Vertical Sump Pump Installation

A vertical sump pump hangs from a mounting plate over the pit, with the column and impeller submerged and the bearings and driver above the liquid. There is no suction lift and nothing to prime.

What there is instead is a set of dimensions that have to be right before manufacture, because a column that is the wrong length cannot be corrected on site.

Measure Before You Order

Measure from the face of the mounting plate down to the lowest working liquid level. That is the dimension the column length is made to.

Measure the sump depth to the floor as well, so the suction can be set clear of settled grit.

Record the pit opening dimensions and the cover plate arrangement. The pump has to go through the opening and land on the plate.

Send all of these with the enquiry. On the Flowsteer VNP the column length is confirmed per installation rather than taken from a standard list.

Set the Suction Clear of the Floor

Settled grit collects on the sump floor. A suction set too close draws it straight into the impeller and turns a 20 percent solids rating into a wear problem.

Leave enough clearance for the solids to stay where they settle while still letting the pump draw down to the working level.

Mounting Plate and Support

The mounting plate carries the entire weight of the pump, column and driver, and the running loads. Support it accordingly.

Level the plate. A column hanging out of plumb loads the bearings and the intermediate supports unevenly.

Leave access to the bearing housing above the plate. It is the one part of a sump pump that can be serviced without lifting the unit, and only if it can be reached.

Discharge Pipework

Support the discharge pipework independently. As with a horizontal pump, the pump is not a pipe support.

Fit an isolating valve and a non-return valve in the discharge line so the pump can be isolated and lifted.

Allow for the pump to be lifted clear of the pit without dismantling the discharge run — a flanged break close to the pump pays for itself at the first service.

Level Protection

A sump pump running with the column out of the liquid has no cooling. On the VNP, with polypropylene wetted parts, that matters more than it would on a metal pump.

Fit level protection rather than relying on the duty cycle. Sump levels are the least predictable thing in a plant.

Commissioning a Vertical Pump

Confirm the column hangs plumb and the plate is level.

Confirm rotation with the coupling disconnected.

Confirm the liquid level is above the minimum before the first start.

Record bearing temperature and vibration at the housing above the plate as the baseline.

Confirm the greasing interval and that the bearing housing is reachable for it.