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Controlling

Dewatering & Water Management

Pits and sumps flood while pumps run manually, or not at all

Someone drives out to switch a pump on, or a float sticks and a sump overflows overnight. Manual pumping wastes labour, floods plant and risks a discharge you have to report. The fix is a level signal the controller can trust, pump logic that runs duty and standby automatically, and alarms that reach someone before the water does.

Applies to
Sumps & pits Wet wells & lift stations Bore & transfer pumps Tailings & settling ponds Stormwater Tank fill & transfer
Level sensor matched to the medium Dry-run and overflow protection built in Remote alarms and telemetry ready
Automated pump station controlling water level at an industrial site

Where Pumps Run Unmanaged

The four places water has to be moved on schedule, and the question that decides how the pump should be controlled.

Level gauge

Sumps & Pits

Groundwater and process water collect faster than anyone can watch. Left to a manual start, they flood plant and stop work; run dry, the pump burns out.

Level float / probe Level transmitter Duty / standby High-level alarm
Decides it: Does the water carry silt or debris that will foul a float or coat a probe?
Pump station panel

Wet Wells & Lift Stations

Sewage and stormwater stations that must never overflow. Rag, grease and turbulence defeat simple switches and cause nuisance trips or missed starts.

Ultrasonic / radar level Pump-down control Duty rotation Overflow alarm
Decides it: Is there foam, rag or surcharge that rules out contact sensing?
Remote bore location

Bore & Transfer Pumps

Pumps kilometres from the control room that fill tanks or move water between points, with no one on site to see a failure until the tank is empty or over.

Tank level control Dry-run protection Telemetry / RTU Remote start-stop
Decides it: How far from control is it, and does it need to report level and status back?
Flow trend line

Tailings & Settling Ponds

Decant and dewatering duty where discharge is regulated and pumps run against high solids. Getting it wrong is an environmental and reporting problem, not just downtime.

Continuous level Flow measurement VSD flow matching Logged evidence
Decides it: Is discharge volume or level a licence condition you have to evidence?

Three Ways to Control a Pump

Not every pit needs a full controller. Choosing the cheapest method that meets the duty is part of the specification.

Method
What it does
When to use it
Manual / local start
An operator starts and stops the pump on the panel, or on a site visit.
Occasional, low-consequence pumping where flooding or dry-run cost is low and someone is always present.
Float / level switch
Simple on-off at fixed high and low points, with no continuous reading.
Clean water, stable conditions and a single duty pump, where point control is enough.
Level transmitter + controller / VSD
Continuous level drives pump logic: duty/standby rotation, dry-run and overflow protection, alarms and remote reporting.
Overflow or dry-run has real cost, multiple pumps must share load, or the site needs telemetry and evidence.

The sensor is where most jobs go wrong. Turbulence, foam, silt, rag and pump-down draw-off all change what a float or transmitter actually reads. Matching the level technology to the medium is the difference between control you can trust and nuisance trips.

What Sites Get Out of It

The outcomes that matter on site.

Shield with a tick

No More Overflow or Flood Events

Level-driven control and high-level alarms keep pits and wells inside their band instead of relying on someone noticing.

Spanner representing pump protection

Pumps Protected, Not Burnt Out

Dry-run cut-outs and controlled cycling stop the rapid starts and run-dry events that shorten pump and seal life.

Document with a tick

Evidence for Discharge and Audit

Logged level and flow give you the traceable record regulators and licence conditions ask for.

Remote signal icon

Fewer Site Visits

Remote alarms and telemetry mean the pump tells you it needs attention, instead of a wasted drive to check.

Tell Us What Has to Stay Dry

Send the pit or well dimensions, what the water carries, how the pumps run today and whether it needs to report back to a control room. Our technical team will confirm the right level sensor, control method and pump package before you buy.

Pit, well or tank dimensions and normal / peak inflow
What the water carries: silt, rag, solids, chemistry
Number of pumps and whether duty/standby is needed
How the pumps are started and controlled today
Whether it must alarm or report back to a control room