The Challenges of Managing Pumping Stations
A water system operator may have dozens or hundreds of pumping stations spread across a large area. Each station is critical: a pump failure can lead to an interruption in the drinking water supply, backflow flooding, or excessive energy consumption due to dry running.
Without remote monitoring, teams are forced to react to situations as they arise: a customer reports a outage, and an emergency service call is required—sometimes at night or on the weekend. The cost of on-call staff and travel is often the largest operating expense.
IoT monitoring of pumping stations enables a shift from reactive maintenance to proactive maintenance:
- Detection of anomalies before a failure occurs (excessive power consumption = worn-out pump; low power consumption = pump running dry).
- Immediate alert via text message or email as soon as a threshold is exceeded.
- Remote access to adjust a setpoint without having to go on-site.
- Automatic operational report (operating hours, energy usage, number of starts).
Control Architecture of a Pumping Station
Key Variables to Monitor at a Pumping Station
| Variable | Sensor / Source | Typical Value | Alert if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pump status (on/off/fault) | PLC (Modbus coil) | 0 / 1 / 2 | Fault active |
| Motor current (A) | Starter or drive | 80–120% of nominal | > 130% (overload) or < 20% (dry run) |
| Discharge pressure (bar) | Sensor + 4–20 mA transducer | Varies by system | Out of high/low range |
| Flow rate (m³/h) | Electromagnetic flowmeter | Varies by station | Zero flow with pump running |
| Suction tank level (%) | Level sensor | 20–80% | < 15% (dry suction) |
| Energy (kWh) | Modbus energy meter | Varies | Consumption > 120% of average |
| Operating hours (h) | Calculated | Cumulative | Preventive maintenance threshold |
Remote Diagnostics: Common Issues Resolved Without a Site Visit
Pump Won’t Start Remote check: Did the PLC send a start command? Was a fault detected? Is a timeout in progress? In 60% of cases, the issue is software-related and can be resolved remotely (reset the alarm, adjust the timeout).
Excessive Electricity Consumption Analysis of the power curve over the last 30 days via the cloud: gradual increase (pump wear = preventive maintenance to be scheduled) or sudden spike (foreign object in the pump = physical intervention required).
High-Pressure Alarm Check the remote pressure control setpoints; reopen the valve from the PLC if possible. The issue is resolved without on-site visits in 70% of cases.
ROI of Pumping Station Monitoring
For a network of 40 pumping stations:
- Average cost of an emergency service call: 600 € (technician + vehicle).
- Frequency before monitoring: 2 emergency service calls per station per year → 48,000 € per year.
- Reduction in service calls thanks to monitoring: 70% → savings of €33,600/year.
- Cost of IoT monitoring (gateway + cloud): €3,000–5,000/year for 40 sites.
- ROI: 6× to 10× the investment in the first year.
The Eziwan Approach
The Eziwan Gateway mounts on a DIN rail inside the station’s electrical cabinet, connects to the RS-485 bus of the PLC and drive, and transmits all data in real time to the Eziwan Cloud. The multi-carrier 4G connection ensures monitoring even in rural areas.
Configure alerts, thresholds, and access in just a few minutes from the cloud console. No need to manually configure a VPN: zero-touch provisioning takes care of everything.
For more information: remote site monitoring, Modbus Cloud, and industrial 4G router.