Sewage pump runs continuously?

Question

I live in the country and have both a septic tank and lagoon system. My sewage pump sits on a table and draws in water from the sump hole which I believe is pumped out to a lagoon (I have observed water coming out of the ground near my house). However, I have noticed that it runs continuously 24/7 and on some days loses its prime as quickly as 12 hours, causing basement flooding if left unchecked (the sign that its lost its prime is that the water level in the basement toilet will rise).

I'm not very well acquainted with how floats work to shut off the pump, however I have checked the tank outside and the levels on the tank are fairly low. There is a device inside of the tank that is attached to a long power cable that runs into the house (I assume to the basement pump). The device has another device attached (via short cable) to it however both of the devices appear to sink inside of the tank.

Further complicating the matter is that heavy snow and spring rains have raised the water level of the nearby land much higher than normal. Can anyone tell me what might be wrong here?

Jrbott · Accepted Answer

"The device has another device attached (via short cable)"  If you can get to that device try turning it upside down, does it sound like a marble is rolling around inside?  If so, that is a switch that floats upward when the tank is full and should hang straight downward when the tank is empty.   The ball inside makes the on/off contact which in turn sends power though the other cable to the house pump.

The ball just rolls back and forth between the ends of the device. The ball must reach the end of the device to turn it off so make sure it's up high enough that when the water is emptied by the pump it is hanging straight down.  Also, when it is in the upright position the device is turned on.  Depending on how long the short cable is will determine when it obtains the upright position to turn things on.  So make sure it turns on at the right time by varying the length of that cable. (tie-wrap it to something or set a weight on part of the cable.

Dan in FL · Answer

A pump is a pump. The pump does not know what it is pumping, or where it is pumping to.  Most pumps have a "Float or a float switch" .  When the liquid raises to the switch, the switch turns on the pump.  The pump then pumps the liquid out until the float shuts off.  If the Float gets stuck, for whatever reason ,,,it will pump forever or until it burns itself up.  One thing is for sure.YOU had better start paying attention to this pump; or YOU are going to start paying $$$$$ for a new pump.

Sewage pump runs continuously?

Related Questions

Trending Questions