Got a call from SWMBO while I was at work: the grinder pump alarm went off again. What's a grinder pump, you ask? It's a pump that takes household waste water, grinds it up, and lifts it up to the sewer system. In my development, the grade is insufficient to reach the sewer lines, so waste water needs some help.
This is the third grinder pump we've gone through in 9 years, and they each cost about $1600. This particular incident is about the 7th since moving into the new house. There is no alternative: if you have access to the sewer line, you cannot use a septic tank and leach lines, according to county code. I can't throw cigarette butts down the toilet, nor can SWMBO dispose of her feminine things either. This thing is so sensitive, we can't even pour kitchen grease down the disposal. (It also doesn't like disposed car paint, lacquer thinner, etc....imagine that!).
Anyway, I get home, and pop the top off, hoping the zip ties holding the alarm float broke again. Nope; called the plumber. Together, we confer, examine things, and confirm the main float isn't working. It runs off of 220V, and he had to run to the office and find one that fits the electrical plug. $100 in parts and $100 in labor later, everything is fixed. The float's insulation had worn where it is attached to allow it to rotate up and down, that the copper wires were bared, soaked in (you know it!) shit for who knows how long. It is amazing it lasted as long as it did. The float was replaced about 2 years ago.
This is ridiculous that a grinder pump system is so unreliable and so damn expensive. The best on the market only comes with a 2 year warranty.
This is the third grinder pump we've gone through in 9 years, and they each cost about $1600. This particular incident is about the 7th since moving into the new house. There is no alternative: if you have access to the sewer line, you cannot use a septic tank and leach lines, according to county code. I can't throw cigarette butts down the toilet, nor can SWMBO dispose of her feminine things either. This thing is so sensitive, we can't even pour kitchen grease down the disposal. (It also doesn't like disposed car paint, lacquer thinner, etc....imagine that!).
Anyway, I get home, and pop the top off, hoping the zip ties holding the alarm float broke again. Nope; called the plumber. Together, we confer, examine things, and confirm the main float isn't working. It runs off of 220V, and he had to run to the office and find one that fits the electrical plug. $100 in parts and $100 in labor later, everything is fixed. The float's insulation had worn where it is attached to allow it to rotate up and down, that the copper wires were bared, soaked in (you know it!) shit for who knows how long. It is amazing it lasted as long as it did. The float was replaced about 2 years ago.
This is ridiculous that a grinder pump system is so unreliable and so damn expensive. The best on the market only comes with a 2 year warranty.
