio
● Separate below-grade valve vault
○ Inside the wet well on the discharge piping
○ Above-grade valve enclosure on the discharge piping
NOTE A separate vault keeps the valves out of the sewage and out of the classified wet well, so a crew can exercise, inspect, and replace a valve from a dry structure without a confined space entry into gas; it is the arrangement nearly every utility requires and it adds a second structure and its penetrations. Valves inside the wet well save the vault on a small station, and every valve inspection then becomes a wet well entry or a pump lift, with the valve working in the sulfide air. An above-grade enclosure puts the valves where they are reached standing up and is the arrangement of a suction-lift station; it needs freeze protection and takes a footprint at grade. (9.1.2)
9.1.3 Where valves are located inside the wet well, the check valve shall be a type that can be inspected and cleared from the hatch without entering the wet well, and the isolation valve shall be operable from grade through an extension stem.

9.2 Valve Vault Construction

9.2.1 Requirements in this article apply where a separate below-grade valve vault is selected in the datasheet.
9.2.2 The valve vault construction shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Valve Vault Constructionradio
● Precast reinforced concrete
○ Fiberglass-reinforced polyester
○ Polymer concrete
NOTE A precast concrete vault is the common vault, is heavy enough to stay put, and does not need a lining because it holds no sewage; a fiberglass vault arrives from the same supplier as a fiberglass basin with the piping penetrations molded in and needs ballast; polymer concrete is used where the vault floor will see sewage from valve maintenance and the Owner wants no lining to maintain. (9.2.3)
9.2.4 The valve vault shall be furnished with a hatch sized for valve removal, a floor sloped to a drain, and a drain to the wet well through a trap or a check valve that prevents wet well gas from entering the vault.
9.2.5 The valve vault shall be classified under NFPA 820 for its drain connection and its ventilation, and electrical equipment in it shall be listed for that classification.

9.3 Station Discharge Piping

9.3.1 The discharge piping from the pump connection to the station limit, and its fittings, shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet.
Station Discharge Piping Materialselect
Type 316 stainless steel
Type 304 stainless steel
Ductile iron, ceramic epoxy lined
Ductile iron, cement mortar lined
Schedule 80 PVC
Hot-dip galvanized steel
9.3.2 Stainless steel pipe shall conform to ASTM A312 and stainless plate and sheet to ASTM A240, with flanged or grooved joints and no threaded joints larger than 2 in.
9.3.3 Ductile iron pipe shall conform to AWWA C151 and fittings to AWWA C110 or AWWA C153, with flanged joints in the station and the lining and exterior coating selected for wastewater service.
9.3.4 PVC pipe and fittings shall be Schedule 80 of a compound conforming to ASTM D1784, solvent welded or flanged, and shall be limited to grinder and small-diameter stations where the pump manufacturer publishes it.
NOTE Stainless steel is the discharge piping most packaged stations ship with, because it is welded to the discharge elbow and guide rail brackets at the factory and resists the wet well air for the life of the station; Type 316 is specified over Type 304 where chlorides are expected. Ductile iron is the piping of larger municipal-style stations, is restrained and jointed like the force main it connects to, and depends on its lining in sewage service; ceramic epoxy resists sulfide attack where cement mortar does not. Schedule 80 PVC is the piping of a small grinder station and is limited by its pressure rating at the sewage temperature and by its brittleness in a wet well that is entered. Galvanized steel is the lowest first cost and the shortest life in sulfide air. (9.3.5)
9.3.6 Each pump discharge shall be furnished with a pressure gauge connection and a cleanout or flushing connection in the valve vault or at the above-grade enclosure.
9.3.7 Where two or more pump discharges join a common header, the header shall be sized so that the velocity at the all-pumps-running flow does not exceed 8 ft per second, and the junction shall be a wye or a lateral rather than a tee.

