What Is a Residential Pump Station? (And Why You Might Have One)
If you have a septic system, most homeowners naturally think of conventional gravity to carry wastewater from your house to the septic tank and then out to the drain field. But sometimes, the land’s slope or distance makes that impossible—so a pump station is installed to help move that wastewater where it needs to go.
Think of it like this:
Instead of water flowing downhill on its own, a pump station gives it a little "push" to get where it needs to go.
🔧 What’s Inside a Pump Station?
A residential pump station typically includes:
- A submersible effluent pump – pushes wastewater to the next stage (like your drain field).
- A control panel – runs the pump and monitors float activity.
- Floats which are like sensors that monitor water level, the typical setup is:
- Off Float: Tells the pump to shut off when the water level drops.
- On Float: Tells the pump to turn on when the water level rises.
- Alarm Float: Triggers an alarm if the water rises too high—this is your early warning something is wrong.
*Note: this is a typical setup, but noy all pump stations are the same. Different installers may use a different configuration or setup.
🚨 What Happens When the Alarm Goes Off?
If the alarm is sounding or the red light is flashing on your control panel, the water level has reached the alarm float. This usually indicates a problem(s) such as:
- The pump may have failed due to wear, clogs, or electrical issues
- A float switch might be stuck or malfunctioning, loss of sensitivity, giving false readings—or no readings at all.
- The control panel may have tripped breakers, corroded wires, electrical issues or malfunctioning alarms.
👉 What You Should Do:
- Silence the audible alarm (Most control panels have a button or switch)
- Minimize water use immediately – Stop doing laundry, taking showers, or running the dishwasher...fixtures that have a higher usage of water, this gives your system time and prevents an overflow.
- Call us ASAP – We’ll get you scheduled with a professional technician to diagnosis and identify what’s causing the.
🧰 Why All Components Need a Professional Diagnostic
Every part of your pump station works together. When something goes wrong, the only way to safely and accurately fix it is through a comprehensive diagnostic by our trained septic professionals.