Our Most Common Cause of Call-Outs... and How You Can Avoid Them!

As you can imagine, many people give the workers here at CM a funny look when we say what we do for a living... our engineers are often found in some "foul" situations, so to speak! And many times, these are for call-outs; when things have gone wrong somewhere.

Here are CM's top tips for looking after your drainage system, whether that be a sewage treatment plant or a pumping station.

1) When buying a house with either of these drainage systems, or if you are installing them for yourself, be sure the system is in working order when you take it over, and that it meets the requirements for the amount of people it's taking waste from or for the distance it needs to pump etc. It may be worth asking an independent drainage expert (such as CM) to come and take a look (rather than just your standard house/building surveyor) and talk you through it, before you take it on. It may be in their interest anyway if they can offer you a service contract in the process.

2) Once you are in charge, ensure the tank is monitored, serviced, maintained safely and efficiently, and if recommended ensure the tank is emptied accordingly. Contact the manufacturer to ensure you are adhering to their guidelines for looking after the system. (See our previous blog about CM service contracts if you need some help with this.)

3) Do not put anything UNUSUAL into the system. By this we mean nothing more than the expected foul waste, toilet paper and a normal household amount of grease and/or cleaning products such as washing machine powder and/or bleach. Unless otherwise specified, that's all our systems are built for. We have seen some very unusual items blocking pumps and outlets, but the most common ones are: cleaning wipes and make-up/tanning wipes; sanitary products; and nappies. The most common causes of unpleasant smells are: the system not being emptied in good time; compressor failure; too much grease/cleaning product going into the system and killing the bacteria required in a treatment plant in order to function efficiently.

If you do have any issues with your treatment plant or pumping station, CM are on hand to help. Just give us a call, and once we have resolved the problem for you, take our advice and follow the above to avoid it happening again. We also have a 'Dos and Don'ts' advice sheet we can send out on request, so please do give us a call.