Help & support / Pump lift and horizontal distance explained
Pump lift and horizontal distance explained
When comparing sewage stations, look beyond the largest distance printed on the page. A pump must move the required amount of wastewater through your particular pipe route. The vertical rise and pipe resistance both matter.
What does maximum lift mean?
Lift describes how high the pump can raise liquid. A maximum-lift figure is a limit, not the recommended working point for every installation. The useful flow available at a particular lift should be checked against the pump’s technical data. Choosing only by a headline maximum can leave too little flow for the job.
What does the horizontal distance mean?
A horizontal distance describes a pipe run across the site. It is not independent of the rest of the installation: the pipe diameter, fittings and required flow affect resistance. There is no single conversion from horizontal metres to vertical lift that is accurate for every pipe and flow.
How to read our station options
The standard option on our station pages is listed as 6 metres maximum lift and 100 metres maximum horizontal distance. Do not interpret that as a guarantee of pumping 100 metres horizontally while also lifting the full 6 metres. The 10 metre and 30 metre upgrades increase the stated maximum lift; the installation still needs to be checked as a complete system.
Prepare a route sketch
- Mark the pumping station and receiving drain.
- Show the changes in height and the route length, rather than only a straight-line distance.
- Include the pipe size, bends and other fittings.
- State which appliances drain into the station and whether use is occasional or continuous throughout the day.
Choose a suitable operating point
Ask for the technical information for the selected pump and have the duty checked before ordering. Buying the option with the greatest lift is not automatically better. The aim is to match the required flow and route, with a suitable chamber and controls.
Use our sizing guide, compare the station range or send your measurements to our team.