Free Online Course

Wastewater Pumps, Motors, and Mechanical Equipment

Learn what common plant machines do, what normal operation looks like, and how operators spot warning signs, troubleshoot and keep equipment reliable.

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Time
About 65 minutes
Certificate
1.0 hour of completion
Credit
Not yet approved for continuing education credit
Price
Free
Format
72 narrated pages, checks and a final
Built by
A working wastewater operator (Washington Group III)

Who It's For

Wastewater operators at any level and people studying to become operators. No experience needed.

What You'll Learn

  • Work safely around equipment: nameplates, duty and standby pumps, guards, operator rounds and reporting changes.
  • Explain how centrifugal pumps work: impellers, suction conditions, priming, pump head, pump curves, cavitation and blockages.
  • Describe positive-displacement pumps: progressing cavity, rotary lobe, diaphragm and peristaltic pumps, relief protection and actual output.
  • Start, run and troubleshoot pumps: wet-well control, short cycling, no flow, low flow, vibration and seal leakage.
  • Describe motors and drives: current, temperature, bearings, couplings, alignment, starters, overloads and variable speed.
  • Explain valves, pipes and support equipment: isolation and check valves, mixers, conveyors, air compressors and hoists.
  • Plan preventive maintenance: lubrication, cleaning, bases, condition monitoring, spare parts, work orders and root cause.
  • Apply lockout/tagout, confined-space and lifting safety, basic pump rate and power math, and whole-system thinking.

Your authorization and the site procedure control the work.

What's Inside

  1. Working Around Equipment 9 pages
    • Welcome
    • The Equipment Path
    • Normal Operation
    • Read the Nameplate
    • Duty and Standby
    • Guards and Access
    • Operator Rounds
    • Report the Change
    • Checkpoint
  2. Centrifugal Pumps 9 pages
    • Pump Basics
    • The Impeller
    • Suction Conditions
    • Priming
    • Pump Head
    • Pump Curves
    • Cavitation
    • Pump Blockage
    • Checkpoint
  3. Positive-Displacement Pumps 9 pages
    • Different Method
    • Progressing Cavity
    • Rotary Lobe
    • Diaphragm Pumps
    • Peristaltic Pumps
    • Relief Protection
    • Thick Material
    • Actual Output
    • Checkpoint
  4. Pump Operation and Troubleshooting 9 pages
    • Before Start
    • During Operation
    • Wet-Well Control
    • Short Cycling
    • No Flow
    • Low Flow
    • High Vibration
    • Seal Leakage
    • Checkpoint
  5. Motors and Drives 9 pages
    • Motor Basics
    • Motor Current
    • Motor Temperature
    • Bearings
    • Couplings
    • Alignment
    • Starters and Overloads
    • Variable Speed
    • Checkpoint
  6. Valves, Pipes, and Support Equipment 9 pages
    • Valve Jobs
    • Isolation Valves
    • Check Valves
    • Pipes and Fittings
    • Mixers
    • Conveyors
    • Air Compressors
    • Hoists and Cranes
    • Checkpoint
  7. Preventive Maintenance 9 pages
    • Planned Care
    • Lubrication
    • Cleaning Equipment
    • Fasteners and Bases
    • Condition Monitoring
    • Spare Parts
    • Work Orders
    • Root Cause
    • Checkpoint
  8. Safety, Math, and Reliable Operation 9 pages
    • Lockout Tagout
    • Confined Spaces
    • Lifting Safety
    • Biological Hazards
    • Pump Rate Math
    • Power and Cost
    • SCADA Is a Tool
    • Whole System
    • Final Checkpoint

Sample Page

The Equipment Path

A pump has a suction side where liquid enters and a discharge side where liquid leaves. The system may also have isolation valves, check valves, pressure gauges, flowmeters, strainers, air-release points, and drains. The motor supplies turning force through a shaft or coupling.

Start by learning where the liquid comes from and where it goes. Find the normal valve positions. Identify the duty machine and the standby machine. Know which control starts the equipment and which instrument stops it during a bad condition.

For example, a pump can run with a closed discharge valve, a plugged suction, or an empty wet well. Hearing the motor run does not prove the system is moving liquid correctly. Follow the whole path.

During training, walk the path with the pump off and with it operating normally. Compare the drawing with the real pipes. Find branches, bypasses, drains, and connections that are easy to miss. A marked drawing helps, but the field check shows what is actually installed.

What to remember: Operators understand equipment better when they follow the path from the process to the machine and back.

Questions

Does This Course Count Toward My Renewal?

Not yet. A course counts toward your continuing education credit only after your state approves it, and this one is not approved yet. This page will say which states approve it once they do.

Do I Need an Account?

Yes, to take the course. Signing in lets us record your time and issue your certificate. This page, the topic pages and the practice questions need no account.

Can I Skip Ahead?

No. Each page has a minimum time before the next one opens, and your time is recorded.

What Do I Get When I Finish?

A certificate of completion from Operator Master for 1.0 hour, once you pass the final with 80% or better. Your operator certificate or license always comes from your state, not from Operator Master.

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