Pumping and sewerage in Purvciems - apartment block basements and shopping centres

Purvciems: large estates on the city network

Purvciems is one of Riga's largest apartment-block neighbourhoods: Soviet-era estates, newer projects, retail and office buildings. Estates like these were built with mains water supply and sewerage, so a septic tank or holding tank is not an everyday issue here.

What falls to us are other things: basements where water collects, pumps that lift wastewater from lower-lying rooms, drainage and rainwater wells in courtyards and car parks, and grease separators at food outlets.

In new residential projects, underground car parks often have floor drains and drainage pumps. We clean those too when sand and sediment from car wheels have built up in them.

A flooded basement in an apartment building

Water usually gets into a basement in one of three ways: a water or sewer stack bursts, the outlet to the courtyard manhole clogs, or rainwater gets in through the service entries during heavy rain. If it contains wastewater, it must not simply be pumped out onto the lawn. Such water is collected in a vacuum tanker and taken to a reception point.

We pump out the water and sediment, then inspect the outlet and the courtyard manhole so that the building manager knows what needs repairing. Pumping out doesn't remove the cause itself, but it lets you find it. More details: basement pumping in Purvciems.

Sewage pumps in lower-lying rooms

In some houses and commercial buildings, wastewater from the basement or lower-lying rooms has to be lifted by a pump. When the pump stops, the first sign is water collecting in the tank or in the sinks, and an alarm signal if one has been fitted. The most common causes are wet wipes and rags winding around the impeller, and grease that jams the float.

First we pump out the tank so that the pump can be reached, then we check the floats, the non-return valve and the pump itself. If the pump needs replacing or repairing: sewage pump repair. New stations cost from €1,650: sewage pump stations.

Retail and office buildings: grease separators

At supermarkets, canteens and fast-food outlets, the grease separator is often an underground tank outside the building, in the car park or service yard. The vacuum tanker has to get to the lid, so we coordinate the work with the building manager to make sure cars aren't parked over the lid.

We pump the separator out completely, clean the walls and fill it with water. How often this is needed depends on how many portions the kitchen prepares and how much fried food is on the menu. Price from €90: grease trap cleaning. After cleaning, the building manager receives a certificate with the date and volume.

Rainwater and drainage wells in courtyards and car parks

In the large courtyards of Purvciems and around retail buildings, rainwater is collected in gullies and wells. Over the years, sand, leaves and mud build up in them, and after a downpour water starts standing by the entrances or getting into basements. We pump out the sediment with a vacuum truck, flush the bottom of the well and check that the outlet pipe is clear.

If the water still doesn't drain away after cleaning, the fault is usually further along the pipe. We then tell the building manager where the flow stops, so that the repair can be planned precisely.

When you need a plumber, not a pumping contractor

If one flat's sink or bath is blocked, that's a problem with the internal drains, and it is solved by a plumber with a drain snake, not by a vacuum tanker. It's worth calling us in if water is standing in the basement, a courtyard manhole is overflowing, a pump has stopped or a separator needs cleaning.

If you don't know which case is yours, describe in your request where the water appears, whether it is clear or smells, and when it started. From that, we'll tell you whether the job is ours and, if not, who to give it to.

Inner courtyards and access

In the large inner courtyards of Purvciems, the roads between the buildings are narrow, cars are parked along them, and some courtyards have barriers. The busy main roads affect when it is easiest to drive in. In your request, state which entrance or corner of the building the lid is by and whether a truck with a tank can drive into the courtyard.

If it can't, we work with a longer hose from the street or car park. For rainwater wells and drainage wells in the courtyard, a plan or a photo showing where they are is helpful.

Riga's rules and private systems

For businesses and building managers in Purvciems, the key document is Riga's Binding Regulations No. 17 on mains water supply and sewerage. They prohibit discharging grease and food waste into the network, and allow groundwater and surface water to be discharged only with approval. If a building has its own holding tank or septic tank, the decentralised sewage Regulations No. 66 also apply to it, with registration and an emptying frequency.

The same kind of work in apartment estates comes up in Pļavnieki and Mežciems, while in Teika and Dārzciems the buildings are more mixed. All neighbourhoods: where we work.