LIFTING STATIONS SUPPORT NEW DENTAL SCHOOL

A NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART DENTAL school in Bristol will enable students to put theory into practice using the most modern equipment available in a renovated building in the heart of the city. Bristol University is one of the UK’s leading dental teaching institutions. Its move to a new, purpose-built school will enable the expansion of student places, the availability of new courses, and the creation of new jobs. Some three years in the making, the new facility, formerly the site of a leading bank, opened in September 2023 with numerous clinics and 119 dental chairs.

The three-year project was awarded to Kier Construction, who appointed Briggs and Forrester Engineering Services to complete the building’s ft-out. To support the discharge of grey water waste at
certain points, two of Sanifo’s Sanifos underground lifting stations were specifed by Briggs and installed in the basement, along with a Sanivite grey water pump. The frst of the Sanifos 610 lifting stations takes the water from a 20,000-litre booster tank in an adjacent plant room during routine maintenance
and cleaning. It also provides an overfow for excess water. This is pumped up to street-level drainage directly above the unit.

The second Sanifos 610 is situated directly beneath the clinical rooms and takes waste from compressed air and suction drainage tools used by the trainee dentists. The condensate waste from several air handling units installed in the same section of the basement, but on a higher elevation, is also discharged into this Sanifos, which again pumps the waste up to the mains drains.

The use of the large, 610-litre Sanifos underground pumping stations was recommended by a Sanifo pump specialist following a visit to the site, where the job was scoped out. The units were ordered from a local builders’ merchant, Bristol Building Supplies, who organised a swift delivery for installation by the Briggs team.

A third unit, a compact Sanivite+ grey water lifting station, was specifed to take wastewater samples once per week from side stream flters that monitor the heating and chilling systems throughout the whole
building. Water is frequently tested, and the resulting wastewater is pumped out through the Sanivite+ to mains drains. This automatic operation is designed to ensure there is no rust contamination in the pipework to maintain the optimum efciency of the temperature controls.