Wastewater treatment plants contain complex and expensive equipment. Keeping these machines in excellent shape is key to reducing strain on the plant. This is why it is so important to provide proper maintenance to wastewater treatment plants.
Want to learn more about wastewater treatment plant maintenance? Read on.
Wastewater treatment plant maintenance can be a time consuming task. Let the O&M Solutions team take it off of your hands. Give our experts a call at (732) 965-5764.
Benefits of Proper Wastewater Treatment Plant Maintenance
Proper treatment plant maintenance is crucial to its longevity. It’s just like a car: the better you take care of it, the longer it’ll last. In addition to ensuring the equipment lasts, maintenance reduces unplanned downtime.
When equipment isn’t taken care of, it has to use more energy to complete the same tasks. This causes high energy consumption and eventual breakdowns. Completing regular maintenance can prevent these kinds of operational problems in wastewater treatment plants.
In a wastewater treatment plant, if just one piece of equipment breaks down, it can put the entire process on hold. Although maintenance can seem tedious, it’s necessary for preventing any mechanical issues and lengthening the lifespan of the equipment.
Establishing a Maintenance Schedule
One of the best ways to provide excellent maintenance to your wastewater treatment plant is to put together a maintenance schedule. In fact, the American Water Works Association suggests that a full facility inspection and maintenance manual should be developed for a wastewater treatment plant. Additionally, many states offer operation guidelines with maintenance suggestions for wastewater treatment plants.
You may want to develop two separate maintenance schedules. The first would be maintenance that is completed on a daily basis. This could include walkthroughs of the plant, testing and other daily maintenance. The second maintenance schedule would include tasks that are completed on a monthly and yearly basis.
A master schedule should be created for each. This should include the tasks and how often each should be completed. Then, a year-specific schedule should be written. This would input the tasks onto a calendar that workers can use for reference. This prevents workers from guessing when maintenance should be completed.
Predicting Future Maintenance and Replacements
Wastewater treatment plant studies have shown that maintenance can cost up to 25% of a plant’s total budget. The reason why maintenance takes up such a large chunk of the budget is because it includes daily testing, part replacements and infrequent maintenance. Without the proper maintenance, wastewater treatment plants can quickly become unoperational and even harmful to the community.
Through predictive maintenance, wastewater treatment plants can plan for replacements and maintenance. This information is gathered through regular tests and inspections. Most wastewater treatment plants utilize software that workers can enter test results and measurements into. This software will track the data so that you can better understand trends in the treatment process and to know when maintenance is necessary.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Preventative Maintenance
It can be difficult remembering to keep up with wastewater treatment plant maintenance. This is especially true of wastewater treatment plants in the private sector where there may not be large, dedicated wastewater management teams. Fortunately, we’ve compiled everything you need to know.
Preventative maintenance includes any maintenance that will protect the equipment from breakdowns. By completing these tasks, you’ll extend the life of the equipment. Here are some preventative maintenance tasks to add to your schedule:
Inspections: at least once a year it’s important to conduct a thorough, visual inspection. Check all of the equipment for damage such as rust, leaks or other issues. You also need to check the concrete and steel support structures for damage, such as cracks.
Oil changes: most of the equipment in a wastewater treatment plant is run by motors. These motors require regular oil changes to prevent them from breaking down.
Lubrication: after so many years of operating, equipment can start to slow down. Keeping them well lubricated will prevent this from happening.
Cleaning: keeping the equipment clean will ensure they run efficiently. This means removing any debris, wiping down important components and cleaning out filters and vents.
These are only a few of the basic maintenance tasks that need to be completed at wastewater treatment plants. While it’s important to follow the maintenance schedule, workers should feel free to complete additional inspections and cleanings as they see fit.
Maintaining Wastewater Treatment Equipment
In addition to general preventative maintenance, each piece of equipment has its own specific set of maintenance tasks. Be sure to list all of the equipment and processes that your wastewater treatment plant uses. Then, list the required maintenance for each equipment.
Take a look at this list of some equipment and its required maintenance:
UV disinfection: inspect lamp intensity and replace bulbs if necessary.
Membrane bioreactors: check if membranes have become dirtied with organic and inorganic matter. It’s crucial that membranes retain permeability to fully treat wastewater. Implement a mechanical chemical backwash to get rid of excess solids. If this isn’t possible, complete a manual backwash using chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite and citric acid.
Bioreactor: inspect effluent screens for any debris blockage. Clean out screens as necessary.
Filtration: over time, filters will become clogged from solids. Many filtration systems contain controls that can complete backwash with the click of a button. If the system doesn’t contain this control, you will have to complete a manual backwash with water.
Preliminary treatment: check and empty grease and oil traps on a regular basis.
These are only a few examples of maintenance that should be performed on different wastewater treatment equipment. Using manufacturer and state guidelines, it’s important to thoroughly plan the maintenance that is required for your plant.
Professional Wastewater Treatment Plant Maintenance
Maintaining wastewater treatment plants can be overwhelming. There’s a lot that goes into both predictive and preventative maintenance. Fortunately, there’s a solution that’ll make it much more manageable.
Hiring a professional wastewater treatment plant maintenance service provides the best of both worlds: you receive quality, evidence-backed maintenance without sacrificing workers that have plenty of other tasks.
At O&M Solutions, we are committed to providing only the best wastewater treatment plant service. We provide services for private and public plants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Contact us online to find out how we can make your wastewater treatment plant management easier.