01 · Detect
SAM4 flagged a double airlock.
The alert identified an operating problem at Vicarage Road. Southern Water’s operations team attended to check the pumps.
Case study
Southern Water responds to airlocks at Vicarage Road
AssetMotor-driven equipment
Fault detectedAir lock
IndustryWater & Wastewater
Key result£738k estimated avoided costs
← Yorkshire Water blockage story
Southern Water · Airlocks and cavitation
At Vicarage Road, an airlock alert led Southern Water to inspect the station. The team reset a tripped pump, the airlocks cleared, and normal operation returned.
Follow the site response- Lead incident
- Airlocks at Vicarage Road
- Incidents in this case
- Three incidents
- Result
- All affected pumps back in service
Vicarage Road
The pumps were running but the wet well was not emptying
SAM4 detected airlocks on two pumps. Southern Water visited the station and found another pump had tripped, although the other monitoring system showed it as normal.
02 · Check and act
The team found two airlocks and a tripped pump
The team found pumps 1 and 3 running without pumping down. A pump had also tripped despite appearing normal in the other monitoring system.
The operations team reset the tripped pump. The airlocks then cleared.
03 · Confirm
The airlocks cleared after the reset
After the intervention, the station returned to normal operation and the SAM4 traffic-light indicator switched back to green.
Two further incidents
Cavitation and a recurring airlock
The wider case describes cavitation and potential clogging, plus an airlock that returned after initial maintenance.
Cavitation and potential clogging
One pump needed assistance and another had failed
An alert prompted corrective maintenance. The team found that one pump needed assistance from another during each run and that a further pump had failed.
Following maintenance, the pumps returned to normal operation.
View the published incident figure
The £246,000 value uses the agreed standard estimate for this failure type and severity, verified by Southern Water.
Recurring airlock · Lydd Road
The airlock returned after maintenance.
Following the first airlock alert, the team attended and restored the pump. When another airlock developed, SAM4 alerted again and prompted a further response.
After further maintenance, the pump returned to normal operation.
View the published incident figure
The £246,000 value uses the agreed standard estimate for this failure type and severity, verified by Southern Water.
“the right personnel in the right locations at the right time for a successful first-time fix.”Austin Phillips · Operational Capex Implementation Manager, Southern Water
Excerpt from the published case study
Verified by Southern Water
£738,000 in estimated avoided costs
Three incidents at £246,000 each.
Client-verified estimate
Southern Water verified the estimate using an agreed standard of £246,000 per incident for this type of failure and severity. Across the three incidents, that comes to £738,000.
How the £738,000 estimate is calculated
| Incident | Estimated costs avoided |
|---|---|
| Cavitation and potential clogging | £246,000 |
| Vicarage Road airlocks | £246,000 |
| Lydd Road airlock | £246,000 |
| Total | £738,000 |
The same £246,000 standard applies to all three incidents because they fall within the agreed failure type and severity. The total estimates the costs avoided through the interventions.
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