A high water alarm is installed in this installment of the series. (Click here for the previous installment of this project.)
The purpose of a high water alarm is to notify you if the something is wrong and the sewage pump is not working so you can stop using the bathroom before the sewage basin overflows. The pump could stop working due to:
- A power outage
- The circuit breaker has tripped
- The discharge line is clogged
- The check valve is malfunctioning
- The ball valve is inadvertently closed, stopping the flow
I bought a Zoeller A-PAK FM0483 high water alarm that is rated for sewage basin applications. The Zoeller alarm is extremely loud and features a 9 volt battery backup in a addition to 120VAC primary power. The A-PAK alarm kit is shown below.
Zoeller A-PAK ALARM - Part # FM0483
Alarm Switch Installation
Installation was straightforward following the Zoeller instruction sheet. I located the alarm switch such that it would trigger when the water level reached the inlet pipe given the capacity of the 3/4 HP pump to “stay ahead” of the maximum inflow rate from the bathroom. Click on the photo below for a larger image. (The evaporation rings inside the basin are from mud and rain water that entered during construction of the home.)
Sewage Pump with High Water Alarm
The wiring leads through the sewage basin cover are:
- High water alarm signal wire – coiled
- Sewage pump power
- Sewage pump on/off switch
Sewage Basin Wiring
Alarm Panel Installation
The alarm panel should be powered by a different 120VAC electrical circuit from that of the sewage pump. The reason for this is so the alarm panel remains powered up if the circuit breaker serving the pump is tripped. I therefore need to install a new electrical outlet on a different circuit from that of the pump.
Fortunately I had ready access to a electrical junction box that I installed for the florescent light in the plumbing closet. It was a simple task to locate a new electrical outlet box and wire a duplex receptacle for the alarm. The completed setup is detailed in the next photo.
High Water Alarm Panel Installation
I used a Ground Fault Receptacle Tester and Circuit Analyzer to verify my wiring of the new A/C outlet. The circuit analyzer tests for 7 common wiring errors. The two yellow lights as shown means the wiring is correct. You can get one at Home Depot for about $8.
Ground Fault Receptacle Tester
The “big picture” view follows below. Notice the vent air pipe and split cover leaning to the left for access to the sewage basin and pump.
With the everything installed, I verified the system by reaching into the sewage basin and lifting the two mechanical float switches in sequence for the pump and the high water alarm. The pump switch turned the pump on / off and the Zoeller alarm sounded when the high water level was reached. Life is good!
Next, I’ll set the toilet and sink/vanity and test the system with “clean” water before opening the bathroom for general use. Click here for Part 12 of this series.
Update:
I’ve since completed the bathroom plumbing (see Part 13). Click here to see a video of sewage pump being tested.
Take care,
Bob Jackson
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Lovely. Great site.
Hey there! Just read your article about electrical construction and found it a pleasure to read. Thanks for posting such fantastic info! The Best way to contact me is by email. I check it everyday. Signed this day Saturday.
Great info. Thanks for posting this. It has been a great help in my basement project. I do have a question. How do you get the pump cord fit thru the rubber cord grommet?
Jon asked “How do you get the pump cord fit thru the rubber cord grommet?”
You have to make a cut from the edge of the grommet to the hole for the cord. To insert the cord, spread the cut with your fingers and slide the cord in sideways. I know this sounds a bit worrisome, however the grommet is squeezed together when it’s installed in the basin cover making everything airtight.
In my situation, the grommet for the electrical cords has three holes:
1) Float switch cord
2) Pump cord
3) High water alarm wire
I had to make two cuts in the grommet:
(1) Outside edge to Float Switch
(2) Float Switch to Pump Cord (connect the dots).
No cut was needed for the high water alarm cord because the end that attaches to the alarm and doesn’t have a plug.
Take care,
Bob Jackson
Bob,
How did you vent your bathroom fixtures (sink, toilet, shower). I don’t see any vent lines running to the fixtures. Only the vent line for the ejector pump. Were the vent lines already run???
Hi,
The toilet and shower are vented by the main vent line through the roof from the sewage basin. This open vent line allows air to flow both ways. The home builder buried the drain pipes for the toilet and shower under the cement floor and these have very short runs – less than 5 feet – to the sewage basin.
The bathroom sink is vented by a Studor Mini Vent as detailed in Part 13 of the project. A Studor Mini Vent is a one-way mechanical air valve, it let’s fresh air in, but blocks sewer gases from escaping into the room. I noticed that most of the bathroom sinks in my home have Studor Vents that were installed by the home builder.
This vent configuration complies with the Building Codes in my area. The Building Inspector looked under the bathroom sink to be sure the Studor Mini Vent was installed before he signed off on my permit.
The basement bathroom has worked well and I’ve never experienced problems with traps being siphoned dry, gurgling or other issues.
Thanks for asking!
Bob Jackson
Bob,
Thanks for the response. I’m about to add a bathroom to my basement and the only thing I’m not clear about is the venting. I have a set up very similar to yours except I just have one pipe running underground to the basin. It hasn’t been stubbed up yet, just a hole in the cement with a capped pipe. I think I’m going to cut up the cement and run two more pipes, one for a shower and the other for the sink, and put the toilet over the current hole.
The utility room has the basin, it’s about ten feet from where the bathroom will be. There is already a vent pipe above that I can run down to the basin, I’m just wondering if this will vent the shower and toilet properly. I could then install the Studor Mini Vent for the sink. It sounds like this is what you did, and there are no other vents already run, so I think this will work. What do you think?
> I have a set up very similar to yours except I just have one pipe running underground to the basin.
Hmm. My bathroom was roughed-in with the drain lines for the shower, toilet and sink already in place and piped into the sewage basin.
> There is already a vent pipe above that I can run down to the basin, I’m just wondering if this will vent the shower and toilet properly.
You should be able to extend the utility basin vent pipe to the sewage basin if that vent pipe exits through the roof to the outdoors. Note that a Studor Vent or other mechanical vent cannot be used with a sewage basin.
> It sounds like this is what you did, and there are no other vents already run, so I think this will work. What do you think?
Make a sketch of what you plan to do. Call your local Building Dept. and ask for a visit by an Building Inspector. You don’t need a building permit to ask for a visit. Show him what you plan to do and ask if it will meet code. The Inspector won’t design it for you, but will tell you if it’s flawed and what would be needed to meet code. I arranged for a visit by a Building Inspector before I started my project and pulled a permit. The Inspector was really great and shared interesting details about my neighborhood.