9.4 Check and Isolation Valves

9.4.1 Each pump discharge shall be furnished with a check valve of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Discharge Check Valve Typeselect
Swing check with outside lever and weight
Swing check with outside lever and spring
Ball check
Rubber flapper check
9.4.2 Swing check valves shall conform to AWWA C508, with a full-port body, a resilient seat, and a disc that opens fully at the single-pump flow.
NOTE A lever-and-weight swing check is the lift station check valve, closes before reverse flow accelerates because the weight starts it closing as the pump slows, and shows its position from across the vault; it slams on a short force main at high head, where the lever-and-spring version closes faster and quieter. A ball check has no hinge to foul and clears itself of solids, and it is the valve of grinder and small stations; it is noisy and it does not indicate position. A rubber flapper check seals on solids that would hold a metal disc open and is the quietest of the four, and it is limited in pressure and in the sizes it is made in. (9.4.3)
9.4.4 Each pump discharge shall be furnished with an isolation valve downstream of the check valve, of the type indicated in the datasheet, so that one pump and its check valve can be removed while the station remains in service.
Discharge Isolation Valve Typeradio
○ Eccentric plug valve
○ Resilient-seated gate valve
○ Ball valve
9.4.5 Eccentric plug valves shall conform to AWWA C517 and resilient-seated gate valves to AWWA C509 or AWWA C515, each with a gear or lever operator and a position indicator.
NOTE An eccentric plug valve seats with the plug lifted out of the flow, so a solid that has settled in the body does not keep it from closing, and it is the wastewater isolation valve most utilities specify; a resilient-seated gate valve is the general waterworks valve, is lower in cost, and seals as long as its seat is not buried in grit; a ball valve is the valve of the small-diameter grinder station where a quarter turn from grade is all that is wanted. (9.4.6)
9.4.7 Valves in the vault shall be arranged so that each operator and each check valve cover can be reached from the hatch opening or from the vault floor without disconnecting piping.

9.5 Connection to the Force Main

9.5.1 The discharge connection at the station limit shall be a flange or a restrained mechanical joint of the size and at the elevation indicated on the lift station plan and the force main profile, matched to the force main material at that point.
NOTE The force main beyond the discharge connection, including its material, size, thrust restraint, air release valves, and the discharge manhole, is governed by Sanitary Sewer SystemsSanitary Sewer Systems (Site)Resolves to the current adopted revision.sync/sanitary-sewer-systems for sewage and combined service and by Storm DrainageStorm DrainageResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/storm-drainage for stormwater service, and the station manufacturer shall furnish the adapter the transition to that material requires. (9.5.2)
9.5.3 The Contractor shall report to the Engineer of Record any difference between the discharge connection furnished with the package and the force main size or material shown, before either is installed.

10 Level Control

10.1 Primary Level Device

10.1.1 The primary level device shall be of the technology indicated in the datasheet and shall provide the pump-off, lead-on, lag-on, and high-level alarm setpoints, with each setpoint field-adjustable without entering the wet well.
Primary Level Control Technologyselect
Submersible pressure transducer
Non-contact ultrasonic transducer
Non-contact radar transducer
Bubbler with pressure transmitter
Sealed mechanical float switches
Tethered float switches
NOTE A continuous device, whether a submersible transducer, an ultrasonic or radar transducer above the liquid, or a bubbler, gives the panel a level signal it can display, trend, and reset setpoints from without a wet well entry, and it is what a station reporting to SCADA needs. The submersible transducer is the least expensive continuous device and the one that fouls, because it sits in the sewage; ultrasonic and radar transducers hang above the liquid and foul only when condensation or foam coats the face, and radar reads through foam and steam where ultrasonic does not; a bubbler keeps every electrical part in the panel and puts only a tube in the wet well, at the cost of a compressor the Owner maintains. Float switches give a discrete contact per setpoint and are the controls of the small station that no one trends; sealed mechanical floats resist the fouling that tethered floats on a cable are known for, and a tethered float is the one device whose cable wraps around a guide rail in a turbulent wet well. (10.1.2)
10.1.3 Level devices and their cables within a classified wet well shall be intrinsically safe through barriers in the control panel, or shall be listed for the classification and installed with sealed raceways.
10.1.4 A continuous level device shall provide a 4 to 20 mA signal to the panel and shall be mounted so that it can be withdrawn from the hatch for cleaning without entering the wet well.

