# Help! Septic or Electrical Problem?



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

The circuit breaker for my septic pump is tripped and I cannot get it to stay on. I accidently discovered it so I don't know how long it has been off. I'm not sure if I need to call a septic or electrical person and if I can wait until tomorrow. I don't smell any sewage so I'm hoping that's a good sign. Anyone have expertise is this area? TIA.


----------



## DonM (Jul 5, 2009)

Call an electrican, and use as little water as possible until this is resolved. That means minimize or eliminate washing, bathing and flushing.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

Thanks for the info.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

Called an electrician who said it was the pump and to call a septic guy. Waiting for a call back.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 5, 2009)

If the pump is not working, then wastewater is backing up ahead of wherever the pump is located.  If the pump moves wastewater into the septic tank, then wastewater is backing up inside the drain lines that lead to the pump.  When the lines fill raw waste will begin emerging from wherever the lowest elevation opening is in your system, such as the floor drain in a basement shower.  

If the pump moves wastewater from the septic tank into the leach field, then wastewater is backing up in the septic tank.  In this case you probably have a bit more time before wastewater begins appearing somewhere.  Again, wastewater will begin to appear at whatever opening is the lowest elevation. If the septic tank access hatch is lower than any plumbing fixtures, that is where the wastewater will most likely appear unless that is a sealed opening.

****

I concur that you need an electrician, not a septic contractor.


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 5, 2009)

Pat H said:


> Called an electrician who said it was the pump and to call a septic guy. Waiting for a call back.



So make sure the septic guy is also qualified to do electrical repair.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

The odd thing is that the alarm hasn't gone off yet. I tested it and it works.
I'm hoping that means the problem just started. The only plumbing in the basement is my washing machine, everything else would be way above the tank and pump. The pump is between the tank and the sand mound so I'm assuming it's the latter and I have extra time.


----------



## DonM (Jul 5, 2009)

Pat H said:


> ... The only plumbing in the basement is my washing machine, everything else would be way above the tank and pump.



That means if you drain fluids into the septic system and it has used up all it's space to store it, then the waste water will start to erupt like a hawaiian volcano from your washer's drain pipe into your basement.

That is why I previously stated:



> ... use as little water as possible until this is resolved. That means minimize or eliminate washing, bathing and flushing


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

DonM said:


> That means if you drain fluids into the septic system and it has used up all it's space to store it, then the waste water will start to erupt like a hawaiian volcano from your washer's drain pipe into your basement.
> 
> That is why I previously stated:



I already told everyone. I just got a new washer on Tuesday!


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

Do either of you know why the alarm wouldn't have gone off? I thought it was to alert me that the pump wasn't working???


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 5, 2009)

Pat H said:


> Do either of you know why the alarm wouldn't have gone off? I thought it was to alert me that the pump wasn't working???


That's the kind of question an electrician is supposed to be able to answer.


----------



## DonM (Jul 5, 2009)

Pat H said:


> Do either of you know why the alarm wouldn't have gone off? I thought it was to alert me that the pump wasn't working???




Let me ask you a basic question- how did you find out that the septic pump isn't working if the alarm didn't go off?

I would have thought that you either heard the alarm or you had a backup problem- so if you had neither, how did you detect the problem?


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

DonM said:


> Let me ask you a basic question- how did you find out that the septic pump isn't working if the alarm didn't go off?
> 
> I would have thought that you either heard the alarm or you had a backup problem- so if you had neither, how did you detect the problem?



Yesterday we had a party and had a lot of crockpots plugged into a surge protector. At one point, the power to the protector went out and I thought maybe the breaker tripped. When I checked the box there was switch that was tripped but I couldn't get it to stay on. In the meantime, someone else had reset the protector so I didn't look to see which breaker was thrown until today. It's marked "septic pump" and everything else seems to be functioning. So I found it by accident and have no idea how long it's been out.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

I can't leave things alone so just threw the breaker again and noticed all the house lights dimmed. Obviously the first electrician doesn't know what he's talking about!


----------



## DonM (Jul 5, 2009)

Pat H said:


> Yesterday we had a party and had a lot of crockpots plugged into a surge protector. At one point, the power to the protector went out and I thought maybe the breaker tripped. When I checked the box there was switch that was tripped but I couldn't get it to stay on. In the meantime, someone else had reset the protector so I didn't look to see which breaker was thrown until today. It's marked "septic pump" and everything else seems to be functioning. So I found it by accident and have no idea how long it's been out.



Some things don't make any sense here. I would have thought that the breaker for the pump would have been a dedicated line only for the septic pump- all the crockpots in the world shouldn't effect the pump.

