What does this sewage lift station quarterly checklist cover?

14 items across 5 sections, covering gas and access, pumps and alternation, level controls and wet well, power and panel, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The plumbing or facilities tech on the quarterly round, working from grade at the wet well.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Every quarter. Confined-space entry into the wet well is a permitted procedure; inspect from grade unless entry is separately authorized under a permit.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a sewage lift station quarterly inspection?

Both pumps assumed running because the well pumps down, when really the lead pump is doing everything and the lag never alternates in. Floats fouled with grease and rags so they hang at one level, and the station either short-cycles or lets the well climb toward overflow. High-level alarm and telemetry never tested end to end, so a failure at 2 a.m. calls no one and the first sign is a backup upstairs.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Sewage lift station quarterly maintenance checklist

A quarterly lift station round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against IPC / UPC plumbing codes, manufacturer's published instructions. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Gas and access

Gas monitor read at the hatch before anything opens
Multi-gas monitor read for hydrogen sulfide, oxygen and flammable gas at the wet-well hatch, and any valve vault or box, before it opens, then worn for the round.
Wet well viewed from grade with the hatch guarded
Hatch opened onto its safety grate or barricaded, nobody leaning past it, and any entry below the hatch left for a confined-space permit issued by the site.
No photo

Pumps and alternation

Duplex pumps both run and alternate on the controller
Each pump started and confirmed drawing the well down, alternation checked so lead and lag actually swap between cycles rather than one carrying the load.
No photo
Run current read on each pump against its nameplate
Amps read on the panel's ammeter or motor protector display during the run, or by clamp under the site's energized-work procedure and its PPE, and set against the nameplate.
Check valves hold as each pump stops
Well level watched as each pump shuts off, not climbing from force main run-back, no slam heard, and any outside valve arm or indicator seen closing.
Valves in their normal position and any valve vault dry
Each isolation and bypass valve found in its normal open or closed position, and where valves sit in a vault or box, its floor free of sewage and its drain clear.

Level controls and wet well

Floats or transducer levels observed from grade
Level devices watched through a pump-down cycle, floats hanging free and switching at their points, no rags or grease binding them. Viewed from grade, not by entry.
Wet-well level and solids or grease noted
Well level looked at from grade against the setpoints, heavy grease cap or floating solids noted so a clean-out can be scheduled before it fouls the floats.
Station odor and odor control checked
Hatch, vent and site walked for sewer odor, and any carbon filter, biofilter or chemical feed found running with media life or chemical stock on hand.
No photo

Power and panel

Standby generator or portable hookup found ready
Backup source seen in its ready state, a generator in auto with its transfer switch at normal or the portable connection and cable on hand. The set's own service is a separate list.
No photo
Control panel enclosure dry and free of gas corrosion
Door latched and gasket sealing, and inside the door with the dead front in place, no condensation, rust or green corrosion, and conduit seals from the well intact.

Alarm and telemetry

Alarm receiver told before the high-level test
Whoever answers the dialer or telemetry, the owner's operator or monitoring company, told a test is coming so the call isn't dispatched as a real overflow.
No photo
High-level alarm and telemetry tested end to end
Alarm float or setpoint tripped, local alarm sounds and the dialer or telemetry actually delivers the call or signal to whoever answers it.
Selectors in auto and the receiver told testing is over
Every pump selector in auto, no fault or seal-leak light lit, alarm silence reset, and the receiver confirms the station reads normal before the crew leaves.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Both pumps assumed running because the well pumps down, when really the lead pump is doing everything and the lag never alternates in.
Floats fouled with grease and rags so they hang at one level, and the station either short-cycles or lets the well climb toward overflow.
High-level alarm and telemetry never tested end to end, so a failure at 2 a.m. calls no one and the first sign is a backup upstairs.

Verified against

IPC / UPC plumbing codes

Common questions

6 answers

What does this sewage lift station quarterly checklist cover?: 14 items across 5 sections, covering gas and access, pumps and alternation, level controls and wet well, power and panel, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The plumbing or facilities tech on the quarterly round, working from grade at the wet well.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Every quarter. Confined-space entry into the wet well is a permitted procedure; inspect from grade unless entry is separately authorized under a permit.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 10 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a sewage lift station quarterly inspection?: Both pumps assumed running because the well pumps down, when really the lead pump is doing everything and the lag never alternates in. Floats fouled with grease and rags so they hang at one level, and the station either short-cycles or lets the well climb toward overflow. High-level alarm and telemetry never tested end to end, so a failure at 2 a.m. calls no one and the first sign is a backup upstairs.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

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Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 10 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.