2025-12-09 Successstory, Water and wastewater industry
Safe and efficient wastewater technology is a key task for municipalities. Wastewater pumps in pumping stations are particularly critical, as they must operate reliably around the clock to ensure trouble-free operation in the sewer network. The municipality of Orust in Sweden shows how intelligent pump protection and sophisticated pump monitoring can minimize downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and significantly increase operational reliability.
Orust operates numerous wastewater pumping stations that must reliably transport the wastewater produced. Operators of such facilities face typical challenges: Submersible motors often run continuously or at frequent intervals and are exposed not only to high mechanical loads, but also to changing temperature and humidity conditions.
The risk of unplanned downtime is particularly critical in wastewater technology. If a wastewater pump fails, this can lead to backwater, flooding, environmental pollution, and high follow-up costs. In addition, without suitable pump protection modules, the cause of malfunctions often remains unclear, and troubleshooting is costly and time-consuming.
Modern wastewater disposal therefore requires more than just robust pumps. It needs an intelligent system that detects warning signals at an early stage and supports plant operators before minor irregularities turn into expensive damage.
If wastewater pumps are operated without sophisticated pump monitoring, many problems remain undetected for a long time. Motors can overheat, moisture can penetrate the terminal compartment or motor, insulation damage can occur – even leading to complete pump failure. The consequences are not only high repair and replacement costs, but also reduced operational reliability of the entire wastewater system.
The crucial question is therefore: How can these risks be identified at an early stage and the operational reliability of wastewater pumping stations be increased in the long term?
The municipal administration of Orust asked itself precisely this question. Peter Carlsson, responsible for the facilities in Orust Kommun, relies on the INT69 F Diagnosis from KRIWAN. This intelligent pump protection relay was specially developed for demanding applications with submersible pumps and forms the heart of a modern protection concept in wastewater technology.
In combination with the installed submersible pumps, the INT69 F Diagnosis acts as an early warning system. It continuously measures temperature and humidity in relevant areas and detects potential malfunctions at a very early stage. This means that the system can not only warn of problems, but also switch off the pump if necessary to prevent expensive consequential damage.
A significant advantage for operators is the storage of operating data in the protection relay. This data can be read out and evaluated using the KRIWAN INTspector app. This allows faults to be isolated more quickly, operating conditions to be traced, and recurring patterns to be identified. A pure reaction to faults is transformed into a well-founded, data-based diagnosis.
Diagnosis via app: Transparent data instead of time-consuming troubleshooting
The combination of pump protection relays and the INTspector app makes pump monitoring particularly efficient. Service technicians or operators can access the stored data on site via smartphone or tablet and view the history of the wastewater pump.
This offers several advantages:
This means that pump protection is evolving from a simple shut-off device to a central component of modern wastewater technology and predictive maintenance.
More about our protective relays for the water and wastewater industryThe use of INT69 F diagnostics in Orust's wastewater pumping stations clearly demonstrates the potential of intelligent pump protection. The municipality has seen a significant reduction in downtime because temperature and humidity problems can be detected and rectified at an early stage. Instead of having to deal with the consequences of a pump failure, damage is often prevented before it even occurs.
This means a noticeable reduction in maintenance work. Service calls are more targeted because technicians can immediately see what has happened in the system thanks to transparent operating data. The commissioning of new or overhauled pumps is also simplified by clear diagnostic data and defined conditions.
The bottom line is that the operational reliability of wastewater pumping stations increases significantly. The systems run more stably, emergency calls are reduced, and the service life of the wastewater pumps is extended thanks to efficient pump protection.
Peter Carlsson summarizes the advantages as follows:
“With INT69 F diagnostics, we can continuously monitor the pumps and detect potential problems at an early stage. This gives us peace of mind and keeps operations running reliably.”
Many wastewater plant operators still work primarily reactively: action is taken when a wastewater pump fails or a malfunction becomes apparent. However, this approach is expensive, inefficient, and risky in an emergency.
Intelligent pump protection modules such as the INT69 F Diagnosis enable the transition to predictive maintenance. Through continuous monitoring and real-time pump monitoring, operators can identify trends at an early stage, such as slowly rising temperatures or increased moisture ingress. Maintenance work can be planned and carried out in a targeted manner before a critical condition arises. This reduces unplanned downtime, lowers overall costs, and increases operational reliability throughout the entire wastewater system.
The advantages are not limited to the individual pump. Reliable, data-supported monitoring has an impact on the entire wastewater disposal system: emergency callouts become less frequent, energy efficiency improves thanks to optimized operating conditions, and investments can be planned more effectively. Pumps and motors are used for longer because they are protected against overload and damage, rather than having to be replaced in the event of a malfunction.
For municipalities such as Orust, this means greater security for infrastructure and the environment, predictable budgets, and a stable wastewater system in the long term.
If you would like to learn more about pump protection and protective relays for sewage pumps, you will find a range of further information on the KRIWAN website.
The product page for multifunctional protection relays provides an overview of the INT69 F Diagnosis and other solutions in the field of pump protection:
A general overview of protective relays, motor protection, and pump protection can be found here.
KRIWAN provides the INTspector app for on-site evaluation and diagnosis.
Further industry information and solutions for machine and plant protection can be found on the home page.
