Not every home in Hattiesburg is lucky enough to have a perfectly sloped lot that allows for a gravity-fed septic system. If your bathroom is in a basement, or if your septic tank is located uphill from your house, you rely on a septic ejector pump to do the heavy lifting. These pumps are the unsung heroes of modern plumbing, but they require a specific type of care. This 1,200-word guide will teach you how to maintain your pump and avoid the mess of a mechanical failure.
Unlike a sump pump, which only moves water, an ejector pump is designed to handle solids. It sits in a sealed basin and, when the waste reaches a certain level, a float switch activates a powerful motor that grinds the waste (in some models) and pumps it out through a high-pressure line to your main septic tank. Because these systems involve electricity, moving parts, and pressurized sewage, they are much more complex than standard gravity systems.
Every pump system should have a high-water alarm. If you hear a loud buzzing or see a red light on a control panel in your Hattiesburg home, that is your pump telling you it has failed. At this point, the basin is full, and you have very limited capacity before a backup occurs. We recommend testing your alarm twice a year to ensure that when a real failure happens, you’ll know before it becomes an emergency.
We specialize in the repair and replacement of all major ejector pump brands. Don’t wait for the alarm to sound.
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A septic ejector pump moves waste from a low point, like a basement bathroom or a tank located below the drainfield, up to your main septic tank or drainfield. Unlike a sump pump, which only handles water, an ejector pump is built to handle solids using a float switch that activates a motor to push effluent through a high-pressure discharge line.
A sump pump only moves water, while an ejector pump is designed to handle solids. It sits in a sealed basin, and when waste reaches a set level, a float switch triggers a motor that grinds (in some models) and pumps the waste out through a high-pressure line to the septic tank.
A loud buzzing sound or red light on the control panel means the pump has failed and the basin is full. At that point you have very limited capacity before a backup occurs, so it should be treated as an emergency and addressed immediately.
Test the high-water alarm twice a year so you know it's working before a real failure happens, rather than finding out during an actual backup.
Because they involve electricity, moving parts, and pressurized sewage, ejector pump systems are much more complex than standard gravity systems and require electrical components, a float switch, and a motor that all need regular inspection.