What to do When Your E/One Grinder Pump Alarm Goes Off

When your E/One grinder pump alarm sounds, take these steps to address the issue:

1. When your alarm is sounding, the first thing to do is to find the “Silence” button on the bottom of your pump control panel to silence the alarm. The red light will remain on as long as your station is in alarm mode, but you will no longer have to listen to the alarm.
2. After silencing the alarm, we recommend that you limit your water usage. The 70-gallon grinder pump tank generally has approximately 24 hours of storage space, but if the wastewater gets too high you will need to have your tank pumped out before the pump can be serviced.
3. After stopping your water usage, wait 15 minutes to see if the red alarm light on your E/One sewage grinder pump control panel turns off on its own. Even if your alarm does turn off, we recommend calling us at 317-789-8900 to talk to one of our team members to confirm that you are in the clear.
4. If the red alarm light does not turn off, there is an issue with your grinder pump or pressure sewer system that needs to be addressed. Call Covalen Service Center 317-789-8900 and schedule a service call with one of our factory trained service technicians.

Our team will help you troubleshoot your problem on the phone and schedule a visit as soon as possible. Our goal is to get to your site within 24-hours during normal business hours.

Note: Never silence the alarm and continue using water if your pump is not working. You will cause a backup or overflow and possibly damage the pump.

How should I reduce my water usage when my grinder pump alarm is on?

We recommend taking the following steps to a keep water usage to a minimum:

1. Only flush the toilet when necessary.
2. Do not run appliances that require water, such as washing machines or dishwashers.
3. Use sinks sparingly.
4. If you need to run the tub or shower, put a stopper in the drain to keep the water from going down the drain.

What to do if your grinder pump isn’t working, but the alarm isn’t sounding

If your sewage grinder pump is not working, but there is no alarm, it is possible that there is no power to your pump or control panel.

You can check if there is electricity to the pump by opening the control panel and pushing the manual run button. If you hear the pump running when you push the manual run button, you know your pump has power. If you do not hear the pump running when you push the button, your pump likely doesn’t have power.

If your pump doesn’t have power, the first thing to check is your primary breaker box or fuse box to make sure that a fuse hasn’t blown or a breaker hasn’t tripped. If you fix the breaker and the pump starts working again, you found the problem.

A breaker can be tripped for a variety of reasons, including because of a power outage and may not indicate that service is needed. However, if your pump is tripping your breaker regularly, you should have the system inspected.

What to do if you have sewage backing up, but no grinder pump alarm?

If your sinks are gurgling, your toilets are not flushing even though they aren’t clogged, or you have wastewater backing up in your basement, but there doesn’t seem to be any issue with your grinder pump, it is possible that you have a clog in your wastewater line that is preventing your wastewater from getting to your sewage grinder pump basin.

If this is the case, you should call a local plumber to help with unclogging your lines.