Septic pump question

[Psilloh1]

Dont use flushable wipes… They clog pumps up and burn them out…

Ask me how I know..

 

[roydamnmercer]

The pump isn’t the worrisome part at all. I would want to know why they needed to put the septic tank uphill in the first place. It may be something as minor as a small lot that needed the septic to be X number of feet from the well to meet code to something major like being in a flood plane.

I put an offer on a house a few years back that had the latter situation…wasn’t disclosed by the seller as required. Got back to my realtors office and had him pull up the property on his computer and the .gov website revealed the property was located smack dab in a flood plane from a nearby creek. That also explained all the mold in the crawlspace.

Sellers never disclosed and I would’ve been screwed because flood insurance ain’t cheap! So do your due diligence!

 

[jett3663]

The majority of the pump systems in these parts are manufactured by Liberty.
The basic design hasn’t changed in decades so when something inevitably goes wrong repair/ replacement parts are readily available. They’re no fun to fix but it ain’t rocket science.
Most come with either 4/10 or 1/2 hp MACERATING pumps…..not grinding pumps. They do a good job on what they’re designed to do….solids(turds), liquids, and toilet paper. They WILLNOT handle plastics (tampon applicators , toys etc.)……you have to be VERY careful what you flush. The folks that work on them charge plenty because it is a CHITTY job.

 

[yellowhammer]

We have a Clearwater septic system. Two pumps and an aerator motor, which has been running non-stop for 27 years, except for a few power outages. It has 4 tanks, turns sewage ino graywater, pumps it under the back yard. I have replaced one pump and one circuit board. I clean a filter every six months. I had one blockage once, caused a major problem, due to wife buying tp that was not septic safe. You need to read the tp wrapper if you have a septic system.

 

[dhal22]

My folks are looking at buying a new home. Apparently the house has a septic pump (is the tank uphill?). There is a little dome thingy in the yard over the pump, and a red light warning beacon on the house.

Are these things prone to fail? How long do they last? What the average repair/replacement cost of one?

Thanks,

Walls, happy to discuss. Master plumber, boiler and septic licensed. I’ve installed a few pumped septic systems. And tag, you’re it on next chess move.

 

[dhal22]

The majority of the pump systems in these parts are manufactured by Liberty.
The basic design hasn’t changed in decades so when something inevitably goes wrong repair/ replacement parts are readily available. They’re no fun to fix but it ain’t rocket science.
Most come with either 4/10 or 1/2 hp MACERATING pumps…..not grinding pumps. They do a good job on what they’re designed to do….solids(turds), liquids, and toilet paper. They WILLNOT handle plastics (tampon applicators , toys etc.)……you have to be VERY careful what you flush. The folks that work on them charge plenty because it is a CHITTY job.

Liberty or Zoeller….

 

[medium187mph]

My FIL’s pump went out two weeks ago. He and I replaced the pump about 9 years ago.

The exact replacement pump was nearly 700 and it was around $200 when we replaced it the first time…