Are you sure that the breaker marked as the septic pump is really for the pump?

It sounds as though you have a major short somewhere.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 5, 2009)

DonM said:


> Some things don't make any sense here. I would have thought that the breaker for the pump would have been a dedicated line only for the septic pump- all the crockpots in the world shouldn't effect the pump.
> 
> Are you sure that the breaker marked as the septic pump is really for the pump?
> 
> It sounds as though you have a major short somewhere.



The breaker had nothing to do with the crockpots. The problem with the pots is what caused me to look at the circuit box. Yes, I'm sure the breaker is for the septic pump. Everything else is working. I've lived in the house since it was built 22 years ago. I did have a pump go many years ago and it was the alarm that alerted us.


----------



## DonM (Jul 6, 2009)

Pat H said:


> The breaker had nothing to do with the crockpots. The problem with the pots is what caused me to look at the circuit box.



Got it.

You stated that you tested the alarm and it works so we know that hey put the alarm on a separate circuit breaker. The alarm goes off immediately when the pump is defective, or only when the effluent reaches a certain level?


----------



## Stricky (Jul 6, 2009)

Call another electrician. It could be as simple as a bad breaker (it happens).


----------



## Pat H (Jul 6, 2009)

DonM said:


> Got it.
> 
> You stated that you tested the alarm and it works so we know that hey put the alarm on a separate circuit breaker. The alarm goes off immediately when the pump is defective, or only when the effluent reaches a certain level?



I don't know the answer to that. Still waiting for the guy to show up. Said he would be here late afternoon. Checked with 2 septic companies and another electrician. All said it's probably the pump and I should have the septic guy check it.

On top of this, my eardrum ruptured during the night and I got my first ticket ever for speeding on the way home from the Dr.'s.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 6, 2009)

DonM said:


> Got it.
> 
> You stated that you tested the alarm and it works so we know that hey put the alarm on a separate circuit breaker. The alarm goes off immediately when the pump is defective, or only when the effluent reaches a certain level?



When the effluent reaches a certain level but the float wasn't working so it didn't set the alarm off.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 6, 2009)

The pump was burned out plus the float switch was no good. They also rebuilt the pump delivery line and had to replace a little box and some connectors. Pump works BUT it couldn't pump the water out because the lateral lines are all clogged. My sand mound does not have the above ground clean outs so now I need the laterals cleaned out and 6 clean outs installed. They can't do that until Friday. Costing me $1300 total. I'm assuming that's a fair price and if it isn't I don't want to know!


----------



## T_R_Oglodyte (Jul 6, 2009)

Pat H said:


> The pump was burned out plus the float switch was no good. They also rebuilt the pump delivery line and had to replace a little box and some connectors. Pump works BUT it couldn't pump the water out because the lateral lines are all clogged. My sand mound does not have the above ground clean outs so now I need the laterals cleaned out and 6 clean outs installed. They can't do that until Friday. Costing me $1300 total. I'm assuming that's a fair price and if it isn't I don't want to know!



Off the cuff, that seems to me to be a fair price for that work.

But the bigger issue is the clogged laterals.  That usually happens for one of two reasons:

 Your system is overloaded, meaning that you're discharging more wastewater than the system can handle.  So solids aren't settling and being digested in the septic tank and are washing out into the laterals.
Your not getting the solids pumped out of your septic tank often enough.  If you don't pump the septic tank sufficiently often, the tank gets so full of solids that the solids wash out into the laterals.
If you don't figure out and solve that problem, you are going to have continuing problems with the system and you might face a complete system rebuild if the solids carryover totally blinds the interface between the leach field and the laterals.


----------



## Kay H (Jul 6, 2009)

Oh Pat,

You're having one problem after another.  Sounds like you need a vacation.  I hope things turn around for you.


----------



## Pat H (Jul 6, 2009)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Off the cuff, that seems to me to be a fair price for that work.
> 
> But the bigger issue is the clogged laterals.  That usually happens for one of two reasons:
> 
> ...



He dug out one of the clean out things. He said there are 16 (I think) of them and they have a hole smaller than a pencil. He showed me it and the hole was clogged. He put on one of the new clean outs and it emptied everything in about 2 -3 minutes. I probably should get my tank pumped more often. Obviously I know nothing about septics but he seemed to think we had done well since this was only my second replacement pump in 22 yrs. I think the last one is about 15 yrs old.


----------



## Htoo0 (Jul 7, 2009)

I think they recommend having them checked/cleaned every 5-10 years depending upon size and usage. (Probably time to have mine checked- a few years ago my lines collapsed due to their composition and it was $1500 to have them replaced.)


----------