10.2 Backup Level Devices

10.2.1 Independent backup level devices shall be furnished as indicated in the datasheet, each a float switch wired to the panel separately from the primary device.
Backup Level Devicescheckbox
☑ High-level alarm float
☑ Low-level pump cutoff float
☐ Backup lead-on float
10.2.2 The high-level alarm float shall activate the alarm and shall start a pump regardless of the state of the primary device, and the low-level cutoff float shall stop every pump regardless of the state of the primary device.
NOTE The primary device is the one that fails, by fouling, drift, or a cable fault, and the floats exist so that the two consequences of its failure, an overflow and a pump run dry, are each caught by a device that shares nothing with it. (10.2.3)
10.2.4 Pump start and stop setpoints, the alarm level, and the float elevations shall be set in the field at the elevations shown on the shop drawings and recorded on the record drawings.

11 Control Panel

11.1 Panel Construction and Enclosure

11.1.1 The control panel shall be a factory-wired assembly listed under UL 508A, containing the motor controllers, the control logic, the level device inputs, the alarm and telemetry outputs, and the standby power interface where the interface is panel-mounted.
11.1.2 The control panel enclosure shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet, rated under NEMA 250.
Control Panel Enclosure Typeselect
NEMA Type 1
NEMA Type 3R
NEMA Type 4
NEMA Type 4X, stainless steel
NEMA Type 4X, fiberglass-reinforced polyester
NEMA Type 12
11.1.3 Panels installed outdoors shall be rated NEMA Type 3R at minimum.
11.1.4 Panels installed outdoors within reach of the wet well vent discharge, or anywhere sewage gas or washdown can reach the enclosure, shall be rated NEMA Type 4X.
11.1.5 Panels installed in a dry well or an above-grade enclosure shall be rated NEMA Type 12 at minimum.
11.1.6 Panels installed in a corrosive or coastal atmosphere shall be rated NEMA Type 4X.
NOTE A Type 1 enclosure is the rating for a dry conditioned interior and is where the field starts; the clauses above raise it for the outdoor, gas-exposed, and corrosive locations a station panel nearly always occupies. Within Type 4X, stainless steel takes impact and ultraviolet exposure without degrading and is the heavier and more expensive of the two, and fiberglass-reinforced polyester does not conduct and does not corrode at a scratch, and it chalks in sunlight unless it is ultraviolet-stabilized. (11.1.7)
11.1.8 Outdoor panels shall be furnished with a dead-front inner door carrying the operator devices, a drip shield over the outer door, a padlockable outer door latch, and a document pocket.
11.1.9 The panel shall be mounted on a stainless steel or aluminum rack or pedestal set in a concrete pad, with the bottom of the enclosure not less than 24 in. above finished grade, outside every classified location.

11.2 Motor Control

11.2.1 The motor control method for the pumps shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Motor Control Methodradio
● Full-voltage across-the-line starters
○ Solid-state soft starters
○ Variable frequency drives
NOTE An across-the-line starter is the starter most stations run and is adequate wherever the utility service tolerates the inrush and the force main tolerates the water hammer of a full-speed start; a soft starter limits both and is specified where the motor is large relative to the service or the force main is long and the check valve slams; a variable frequency drive adds the ability to run the pump at the inflow rate rather than in a start-stop cycle, which cuts starts, smooths the discharge, and lets a single pump follow a varying flow, at the cost of a drive the Owner maintains and a pump that must not be slowed below the speed at which it keeps its solids moving. (11.2.2)
11.2.3 Variable frequency drives shall conform to Low Voltage Variable Frequency DrivesLow-Voltage Variable Frequency DrivesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-variable-frequency-drives, and the minimum speed shall be set so that the velocity in the station discharge piping and the force main at that speed is not less than 2 ft per second.
11.2.4 Each motor controller shall be furnished with a NEMA ICS 2 rated contactor or starter, an overload relay sized to the motor nameplate, and a circuit breaker or fused disconnect providing short-circuit and ground-fault protection per NFPA 70 Article 430.
11.2.5 On a three-phase service the panel shall provide phase-loss, phase-reversal, and voltage-unbalance protection that locks out the pumps and signals the alarm.
11.2.6 Each pump shall be furnished with a hand-off-automatic selector switch, a run indicator, an elapsed time meter, and a seal leak indicator, mounted on the inner door.

