InterLINX® and Propitect® give the maintenance team round-the-clock visibility of stormwater pump performance. Facility managers receive early alerts and can investigate faults remotely, helping them address issues before they interrupt pump operation.
When a severe storm cut power to the stormwater pumps at Highpoint Apartments in Brisbane, water rose in the building’s retention basin and threatened the main switchboard in the basement. The switchboard escaped damage, but the incident highlighted the need for backup power and earlier warning of pump problems.
At the apartment, rainwater runoff from the roof and paved areas drains into a retention basin beneath the building. During the outage, the pumps stopped while significant runoff continued to fill the basin, as often happens in Queensland’s tropical weather patterns. Had the water reached the switchboard, the entire building could have lost power.
Highpoint arranged for a permanent diesel backup generator to keep the pumps running during future mains outages. The generator supplier required soft starters for the pumps, so Queensland Pumps & Controls worked with MATelec Australia to select a compatible control panel.
The maintenance team also wanted to see how the pumps were performing between scheduled visits. Access to operating data and fault alerts would help technicians investigate changes as they occurred and plan maintenance based on how the pumps were running.
“We can look at the telemetry and see what’s happening at the panel. We can tell what’s failed and sometimes even why it’s failed.”
Queensland Pumps & Controls installed a MATelec Australia HydroSTART® control panel with soft starters to meet the generator supplier’s requirements. They used InterLINX® to connect the panel to Propitect®, giving technicians access to live pump telemetry, alarm notifications and remote pump control.
In Propitect®, technicians can check pump run times, how often each pump starts and stops, current draw, and float switch status. If a pump runs longer than expected, they can use the data to investigate possible causes such as a blockage, a discharge issue, or a pump overload. That helps them decide how urgently they need to attend and which parts to bring.
Continuous monitoring also helps the team spot changes between inspections. More frequent pump starts may point to a leak, while a change in current draw can be an early sign of a developing pump fault. The building team can also access Propitect® and receive alerts at the same time as the service team.
“From a preventative maintenance point of view, it’s a leap ahead for us. And it’s cost effective.”
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