Protection of lifting system against water damage

Hello everyone,

in the basement of our apartment building, we have a lifting station for the wastewater from the washing machines. The pump of the lifting station is plugged into a normal socket at the height of a washbasin.

Apparently, some time ago, someone pulled the plug out of the socket to use the socket for something else without this being noticed. Because the water was not pumped out, a major water damage occurred, which only became apparent later, as the water seeped unnoticed through the masonry into the floor of the entire basement level for days/weeks.

With all the regulations in the construction sector, I really can’t imagine that such an installation is permissible, where a pump is plugged into a normal socket and no protection or warning is provided by the system in case of unplugging or malfunction.

Unfortunately, I have not found anything on this. Can you help me?

With all the regulations in the house construction sector, I really cannot imagine that such an installation is permissible, where a pump is plugged into a normal socket and unplugging or a defect causes no protection or warning on the system.

Why not? What do you imagine? A lifting system locked away in a safe? A safety lock for the socket of the lifting system? An alarm button in case of violation?

Apparently some time ago someone pulled the plug out of the socket

That is called gross negligence, but it can also be covered by insurance. We had a similar case ourselves: the lifting system was pulled unwittingly and unnoticed out of the plug over several years by constant movement. The resulting water damage in the townhouse was covered by the household insurance. In this case, (only) the property manager or the homeowner is affected. And he should be insured. And regarding the question: socket height is normal.

Why not? What do you imagine? A lifting system that is additionally secured in a safe? A security lock for the socket of the lifting system? An alarm button in case of violation?

A simple warning about a built-in battery/accumulator, like every smoke detector has for a few euros, which beeps when it has no power left or the battery is running low :D What also surprises me: The water damage was not such that the shaft overflowed. Rather, the water seeped from the shaft into the masonry and screed without any water being visible in the basement at all. Therefore, I also wonder whether the shaft was properly sealed. Honestly, I am unclear about which path the water is supposed to have taken.

There are also several funny technical gimmicks with which you can flood your basement. For example, we have a Judo descaling system in the basement. It flushes occasionally and opens the water circuit for this. If the power goes out at that moment, it keeps flushing until you have a swimming pool in the basement. If we had known that beforehand, we would have chosen a system one level better, which would have had such a [Waechter] installed. We have now retrofitted it manually.

If the power goes out at that moment, it flushes and flushes until you have a swimming pool in the basement.

Are you sure there was no defect in the system? The flushing water of the system always runs out to the drain, after all it is wastewater. Even if the brine tank is being filled and the diaphragm valve stops due to a power outage: the brine tank also has an overflow to the wastewater connection.

If we had known that beforehand, we would have taken a system one level better, where such a guard would have been installed. We have now retrofitted it manually.

And how does it work, without power? Sounds all somehow strange...

Even if the brine tank is being filled and the diaphragm valve stops due to a power outage: the brine container also has an overflow to the wastewater connection.

I have to make a restriction here. In the "split" systems, such as those also used by Judo, this wastewater overflow does not always exist due to the construction. In that case, when filling the brine tank during a power outage, brine can of course overflow.