Sewer Lift Station Problem!!!

[Waxman]

My high water level alarm just came on. Grinder pumps in lift station are trying to pump, can hear them running, but water level is not going down.

Could there be a problem with the sewer main? It is a 'force main' meaning pressure is required for water to enter main.

Called the guy who installed the system, he's coming to look at it.

 

[Plow Guy]

Check the amps to the grinder pump. If its high, the impeller or the motor is dragging. If it is low the suction could be plugged, or the outlet line could be frozen as it leaves the tank. Good luck! Ps sometimes the wires where they connect at the top of the tank can have corrosion and you will not get correct power to the pump.

 

[Greg Pack]

The carwash Gods must smile on you. Mine always go down at 4:30 on Friday

FWIW, I've had a biological "goo" form a film over the pump inlet. It's worth pumping out the lift station pit and taking a look.

 

[Waxman]

Thanks.

Looking into it more today.

Saw alot of frost inside top of tank. Bought some thick rigid foam insulation and cut a couple pieces to fit in the top. Left it there overnite.

Hope to get a look at the grinder pumps today.

 

[Waxman]

BTW,

I am now accepting 'Pep talks' via PM's or email.

 

[Plow Guy]

At 10000 feet, back in the day, I thawed water and sewer lines professionally.Often times above the water line their is a union where the pump line attaches with a quick coupling where the line exits the tank.This is a good place to start thawing your line with a hot water jetting line. However you may encounter a 90* elbow with in a foot or two of the tank.Look in your Dultmeier catalog under sewer & drain cleaning nozzles. Go to your favorite Farm and Fleet and pick up a Stock tank heater, this will help in future freeze ups.Good Luck, Pete

 

[Waxman]

Good advice. Firm that installed pump chamber is coming this afternoon. Unfortunately, the pvc is glued together with no unions, so I can't get at the outlet line to stick a thaw device in! Pumps are working as they should.

Looks like we'll have to cut the pvc apart.

 

[Waxman]

Well, I will be working on this more tomorrow morning. The consensus is to cut a hole in the t fitting where it exits tank and try to hot water jet it until thawed.

I am hoping that the freeze up is in close proximity to the tank under the pavement on my lot before it dips down and goes under the street. Otherwise I will contact the town sewer dept. and see what they think.

I will be shut down until I can solve this problem. $300 a whack or more to pump the 2000 gal. tank doesn't work profit-wise!

Wish me luck and please keep the advice coming!

Like; where is frost most likely to occur? I heard it was where a warm spot meets a cold spot; like 5-8 feet from tank.

Should there be a weep hole in the line that exits my tank on a pressurized sewer system (force main) that will prevent water from staying in the line after it leaves the tank?

 

[Plow Guy]

A drain back hole mite not be a bad idea. If after installation,the line settled, you may have low spots. You will still have water left in the line to freeze. You probably have a ball switch to turn the grinder pump on and off. It will be attached to the pipe above the pump. If you shorten the distance between the switch and where it attaches, you will shorten the time the pump pumps. You will increase the number of cycles. This with a little more weep water may help. Best of luck. Pete PS, Buy a sch 80 union, then RV silicon the O-ring to the gland. This way it will not fall into the pit.Use a purple primmer before the PVC glue.

 

[Eric H]

PS, Buy a sch 80 union, then RV silicon the O-ring to the gland. This way it will not fall into the pit.Use a purple primmer before the PVC glue.

I have no idea what this could possibly mean.

 

[Randy]

It sounds to me that the system is big time frozen and the longer you wait the harder it?s going to be to get it unthawed. Was this sewage pumping system installed before or after you built your Detail shop? Have you done anything different this year than in years past? How deep is sewage pump and plumbing? Is it lower than the freeze zone? The freeze zone is your area is about 5 feet.

 

[Plow Guy]

what diameter PVC is your grinder pump set on. The pump is set on a vertical pipe, then it hits a 90 and gos horizontal. this is where I would install the SCH 80 union,a very heavy duty plastic, stronger then SCH 40, better for freezing issues.This will allow you to service the pump and float switch.

 

[MEP001]

I have no idea what this could possibly mean.

A PVC union uses an o-ring seal, and the o-ring fits into a groove. The o-ring has a tendency to fall out or get pushed out and get pinched or cut when you assemble it. Using silicone to seal and glue it in not only protects it from rotting, it keeps it from falling out and into the sewage.

 

[Waxman]

I now have a toilet and 2 sinks and a washing machine entering the pump chamber as well as the carwash. There was alot of sludge at the bottom of the tank when I had it pumped out yesterday and I laid on the ground for about 45 minutes blasting the edges and corners with a hose so the vacuum puump could get rid of those solids. It's nice and clean now. The system was installed 3 years ago.

The pvc is 2", matching the engineering drawing spec. The heat-joined pvc is also on spec, and no unions of any kind were called for.

Should there be a small hole in the pvc before it leaves the pump chamber, which would prevent the lins staying full with water at all times? The elevation at my liftstation is 94.38 and at the force main it's 59.49.

The horizontal pvc leaving pump chamber is only 3' below asphalt! I am hoping if it is frozen that the freeze up is just beyond the pump chamber, where the warmth from the tank meets the cold sand/frost wall?

 

[Waxman]

Freeze unfrozen!

Well:

The sewer line was frozen just where I'd hoped; 5-25 feet from sewer tank.

Plumber drilled a hole in the pvc, we put in a plastic hose hooked to my production boiler. Cranked boiler up and shot hot water into the line.

Plumber put in a fitting w/cap so I can uncap and thaw if necessary. He also drilled a small weep hole in the elbow in hopes that that will keep water out of this section of pvc when not pumping.

Total downtime; 3 hours 8am-11am. Not bad.

Thanks for all the tech. help. Super advice as usual on ACF!

 

[Waxman]

I filled in the weep hole per advice of the company that set up my liftstation.

He said that weep, while leaving the line under my parkinglot less susceptible to freezing, may cause problems with the pumps as well as the pressure relief valve that is on a downhill slope of the sewer line quite a ways from my carwash.

He said the pressure relief valve will not know how to handle a 'slug of air' that comes by and it may cause a freeze where I can't get at it as easily as I did this time.