AQUAIOT Radar and Urban.io pump sensors, installed and supported in the UKPumping station monitoring
Know your pumps are running before the wet well fills up.
AQUAIOT Radar watches the level in the wet well, and current sensors on the pump supplies show which pump ran and for how long. If a pump fails or the level climbs past its alarm, your team hears about it while the well is still filling.
- Wet well level
- Pump run status
- High level alarms
- LoRaWAN or cellular
- One dashboard
±2 mmLevel accuracy on still water
Up to 200 APump current sensor range
IP68Sealed radar housing
Why watch the pumps
A failed pump gives no warning until the wet well starts to fill.
Most small pumping stations run with nobody watching them. A pump can trip, clog with rags or wear until it barely moves water, and the first sign is often an alarm nobody hears or sewage backing up into the site.
75
Serious pollution incidents were caused by water companies in England in 2024, up from 47 in 2023.
Source: Environment Agency, 2024 report
11
Of those serious incidents came from sewage pumping stations.
Source: Environment Agency, 2024 report
15
Came from rising mains, the pipes that carry wastewater uphill from a pumping station.
Source: Environment Agency, 2024 report
2016
Shared private pumping stations had to transfer to the water company by 1 October 2016. Many built since then are still private.
Source: Private Sewers Regulations 2011
How it works
Two readings tell you how the station is doing.
AQUAIOT Radar looks down into the wet well and reads the level without touching the sewage. Urban.io current sensors on each pump supply in the control kiosk show when that pump draws power, and how hard it is working.
We survey the station.
We check the wet well, the cover, the pump controls and the kiosk, and plan where each sensor goes.
The radar reads the wet well level.
It measures from under the cover or a bracket above the well, so nothing sits in the sewage.
Current sensors show each pump running.
A current transformer around each pump supply, fitted by a qualified engineer, shows when the pump draws power.
Alarms reach the right people.
High level and pump fault alarms go to the people you choose by SMS or email.
What you see
A pump that fails to start shows up as a level that keeps climbing.
In normal running the level rises to the start point, a pump runs and the level falls back. If the pump does not start, the level keeps rising, and the current reading confirms that the pump drew no power.
- High level alarm in the wet well
- Run status for every pump
- Run time visible for each pump
- History kept for your records
The sensors
Each sensor answers one question about the station.
Together they tell you how full the well is, which pump is doing the work and whether the instruments already in the kiosk agree.
Wet well levelAQUAIOT Radar
Reads the level from above and raises the high level alarm before the well overflows.
Pump run statusUrban.io Current Sensor
Measures the current each pump draws through a current transformer, in ranges up to 200 A.
Existing instrumentsUrban.io Process Loop Sensor
Wires in series with a 4-20 mA instrument already in the kiosk and reports its reading.
Read more in the pumping station monitoring guide and the answer to what a wet well is.
Alerts
The duty engineer hears about a pump fault while there is time to act.
A pump fault on a station with a second pump can wait for the morning. A high level with both pumps silent cannot. You decide who hears about which alarm, station by station.
Notify.
An SMS or email reaches the people you name when a level or a pump alarm is raised.
Diagnose.
The level and the pump current side by side show whether it is a pump, a blockage or simply heavy flow.
Record.
Every reading is stored and can be exported, so each event leaves a clear record behind it.
Station eventsExample feed
Example feed for illustration. Locations, times and values are not real data.
Where it fits
It suits any pumping station that nobody visits every day.
Foul and surface water stations, packaged stations on new developments and old stations on large estates all fail in the same way, and all give the same early signs.
Housing developments
Private stations serving new homes, often before or instead of adoption by the water company.
Schools, hospitals and campuses
Stations on large sites where a backup can close a building or a ward.
Business and retail parks
Shared stations where several tenants depend on one set of pumps.
Rural and holiday sites
Caravan parks, farms and rural sites where the station is far from anyone who would notice.
Highway and underpass drainage
Surface water stations that keep underpasses and low roads clear in heavy rain.
Industrial sites
Process and effluent stations where a failure stops production or breaks a discharge consent.
Councils and utility contractors
Teams who look after many small stations across an area and need to see every one of them on one screen.
Not sure who owns your station?
Read who is responsible for a private pumping station, or tell us about it and we will help you check.
Why AQUAIOT
We plan, install and support the whole system.
The sensors come from specialist manufacturing partners. AQUAIOT selects them for your station, installs them, connects them and stays with you after go-live.
Site survey
We look at the wet well, the cover and the kiosk, and check LoRaWAN or cellular coverage.
Installation
The radar goes under the cover, and the current sensors are fitted in the kiosk by a qualified engineer.
Telemetry and dashboard
We connect every sensor and set up the dashboard and the alarm levels with you.
Training and support
Your team learns the dashboard, and we support the system for as long as it runs.
AQUAIOT Radar, left, and an Urban.io sensor, right.
The product
AQUAIOT Radar reads the wet well without touching the sewage.
It uses 60 GHz millimetre-wave radar through a narrow beam, is sealed to IP68 and runs on its own battery, so it can stay in a wet well for years between visits.
- 60 GHz millimetre-wave radar
- ±2 mm on a still surface
- Measuring range up to 12 m
- IP68 sealed housing
- LoRaWAN or LTE Cat-1
- Up to 7 years on LoRaWAN
Questions
These are the questions station owners ask first.
Our station already has a high level float switch. Why add monitoring?
A float switch only helps if its alarm reaches someone. A connected level sensor sends the alarm to a phone, and it shows the level and the pump activity well before the alarm point is reached.
How does the radar cope with sewage in the wet well?
It measures from above, so nothing touches the sewage, and its housing is sealed to IP68. Heavy foam or fat on the surface can affect any radar reading, so we choose the mounting point carefully on the survey.
How do current sensors show that a pump is working?
A current transformer around the pump supply measures the current the motor draws. Current means the pump is running. No current when the level says the pump should be running points to a fault, and a change from the usual draw is worth checking.
Do the sensors need mains power or the site network?
The radar runs on its own battery and reports over LoRaWAN or LTE Cat-1 cellular. The Urban.io sensors are wireless and report through their own gateway, so neither needs the site network.
Who is responsible for a private pumping station?
It depends on when it was built and what it serves. Shared stations connected to the public sewer had to transfer to the water company by 1 October 2016, while newer stations and single property stations are often still private. Our answer page explains how to check.
Can the data go into our own systems?
Yes. Readings can be exported, and APIs are available to pass level and pump data into your own maintenance or monitoring platforms.
Speak to an expert
Tell us about your station and we will plan the monitoring.
An AQUAIOT engineer will look at the wet well, the pumps and the kiosk, and at who needs to hear about a fault day and night.
- Site surveyWe check the station and the coverage before anything is ordered.
- Installation and commissioningSensors fitted, connected and tested on site.
- One monitoring partnerStations alongside your sewer, tank and leak monitoring.
Prefer to talk? Call 02392 233611 or email info@aquaiot.co.uk.
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