A pump station inspection is the regular visit that keeps a lift station or booster station from becoming an emergency. The operator checks the site is secure, looks into the wet well without going in, listens to each pump and writes down its hours, amps and pressure, proves the floats and alarms actually call someone, runs the standby power, and leaves a note in the log. This checklist covers that whole visit for one station, opens only the sections the station has, and turns anything at risk into a finding with an owner and a due date. Fill it in here and download a PDF without an account, or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
What a routine station visit is for
Most station failures announce themselves weeks ahead to anyone writing things down. A pump whose run hours climb faster than its partner's is losing capacity or has a stuck check valve. Amps creeping up point to a worn impeller, a rag wrapped around it, or a failing bearing. A float that hangs against a pipe will one day fail to call the pump, and the first sign will be an overflow.
That is why this form asks for numbers, not just ticks: the wet well level, run hours and amps for each pump, discharge pressure, and the time an alarm reached the on-call phone. Compared visit to visit, those numbers are the station's early warning.
The wet well is looked at, not entered
Wet wells and valve vaults can hold hydrogen sulfide, low oxygen and methane, and they are commonly treated as permit-required confined spaces. Nothing on this form needs anyone to go inside. You open the hatch, keep the fall-through grate in place, take a gas reading at the opening if you carry a meter, and record what you can see: the level, grease and floating debris, rags on the pumps, the condition of the walls and rails.
If something inside needs fixing, the form records it as a finding. The repair itself goes through your confined space entry procedure and permit, with its own atmosphere testing, attendant and rescue plan.
One entry per pump
Each pump gets its own entry: its number, whether it is the lead, lag or standby pump, how you found it, its run hours and amps, the discharge pressure, and whether it runs quietly, holds its seals and closes its check valve cleanly. A station with two pumps gets two entries; a booster station with four gets four. When one pump is at risk, the report names that pump.
Alarms only count if someone hears them
A high-level light on the panel that nobody sees does not prevent an overflow. Test the alarm the way it will be used: lift the high-level float or simulate it, then confirm the signal reached the control room or the on-call phone, and type the time it arrived. Do the same for pump fail and power fail where the station sends them. The form scores whether the alarm got through, not whether a lamp lit.
Findings, actions and the next visit
Every check marked At risk or No becomes a finding in the report's summary, graded as safety, repair or monitor. The close-out lists corrective actions with an owner and a due date, and an overall status for the station. In the ReportWalk app, Start a re-inspection turns those findings into a checklist for the follow-up visit, so the next person checks exactly what was wrong and sees it beside what you found.
Common questions
How often should a lift station be inspected?
It depends on the station, its history and your utility's permit. Many operators visit larger or problem stations several times a week and smaller ones weekly or every two weeks, with a deeper monthly visit that includes the generator run. Stations with reliable telemetry are sometimes visited less often. Follow your own operations plan; this form records each visit, whatever the interval.
Can I use this for a drinking water booster station?
Yes. Pick the station type at the start. Wet well grease and odor checks fold away for a booster station, while the pump list, pressure readings, controls, alarms and standby power stay the same.
Does anyone need to enter the wet well to complete this form?
No. Everything on it can be seen or measured from the hatch or from outside the vault. Any work inside needs a confined space entry permit under your own program, recorded separately.
What readings should I record for each pump?
At minimum the run hours from the meter, the running amps on each leg, and the discharge pressure while it runs. If your panel counts starts, record those too. Compare amps with the motor nameplate and the last visit; the form keeps the nameplate figure in the same entry.
Is this an official inspection form?
No. It records what you inspected, tested and found. Your permit, your utility's procedures and the equipment makers' instructions decide what must be checked and how often.