11.3 Alternation and Sequencing

11.3.1 Where the station has two or more pumps, the panel shall alternate the lead pump on each cycle so that run time is equalized, and shall start the lag pump when the level reaches the lag-on setpoint with the lead pump running.
11.3.2 Where the station has three or more pumps, the panel shall rotate lead, lag, and standby assignments on each cycle and shall start the standby pump on a failure of the lead or lag pump to run.
11.3.3 Where a pump is locked out by its overload, its seal leak and overtemperature protection, or its selector switch, the panel shall advance the alternation past it and shall signal the alarm.
11.3.4 Where the station is restored after a power outage, the panel shall start the pumps in sequence with a time delay between starts so that no two pumps start together on the restored source or on the standby source.
NOTE A staggered restart is what keeps a station from tripping the generator it was just transferred to: the generator was sized for the running load, and two sewage pumps starting together on it demand several times that. (11.3.5)

11.4 Alarms and Telemetry

11.4.1 The panel shall signal a high-level, a pump failure, a seal leak, a phase failure, and a loss of control power as alarm conditions, and shall annunciate each separately on the panel.
11.4.2 Alarm notification shall be provided by the paths indicated in the datasheet.
Alarm Notification Pathscheckbox
☑ Local audible horn and visual beacon with silence pushbutton
☐ Dry contacts to the building automation system
☐ Dry contacts to the supervisory control system
☐ Telephone or cellular auto-dialer
☐ Cellular telemetry unit reporting level and status
11.4.3 The station shall report the high-level and pump failure alarms to a location that is monitored at all hours by at least one remote path selected in the datasheet, unless the Contract Documents direct that the local alarm alone is sufficient for the station.
NOTE A horn and a beacon on a pedestal at the back of a parking lot are a notification path only when someone is there to see them, and a sewage station overflows at night and on weekends; the remote path is what turns the alarm into a response. Dry contacts to a building automation system suit a station on a campus or a facility that already has a monitored system; dry contacts to a supervisory control system suit a station a utility will dedicate; an auto-dialer is the least expensive remote path and calls a list of numbers until one answers; a cellular telemetry unit reports the level and the pump states continuously and is the path where no building system reaches the station. (11.4.4)
11.4.5 Each alarm and status output to a remote system shall be an isolated dry contact or a 4 to 20 mA signal terminated on a labeled terminal strip, and the signal list shall be shown on the panel schematic.
11.4.6 The alarm circuit shall remain active on loss of the control power source, by a battery-backed alarm circuit or by powering the alarm from the standby source, so that a power outage is itself reported.

11.5 Panel Accessories

11.5.1 The panel shall be furnished with the accessories indicated in the datasheet.
Control Panel Accessoriescheckbox
☑ Surge protective device at the panel line terminals
☑ Ground fault protected convenience receptacle
☐ Interior panel light
☐ Pump cycle counters
☐ Level indicator on the inner door
☑ Intrinsically safe barriers for wet well devices
11.5.2 Surge protective devices shall conform to Surge Protective DevicesSurge Protective DevicesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/surge-protective-devices and shall be mounted at the panel line terminals ahead of the controls.
NOTE A station panel on a pedestal in an open site is the most exposed electrical equipment on the project, at the end of a long feeder and beside a tall vent, and a lightning surge that would do nothing to a panel inside a building takes out the level transmitter and the controller together. (11.5.3)

12 Ventilation and Odor Control

12.1 Wet Well Ventilation

12.1.1 The wet well ventilation mode shall be as indicated in the datasheet, and the classification shown on the shop drawings shall be the one NFPA 820 assigns for that mode.
Wet Well Ventilation Moderadio
● Passive vent only
○ Continuous mechanical ventilation
○ Mechanical ventilation operated for entry
NOTE A passive vent lets the wet well breathe as the level rises and falls and is the ventilation of the unattended packaged station, with the wet well classified as a location that is not ventilated; continuous mechanical ventilation at the rate NFPA 820 tabulates changes the classification of the wet well and the spaces around it and is specified where the station is entered often or where equipment that cannot be listed for Division 1 must be in the wet well, at the cost of a fan that runs always and exhausts odor continuously; ventilation operated for entry serves the confined space entry program rather than the classification and is interlocked to run before and during an entry. (12.1.2)
12.1.3 Where mechanical ventilation is furnished, the exhaust shall be drawn from the lower third of the wet well, the fan shall be listed for the classification of the air it moves, and the fan failure shall be signaled as an alarm.
NOTE Hydrogen sulfide is heavier than air and pools at the wet well floor, which is why an exhaust that draws from the top of the basin leaves the gas where a worker entering the basin meets it. (12.1.4)
12.1.5 The passive vent shall be a stack of corrosion-resistant material terminating not less than 12 in. above the highest finished grade within 10 ft, with a screened and gooseneck or mushroom-cap outlet, located outside the Division 2 envelope of the hatch and clear of the panel and of any building air intake.
12.1.6 The wet well shall not be vented through the building drainage vent system or into a building.

