We are new owners to a 16 space MHP. City water with septics. About 6 of the homes are on a septic with a lift pump. This pump only lifts the liquids not solids. I have tried to read up and not duplicate a post but I have some questions. Right now there is one submerged pump plugged into an outlet with an extension cord. This system is my biggest fear at the moment. In case of pump failure I have read to turn off the water to the park. My questions are:
What systems do you have in place for failure?
Do you have a duplex system?
Battery back up or generator?
Who works on these systems? (plumber, septic specific company?)
Suggestions on back plans and systems that you have put in?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
We have a septic company with 24 hour service contract on call in case of issues with ours. Our lift station is a duplex system and also the ability to plug in a propane generator to power it in case of an extended power outage (this is a manual process not a standby generator).
I do need to order a spare pump to keep on hand in case both go out, or we have a surge of some kind that kills the whole system.
I have two lift tanks that pump to a primary and from there to the septic bed. Each has a light that comes on if the pump fails causing fluid to rise and trip switch. I have tenants near the tanks monitor them and call If the light comes on. In the event of a pump failure I have a spare pump that I switch out myself. As long as I can get there the same day or first thing in the morning the next day I don’t worry about a pump failure. I have never turned off the water due to a failure. In your situation. I have had numerous pump failures over the years and worse case I have had to have a septic pump truck come in a pump out the tank when there will be a extended outage. My primary tank has two pumps that alternate pumping to the septic bed. When one of those fails the light comes on but the second pump handles the bumping. If you only have one lift tank to the septic you may consider having two pumps that alternate pumping to insure a failure does not result in a emergency.
Switching out pumps is a simple process assuming you have the system set up to allow you to access and remove/replace pumps whit a full tank.
The out line for my pumps comes up to the top of the collar with a quick connect before going back down and exiting to the septic bed. This allows me to disconnect an pull/replace a failed pump without having to pump the tanks out first. Each pump has a rope so all I have to do is disconnect the riser line at the top of the collar, pull the pump, move the riser pipe from the failed pump to the replacement, lower it back down, reconnect the septic line and plug it in.
Not shown is the electric runs to a panel on a post, and the whole setup is fenced off from the public. We also put a riser on the lid so we don’t have to “find” the access whenever service is required. This is a 500 gallon tank. We have two 3/4 hp pumps duplex mode with three floats. They are not grinder pumps and only pumping about 400 feet to the city tap.
Not to be a party pooper but I have a lift station that has 12hp pumps in it that run about $15k per pump. Its only a 70 home community but lift station is at the bottom of the community and must pump 100ft up hill to treatment. So the amount of elevation really drives the price up significantly as does the number of homes and required flow. Under 20 homes and less than 20 feet of elevation and friction loss you can get away with pumps under 2hp and keep cost sub $1500 but add grinder, more flow, or more elevation and prices climb fast
Yep @PhillipMerrill as usual is correct. My lift station feeds 20 pads. We have gravity on a second tap and as a result did not need a massive setup like he indicated.
