Septic Compliance Pumping & Failed Pump Replacement in Chanhassen, MN
· Chanhassen, Carver County, MN · Septic Compliance Pumping
Problem
Minnesota Sewer Pros was called to a property in Chanhassen, Minnesota to pump the septic system in preparation for a compliance inspection. This property has a larger multi-tank system consisting of a separate 1,000-gallon septic tank serving a garage apartment, which connects to two additional 1,000-gallon septic tanks serving the main house, followed by a 1,250-gallon pump tank. When the tanks were opened, the system was surcharged with wastewater levels reaching approximately ground level. Further troubleshooting found that the effluent pump had failed. Inspection of the pump electrical connection revealed the likely cause of the failure. The property owner had plugged the pump directly into one outlet while plugging the pump float switch separately into the other outlet. The pump and float should have been connected together using the piggyback float connection so the float switch could automatically turn the pump on and off as the wastewater level changed. Because the pump was connected directly to continuous power, it ran nonstop rather than cycling under control of the float switch. The continuous operation eventually burned out the pump motor, allowing the septic system to become severely overfilled.
Solution
Minnesota Sewer Pros pumped and cleaned the septic tanks at this Chanhassen, MN property as part of preparation for a septic compliance inspection and diagnosed the cause of the overfilled system. The property has four tanks in total: a 1,000-gallon septic tank serving the garage apartment, two 1,000-gallon septic tanks serving the main residence, and a 1,250-gallon pump tank. The tanks were surcharged to approximately ground level because the effluent pump was no longer operating. During troubleshooting, we discovered that the pump had been plugged directly into constant power instead of being connected through the piggyback pump float switch. In a properly configured system, the pump plugs into the float switch connection and the float controls when power is supplied to the pump. Bypassing that control caused the pump to run continuously until the motor eventually failed. We cleaned and pumped the tanks, removed the failed pump, and installed a replacement effluent pump to restore proper operation of the pump system. This job is also a good example of why septic pump and float connections should not be changed without understanding how the controls operate. A simple electrical connection mistake can cause a pump to run continuously, shorten its service life, and ultimately result in an overfilled septic system. This septic compliance pumping, pump troubleshooting, and effluent pump replacement was completed in Chanhassen, Minnesota 55317, Carver County.