12.2 Odor Control

12.2.1 Odor control at the wet well vent shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Wet Well Odor Controlselect
None, open vent stack
Passive carbon-media canister on the vent
Fan-driven activated carbon adsorber
Biofilter
Chemical scrubber
NOTE An open vent is the position for a stormwater station and for a sewage station far from any building, entry, or parking area; a carbon canister on the vent treats the air the wet well breathes out with nothing to power and a media change the Owner schedules, and it is overwhelmed when the wet well is mechanically ventilated; a fan-driven carbon adsorber treats a continuous exhaust and is sized for it; a biofilter treats a continuous exhaust at the lowest operating cost and the largest footprint; a chemical scrubber treats the highest sulfide loads, as from a septic force main discharging to the wet well, and is the one that needs a chemical supply and a trained operator. (12.2.2)
12.2.3 Where a vent with odor control is furnished, the vent shall also provide a path for air to enter the wet well on drawdown without pulling air back through the media.
12.2.4 Where the station is within 50 ft of a building entry, an operable window, an outdoor air intake, or a public gathering area, and no odor control is selected in the datasheet, the Contractor shall report the condition to the Engineer of Record before the vent is installed.

13 Standby Power Interface

13.1 The standby power interface at the station shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Standby Power Interfaceradio
○ Portable generator receptacle with manual transfer switch
○ Automatic transfer switch for a permanent generator
○ Engine-generator set mounted on the station package
○ None, emergency storage only
NOTE A receptacle with a manual transfer switch is the least expensive interface and depends on a crew bringing a generator within the emergency storage time; an automatic transfer switch serving a permanent generator restores pumping without a crew and is what reviewers require where the station serves more than a small tributary or an overflow would reach a watercourse; a generator mounted on the package arrives wired and tested with the station and takes the footprint and the fuel supply at the station; no standby power is a position only where the emergency storage covers the longest outage the Owner accepts and the Authority Having Jurisdiction has accepted it. (13.2)
13.3 Where a portable generator receptacle is selected, the receptacle, the manual transfer switch listed under UL 1008, the interlock that prevents paralleling the generator with the utility source, and the phase-rotation indication shall be furnished with the control panel under this standard, and the receptacle shall be of the configuration the Owner's portable generator uses.
13.4 Where an automatic transfer switch is selected, the transfer switch shall conform to Automatic Transfer SwitchesAutomatic Transfer SwitchesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/automatic-transfer-switches, the engine-generator set to GeneratorsEngine GeneratorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/generators, and the load classification and transfer scheme to Emergency And Standby PowerEmergency and Standby Power SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/emergency-and-standby-power.
13.5 Where an engine-generator set is mounted on the package, the set shall conform to GeneratorsEngine GeneratorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/generators and shall be located outside every classified location and clear of the vent discharge.
13.6 The station shall be grounded and bonded in accordance with Grounding And BondingGrounding and Bonding for Electrical SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/grounding-and-bonding, with the basin, the hatch frames, the guide rails, the discharge piping, and the panel pedestal bonded to the panel grounding bus.

