[rardburgundy]

I have been perusing through the many problems, but still have not found one exactly like mine. Here it goes.

Bought a complete fixer upper. No plumbing, electrical, or mechanical. Pretty big project for my first house.

The house has a "weird green turtle shell outside". I now know that this is called a sewage ejector pump.

We passed our rough-in inspections and the city turned the water on. We still have some small projects in the house left, but have now been living in it for about 8 months. Over those months, I would occasionally smell an awful odor in the yard. I thought it was the scum that had collected on the lake behind the house during this hot summer. About 3-4 weeks ago I had the hunch that the smell was the "turtle".

After further inspection I realized that the power was never connected to the power inside the electrical enclosure. I hooked the power up, the buzzer came on immediately outside and waste started oozing out of the ground around the basin. I immediately ran in and flipped the breaker off.

I then dug a decent size hole around the basin and turned it on once again, it didn't happen again until I turned all of the faucets on in the house, when it started to fill up with liquid.

I have since turned off the electrical to the pump and in the mornings after showers have been had, the hole is semi-filled with liquid.

Is there a crack in the side of the basin? Is the pipe to the sewer clogged? Is the pump broke? What is best plan of attack? What steps would you recommend I take to troubleshoot this issue? Also, has anyone out there experienced the same thing. Thanks in advance.

[Milo Dolezal]

First, make sure it is Sewer Ejector, not a Septic tank.
If it is Sewer Ejector, I would open up the lid and check what's inside, including how it is connected, size of pumps, number of pumps, outgoing line, presence of vent, etc. Than, I would turn ON water in the house and visually observed what is happening in the pit. There is too many things that may be wrong. So, inspect it first, snap few clear photos of what's inside, post them here and one of our Experts will help you ID the problem. Back to you. Milo

[rardburgundy]

Thanks Milo. I pay sewer taxes, so I will be pissed if it's a septic tank. Beware, the final pic is disgusting.

[ma0641]

That might be a force main and that is the lift pump for that. Like an ejector pump.

[rardburgundy]

That might be a force main and that is the lift pump for that. Like an ejector pump.

What is a force main?

[rardburgundy]

I just googled Force Main and that is exactly what it is. A couple of the houses around me have the same thing as well. I know that the my entire house's main waste line enters the basin. I believe that is the white pipe that is somewhat seen in the dig out hole. Since it is probably 95% likely that it is a force main, what is my next move?

[ma0641]

The catch basin holds effluent until the pump turns on and pressurizes the pipe going to the main. There is a check valve in there somewhere so your neighbors "deposits " don't end up in your.yard. You need the pump hooked.up to get things working right.

[rardburgundy]

The catch basin holds effluent until the pump turns on and pressurizes the pipe going to the main. there is a check valve in there somewhere so your neighbors "deposits " don't end up in your.yard. You need the pump hooked.up to get things working right.

So I should turn the system back on? I know that the pump works because I can hear it. But after awhile, it will start "crapping" in the yard. Is that normal for the startup, so that the system can get back to its normal pressurized state?

[massplumber2008]

Hi RB

It certainly looks like there is a problem with the pump or the float switch... can't tell from here.

Here, I would try to turn the pump back on... if you simply hear a humming sound then that would suggest that there is something stuck up inside the impeller of the pump or could also be that the check valve is snagged closed.

If the waste starts bubbling or just swishing around then I would think the check valve could be the issue.

If you get no reaction at the pump then the float may be suspect.

Finally, be careful if this is a force main 'cause if you break the pipe after the check valve your neighbor's waste could end up getting pumped up into your yard.. *UGH*. I'd recommend that a plumber come in to make any repairs!

Mark