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Septic tank eating electricity

n1st

The septic tank pump us running 24/7 since installed, I presume it's the cause of 50 euro electricity per month (I've just purchased a meter socket to confirm this).

Is there a better solution to an electric system? Where do I begin?

The septic tank is there 15 years, I don't have the installation details, it was done by my late father.

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T-Maxx

The pump should not be running 24/7. Get a registered company in to desludge it and have a look, something is wrong.

n1st

Desludge ok.

Any company recommendations in the Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath area?

opinionated3

This happened me earlier this year. Pump had sucked up a stone into the pipework. Blocked the pipe, meaning any pumped effluent was simply staying in the pipe and flowing back into the tank, meaning the pump was constantly working. Ended up with a burnt out pump, which needed replacing.

divillybit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118859469#Comment_118859469

Tank Pipe and Drain in Longford Town provide desludging services for septic tanks

Whatwicklow

There could well be a few pumps in the tank,

1)aeration this should run 24/7 to keep bacteria and the smell away

2) lift pump, should only run as required to pump the last tank out to the perc area.

I toyed with timing the aerator but in the end it was a pain so left it as it was designed.

n1st

I got a desludge done today.

Took some photos while I was there.

This aerator is on 24/7.

The guy said it could be turned off as long as desludge was done every year or 2.

This is the aerator.

This is the pump, pumping liquid to soakage area.

divillybit

There may be a strong pang off your septic tank system yet if you don't aerate it. You could get a timer for it and set it to aerate during the night for a few hours when the electricity rate is cheaper.

Ubbquittious

The cynic in me reckons the 50e electricity cost per month is the government's way of punishing you for not living in a townhouse/apartment like you're supposed to. We got along grand without pumps in septic tanks for years. I lived in a place for a while that had a pump and I just turned the fecking thing off, no issue.

divillybit

In fairness, old type septic tanks never had pumps and worked by gravity. Any odour generated in the tank was held by the crust which formed and floated on top of the liquid in the septic tank. Alot of these septic tanks are significant point sources of pollution to ground water.

By turning off the blower in the newer type tanks you will have a poorer quality effluent reaching your percolation area, and possibly risks causing a blockage by allowing a crust to form where it wasn't envisaged in normal operation

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119134259#Comment_119134259

Gravity won't work if it needs pumping to the soakaway

turnfan

I see a condom in there, don't flush those.

There is no way the aerator would cost 50 a month to run - it's a low power device.

You could get a timer to do 30 mins on, 30 mins off during daytime and all the time at night (if you have day / night rate)

If you turn off the aerator, you'll be paying that guy a lot more to come and desludge more often - the aerator gives oxygen to bacteria that do it for free.

kirk.

I used to maintain a couple of them , commercial and domestic only because the callout charges were mad

Main issue on the commercial unit was the solids weighting down the float switches and the units overflowing

I'd be checking for fault leakage/RCD protection anyhow and the pump to the soakaway isn't running 24/7

slystallone

Just moved into a house with this pump...How long before I have an issue here??Pump is for to sent material uphill to percolation area. On a down slope so water seeps into the manhole You'd imagine only matter of time before the mix if water and electric mean the setup is ko'd.

Davio

My septic tank was turned off (I think about 2 months ago when it was desludged). I've turned it back on again - will it start working properly soon?

divillybit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120208423#Comment_120208423

The junction box there doesent look to be screwed shut properly. Corrosion on the electrical connections in the junction box is something to look out for. It could be a socket either, hard to tell from the. There's probably a non return valve on the supply pipe to the pump that can stick open or stick shut. A very hard frost could cause the water in the pump to freeze and could crack the pump. The pump might get it's signal to run from a high and low float switch in the septic tank. Solids/fat can build up on these and affect the buoyancy of the float switch. Might be another thing to keep an eye on

slystallone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120664754#Comment_120664754

If the pump does not work now, what is my worst case scenario, that the excess water just stays in the tank?

divillybit

As I understand it, the pump sends water uphill to percolation area. If the pump has failed, is the septic tank overflowing at all?

Has the pump failed? Is there power to it? Theres probably 2 float switches / level probes that may need to be checked first

alan partridge aha

I have a biocrete system with an aerator in it. It runs 24/7 at 70watts p/h. That is 613 Kwatts per annum.

slystallone

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120703492#Comment_120703492

Do you need to get it emptied periodically?

alan partridge aha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120707508#Comment_120707508

I've emptied twice in 11 years. The suppliers told me test the consistency of the contents of the biocrete tank.

Similarly you'd do this with a standard septic tank. Too much solids empty it.

I was told by the man who emptied my septic tank in my rental property that it should be done every other year.

Davio

My septic tank was turned off (I think about 2 months ago when it was desludged). I've turned it back on again - will it start working properly soon?

freeworlder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120703492#Comment_120703492

Hi, I just moved into a house which has a biocrete system, so was interested to read your comment. How did you work out the watts/hour of your aerator? Is that the only electrical cost of the system?

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882548#Comment_120882548

Using a meter such as this, I'd expect:

https://ie.farnell.com/multicomp-pro/mp001186/plug-in-power-meter-230vac-0-9999/dp/3262172?mckv=scvQ6X6zN_dc%7Cpcrid%7C%7Cplid%7C%7Ckword%7C%7Cmatch%7Ce%7Cslid%7C%7Cproduct%7C3262172%7Cpgrid%7C1349102417600817%7Cptaid%7Cpla-4587918431760390%7C&CMP=KNC-MIE-GEN-SHOPPING-ALL-PRODUCTS-TEST885&gross_price=true&msclkid=b4a443031ec71d0d25e227b8d0534954

Or if the pump is otherwise hard-wired then using a Owl meter or similar with the CT clamp on the live wire would do it.

alan partridge aha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120882548#Comment_120882548

Will I have a hi blow hp 80 which the specs says is 71 watts, it runs 24/7. I've had to replace the diaphragms in it.

alan partridge aha

I did turn it off intermittently for a while but the system will start to smell bad after a few weeks.

freeworlder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120883187#Comment_120883187

OK, by my reckoning that's a cost of around €20 a month which seems reasonable. How did you know to replace diaphragms, and did you do that yourself?

alan partridge aha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120883662#Comment_120883662

Ya electrician didn't know, so I googled it. When diaphragms blow it cuts the power off so you won't damage the device. You can buy the kit but I had to purchase it from UK.

Easy fix when you look at the YouTube video.