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View Full Version : Sewer Pump not turning on?


finsta13
Nov 23, 2008, 01:03 PM
Toilet in flushes but water goes down slowly.
Sewer pump doesn't turn on at all!
Plunged toilet and some water backed up in the shower area. Very little water but some.
Could there still be a clog somewhere or is the pump shot?
Help! Holidays coming and lots of visitors need to get fixed!

speedball1
Nov 23, 2008, 03:25 PM
Have the float switch in the pit checked out. Let me know what you find out. Good luck, Tom

massplumber2008
Nov 23, 2008, 03:32 PM
Like Tom said... can check the float in the pit.

Also, can check:

1) power to pump (check breaker/fuse) or plug pump into an extension cord for now and see if pump turns on.

2) Can give a slight KICK to the discharge pipe and see if that loosens something that might be caught on the float... OR

3) open the electrical port (where wire goes into pit) and shine flashlight through hole... can you see anything caught on float? If not, unplug the pump and take a metal clothes hanger and see if you can move the float up/down a bit... then plug pump back in and see if that helped.

4) Finally, if none of the above worked, unplug the pump, open the pit and engage the float manually a few times. Then plug the pump back in and see from there.

If that doesn't work then time to replace the pump.

Good luck..

MARK

letmetellu
Nov 23, 2008, 04:50 PM
Where ever your pump plugs into there is a Plug that is plugged into the recepitical and then there is another cord plugged into the first one. The first one is the line that runs to the float switch. Unplug the first plug and plug the second directly into the recipitcal. This way you are by passing the float switch. When you by pass it the pump should run if the problem is the switch or a switch that will not float.

If the motor does run then only let it run for 30 seconds or so and then unplug it, then another 30 seconds and unplug it. Now you can put the switch line back into the circuit and run water into the tank and see if the float switch will turn it on.

If it runs with the switch out of the circuit and does not run with the switch in the circuit you can go through the process again to empty the tank and then unplug all wires and take the top off the tank and see if you see one of the problems that all of the others mentioned, like something sitting of the switch to make it not float.

This is just an idea to add to the others information.