Not long ago, we read about severe flood across Dubai and many flights were cancelled. Back home, heavy rain prompted flood warnings for large parts of Singapore on the morning of May 4, and caused delays at Changi Airport.
Many developments including condos in Singapore are built with basements used as carpark, some with more than one basement level. A typical basement carpark is constructed, depending on its size, with at least a sump pit to collect storm water or other water that fall at the basement. A sump pump serves to pump water collected at the pit up to the surface drain. Any failure of the sump pump to operate when the pit is filled with water could cause an overflow of the pit and possibly a flood at the basement carpark.
Turning the “ON” and “OFF” switches manually at the control panel to test a sump pump should be carried out but such test is not adequate. Servicing of any sump pump should among others, include a test of the float switch that would operate the sump pump automatically when water in the sump pit has reached a pre-determined level. If a sump pit is small, pouring water into the pit as a test for the float switch may be carried out. Most sump pits at condos are large and deep, filling up these sump pits with water may not be practical. An alternative test is manually lifting up the float switch to that pre-determined level (fixed for rising water level) to determine that the sump pump works.
In 2017, the Bishan MRT Station was closed for some 20 hours when alleged poor maintenance of the sump pumps caused the MRT tunnel to flood badly. The damages caused were reported to cost more than $2 million. We have read about the basements of various developments found flooded before. These showed the importance of a sump pump for any building that is built with a basement.
The following measures may mitigate a sump pump from failing to operate:
✅️Clear sludge and floating debris in the sump pit that could impede the float switch from activating and prevented the sump pump from being turned on.
✅️Check electrical contacts and replace parts that have worn due to wear and tear.
✅️Remind maintenance staff to switch the pump control back to automatic mode after completing their work. This may be supported with a photo evidence as part of the service report.
My book “A Practical Guide to Strata Management in Singapore” https://lnkd.in/gfknQ8Sa, detailed the importance of maintenance for strata developments. Heavy rainfall could overwhelm the surface drainage system, causing water to back up into the basement. While the weather may be beyond us, we should undertake maintenance of strata developments seriously as responsible strata managers. Proper records should also be kept that serve as evidence of maintenance work carried out when any incident occurs.
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