14 Testing

14.1 Factory Testing

14.1.1 Each pump shall be performance-tested at the factory per ANSI/HI 11.6 for submersible pumps or ANSI/HI 14.6 for dry-pit and suction-lift pumps, at the design speed, to confirm the design flow and head, and the certified test curve shall be included in the closeout submittals.
14.1.2 Each submersible motor shall be insulation-tested and the seal chamber shall be pressure-tested at the factory, and the results shall be recorded on the test report.
14.1.3 The control panel shall receive a factory functional test confirming the alternation, each protective function, each alarm output, and each telemetry output, by simulating the level device inputs.
14.1.4 The basin shall be hydrostatically tested at the factory per ASTM D3753 where fiberglass, or leak-tested at the plant where precast concrete, before shipment.
14.1.5 Factory tests shall be witnessed as indicated in the datasheet.
Factory Tests to Be Witnessedcheckbox
☐ Pump performance test
☐ Control panel functional test
☐ Basin hydrostatic test

14.2 Field Acceptance Testing

14.2.1 After installation and before the station is placed in service, the Contractor shall perform the field tests below in the presence of the Engineer of Record, the station manufacturer's representative, and the utility's inspector where the station will be dedicated, and shall record the results on the field acceptance test report.
14.2.2 The station discharge piping from the pumps to the discharge connection shall be hydrostatically tested at 1.5 times the shutoff head of the pump, held for not less than one hour without visible leakage, before the vault is backfilled.
14.2.3 A drawdown test shall be performed on each pump alone and on each combination of pumps that can run together, timing the drawdown of the wet well between two measured levels with the influent blocked, to confirm the pumping rate against the certified curve.
14.2.4 The level setpoints shall be verified by filling the wet well and observing each pump start and stop and the alarm activation at the elevations shown on the shop drawings.
14.2.5 The alternation shall be verified across not fewer than four consecutive cycles, and the standby start on a simulated lead pump failure shall be verified where the station has three or more pumps.
14.2.6 Each alarm condition shall be simulated and its receipt at the remote monitoring location confirmed by the party receiving it.
14.2.7 Where a standby power interface is furnished, the transfer to the standby source and the staggered restart of the pumps shall be verified, with a generator connected.
14.2.8 The field tests to be witnessed shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Field Acceptance Tests to Be Witnessedcheckbox
☐ Discharge piping hydrostatic test
☑ Drawdown test, each pump and each combination
☑ Level setpoint and alarm activation verification
☑ Alternation and standby start verification
☑ Alarm receipt at the remote location
☐ Standby power transfer and restart
14.2.9 Where any field test fails, the Contractor shall correct the cause and repeat the test, and the cost of the repeated test and of the witnessing parties' attendance shall be borne by the Contractor.
NOTE The drawdown test is the field measurement of what the station actually pumps: a pump that passed its factory test can deliver less in the ground because of a discharge elbow that did not seat, a check valve that did not open fully, or a force main that is longer than the calculation assumed, and the drawdown is the only test that sees all three. (14.2.10)

15 Installation

15.1 Excavation and Bearing

15.1.1 Excavation of the station pit, worker protection, and construction groundwater control shall conform to EarthworkEarthworkResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/earthwork, and any engineered support or designed dewatering system shall conform to Excavation Support And DewateringExcavation Support and DewateringResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/excavation-support-and-dewatering.
15.1.2 The basin shall bear on a bedding course of compacted crushed stone not less than 6 in. thick, placed on a trench bottom the geotechnical engineer of record has observed and released, or on a cast-in-place base slab where the anti-flotation method requires one.
15.1.3 Groundwater shall be held below the bedding throughout setting, ballasting, and backfill, and shall not be allowed to recover until the ballast has reached strength and the backfill above the flange or slab is in place.
NOTE An empty fiberglass basin in a flooded excavation floats before anyone can react; the groundwater rule exists because the basin that lifted 2 ft during a weekend rain is the one the project then digs out and resets. (15.1.4)

15.2 Setting and Backfill

15.2.1 The basin shall be set plumb and at the elevation shown, with the influent and discharge connections at the orientation shown, and shall be held in position during ballasting and backfill.
15.2.2 The pipe zone of the influent stub and of the station discharge piping within the station limit shall be constructed per ASTM D2321 with the embedment the piping manufacturer requires, and backfill above the pipe zone and around the basin shall conform to EarthworkEarthworkResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/earthwork for the area in which the station falls.
15.2.3 Backfill around the basin shall be placed in lifts not exceeding 12 in., compacted with equipment that does not bear on the basin wall, and brought up evenly on all sides so that the differential lateral load on the basin does not exceed the manufacturer's limit.
15.2.4 Backfill shall not be placed against a fiberglass or polyethylene basin until the ballast concrete has reached the strength the manufacturer requires, and the basin shall be filled with water to the level the manufacturer requires during backfill where the manufacturer's instructions call for it.
15.2.5 The valve vault shall be set on its own bedding at the elevation shown, and the piping between the basin and the vault shall be installed with the flexibility or the support that prevents differential settlement from loading the penetrations.

