Pressure sewer systems consists of a below-ground collection chamber and pump unit which stores, grinds and pumps sewage under pressure into council’s sewerage system.
Under normal running conditions your tank stores a maximum of 112 litres and it is then pumped down to 80 litres. In case of a fault and depending on your water usage the tank has the capacity to store up to 720 litres in total which under 'normal' usage is approximately 2 days.
The unit is wired to your household’s electricity supply and is operated by a control panel that features audible and visible alarms which are usually activated if there are any issues with the system.
When there is no electrical power, the pressure sewer system is unable to operate.
Until your unit is back up and operational, residents are encouraged to limit the amount of sewage going into the system. You can do this by:
Once power returns to your area, residents are advised to reset their units by taking the following steps:
Your home’s sewage system does include an overflow relief gully (ORG). It is an opening that acts as a relief point between the house drain and Council’s sewer system. It is located outside your house, generally in the area outside your kitchen.
The ORG should be above ground level to ensure stormwater does not enter.
Property owners should ensure that there are no obstructions/landscaping blocking the overflow path. The ORG allows sewage to surcharge if a blockage or significant wet weather event occurs to prevent flooding of sewage in your home. Water will flow through this gully instead of through your house drainage system.
Should sewage be observed to being close to, or coming out of your ORG, every effort should be made to minimise the amount of sewage going into the system.
If you've noticed sludge or smelly water on a property or place of business, there may be a problem with the on-site sewage system.
Help us keep our environment clean and our people safe by reporting the issue to us.
Report now