Further investigation showed the
problem was in the submersible pump that pumped waste water out of our worm
farm waste water tank. This system processes all our effluent from the kitchen,
bathroom and toilet. The waste water filters through a compost heap, where the
solids sit until they decompose and the pump empties excess water that builds
up in the sump.
There is no odour in the worm farm
tank but the waste water entering the sump does have a mild smell. (Mild
compared to that in a traditional septic system.) Still there is an odour and
it is not the best time to be working with it, in the middle of our hottest
summer for many years. This timing was also unfortunate because during this
period most plumbers, plumbing suppliers and pump repairers were on their
annual holiday. We decided that our only option was to have a go at it
ourselves.
After checking the power point it was
clear that the fault lay in the actual pump. It was time to get our hands dirty
and extract the pump. It is fairly heavy at 15kg and a reasonably tight fit
with the attached floats, but we managed to disconnect the wiring and piping
and haul the unit up to the surface. We worked through many of the obvious
possible problems trying it out again and again after each time. We even left
it for a few days in the hope that if moisture was causing a short circuit it
would dry out and at least work for another week or more. No luck!
Then we got on the phone and managed
to find a pump repairer who worked from home. He did a few tests and told us
that it was indeed faulty and would cost more to repair than buy a new one. The
next day we went to Water Pros, an irrigation supplier in Lilydale (by now the
holidays had finished). They were very helpful and to our amazement had a new
pump for us within 2 days at a better price than I could find on the internet.
We highly recommend them for their service and price on irrigation and pump
equipment.
Once home we removed the piping,
floats and wires from the old pump and transferred these to the new pump. After
a few trials and tribulations we turned it on and it worked (no tripping of safety
switches) and as the water level rose, it activated the shut off float and
turned itself off. We were back to normal at last!
Altogether it took over a week to get
the system working again. That was a week with minimal showers and working out
ways to dispose of kitchen and laundry water onto the lawn (not a bad idea in
summer anyway). The main worry was the fact that if water levels built up in
the tank, the composting worms that process the waste, would all drown.
Therefore emptying the waste water in the sump by hand (using a plastic ice
cream tub screwed to the end of a pole) became a daily ritual. It took around
30 minutes to lift out about 200 litres.
The pump has now been working well
for around six weeks, so we are hoping it will do so for many more years yet.
However, both the pump repairer and the irrigation shop staff said you are
lucky to get 5 or 6 six years out of a submersible pump in our situation (the
old one was 9 years old). When we get time we will take the old one apart and see
if we can repair it and keep it as a spare for emergencies.
Over the years we have found that it
is possible to give things ago ourselves. As owner builders we frequently come
across issues that are beyond our existing knowledge. We are by no means technically
minded, but often find that doing some research on the web, asking around for
information and taking things step by step helps. The process takes longer, can
be a bit frustrating but it saves money and we learn new skills at the same
time.