15.3 Equipment and Electrical Installation

15.3.1 Pumps shall be installed on their guide rails after the basin is backfilled and cleaned, and each pump shall be seated on its discharge elbow and lifted and reseated once in the presence of the manufacturer's representative.
15.3.2 Raceways from the wet well and valve vault to the control panel shall be installed per Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit, with conduit seals at each classified location boundary and with the raceway sloped away from the panel so that condensation drains to the wet well side of the seal.
15.3.3 Pump cables shall be supported in the wet well at the hatch frame with a strain relief grip, shall be routed clear of the guide rails and floats, and shall not be spliced in the wet well or the valve vault.
15.3.4 The feeder, its raceway, and its conductors to the panel line terminals shall be installed under Conductors And CablesConductors and CablesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/conductors-and-cables and Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit, and the Contractor shall confirm the feeder voltage and phase at the panel before the pumps are energized.
15.3.5 The wet well shall be cleaned of construction debris, formwork, and silt before the pumps are installed and again before the field acceptance test.
15.3.6 The influent gravity sewer shall not be connected to the wet well, and no flow shall be admitted, until the pumps, the level devices, and the panel are installed and the station can be operated in hand mode.

16 Delivery, Storage, and Handling

16.1 The basin shall be lifted only at the lifting points the manufacturer designates, with spreader bars where the manufacturer requires them, and shall not be dragged, rolled, or dropped.
16.2 The basin shall be stored on a level surface on the dunnage it shipped with, protected from impact, and a fiberglass or polyethylene basin shall be protected from sunlight where it will be stored longer than 30 days.
16.3 Pumps shall be stored upright on their shipping pallets under cover, and the pump cables shall be coiled and their ends sealed against moisture until termination.
16.4 The control panel shall be stored indoors in a dry space and shall not be set on its pedestal until the pedestal is complete and the panel can be closed and locked.
16.5 Valves shall be stored with the ports sealed and the operators protected, and shall not be stored on the ground.

17 Warranty

17.1 The station manufacturer shall warrant the complete package against defects in materials and workmanship for not less than the period indicated in the datasheet, from the date of acceptance.
Station Warranty Periodrange
Not less than
years
1235
NOTE One year from acceptance is the warranty the package ships with and the one most projects carry; a longer term is bought on the pumps and panel where the utility that will own the station requires it or where the Owner has no maintenance staff and wants the manufacturer's service for the first years, and it is priced into the package rather than added after award. (17.2)
17.3 The warranty shall cover the coordinated performance of the assembly, including the pumps, the panel, the level devices, and the basin, and shall not be limited to the individual components in isolation.
17.4 A warranty repair shall include removal and reinstallation of the pump or device, and the warranty on a replaced pump or panel component shall run for the remainder of the original term or for one year from the repair, whichever is longer.
17.5 The Contractor shall warrant the installation, including the setting, ballasting, backfill, and piping connections, for the same period.

18 Spare Parts

18.1 The station manufacturer shall furnish the spare parts indicated in the datasheet, delivered with the closeout submittals and identified by manufacturer part number.
Spare Parts Furnishedcheckbox
☑ One mechanical seal kit per pump model
☐ One set of wear rings per pump model
☐ One spare primary level device
☑ One spare float switch of each type furnished
☑ One set of control panel fuses and pilot lamps
☐ One spare check valve disc or ball
☐ One complete spare pump
18.2 A complete spare pump shall be furnished where the Authority Having Jurisdiction or the utility that will own the station requires one in addition to the installed standby pump.
18.3 The station manufacturer shall commit in writing that replacement parts for the pump model furnished will remain available for not less than ten years from the date of manufacture.

Written and maintained by SynC. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.