Septic air pump back pressure


  #1  
Old 08-21-18, 07:15 PM
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Septic air pump back pressure

Greetings all,
Last week I noticed my Clearwater system smelling septic. Having experienced this in the past I checked my septic air pump (Hiblow HP-80) to see if it wads running, and it was. Since I had the cover off, I went ahead and unhooked the pump from the tank just to make sure it was pumping air, and it seemed as though it was. Tonight the septic smell was even worse, so I checked again and sure enough, the pump was not working.

My questions are:
1. How much back pressure should there be on the line that the pump is pumping air into?
2. Could something happen to clog this line inside of the tank?
3. Could too much back pressure cause the pump to go out or do most pumps have some type of bypass/blow-off/release mechanism to prevent this?
4. If the line into the tank is obstructed is there some way to clear the obstruction without digging up the tank?

Thanks for the help/advise.
 
  #2  
Old 08-23-18, 10:54 AM
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After more research I have found that:

1. No more than 3psi
2. Yes, solids buildup
3. Yes, that is a common cause of pump failure.
4 I have not found a reasonable solution yet.

The source for this information is a video:
https://youtu.be/JKp-aXiwLek
 
  #3  
Old 08-23-18, 04:07 PM
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Yes, a blockage or excess back pressure can damage a pump.

What type air difuser do you have? Is it an air stone or a rubber membrane? When was the last time you inspected or replaced it?

Have you followed the manufacturer's maintenance schedule?
 
 

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