Certainly a device used to maintain water flow isn’t the first that you picture bursting into flames, but water pumps are mechanical units and that means that wiring issues and other complications can, in fact, lead to fire hazards.  This lesson was recently learned by a municipal water supply operation, when a water pump caught fire and was destroyed, along with the large structure containing it.

The local report stated that the fire was likely a result of a space heater being placed too close to the pump.  An investigation with a strong background in mechanics, electrical, and plumbing will likely determined that there were much bigger problems at play.  The need for the space heater should be a red flag.

Questions will undoubtedly be asked regarding why there was a need for a portable space heater within the pump house.  It makes one wonder what was happening with the pump prior to the fire that made this extra heat a necessity.

It sounds as if the heater was serving as a quick fix for another issue within the pump house.  The entire ordeal might have been avoided if some simple controls had been implemented within the space. A simple temperature control device could have been used, in conjunction with either an automated system or a land line system, to alert the facility personal that the pump house was falling below freezing.  Rather than leaving the space heater unattended in the space, the automated alert system could have been used to provide peace of mind.

The Ultra-Electronics room air sensor is very simple controller when used in conjunction with a temperature transmitter, and it could have thwarted this problem. The sensor could have been installed in communication with a relay.  These could even be used to operate a space heater, ensuring that it was turned on only when absolutely necessary, and shut down again when the space reached the desired pre-set temperature.