Let’s be honest: most people don’t even know what a sewer ejector pump is — until something starts to smell… and suddenly they learn a lot, fast.

We get called to fix ejector pumps across Sacramento more often than you might think. They’re quiet, hardworking, and tucked out of sight — but when they fail, they fail loudly.

What a Failing Pump Looks (and Smells) Like

We had one homeowner tell us,

“It’s like the basement’s trying to warn us.”

And honestly? It was.

The toilet started gurgling when someone upstairs flushed. The utility sink backed up with gray water. And the worst part? No obvious clog — just a pump that silently stopped doing its job.

These are the kinds of signs we see:

• Toilets or drains backing up, especially in the basement
• Loud humming, buzzing, or clicking sounds coming from the pit
• A pump that runs constantly — or not at all
• Wet spots or sewage smells near the ejector cover

Sometimes it’s electrical. Sometimes it’s mechanical. Sometimes it’s just old.

Don’t Assume It’s Just a Clog

One of the biggest mistakes we see?
People treating an ejector pump like a regular drain. They pour chemicals in. They snake the line. They reset the breaker ten times hoping it’ll fix itself.

But ejector pumps aren’t just pipes — they’re machines. With motors, floats, valves, and wiring.

Messing with them without knowing what you’re doing can make things worse, fast.

A Few Situations We’ve Walked Into

• A kid flushed an action figure. It jammed the impeller so hard we had to disassemble the unit.
• A well-meaning DIYer replaced the float switch — but wired it wrong. The pump ran dry and burned out.
• A homeowner had two pumps fail in one year… turned out the pit was cracked and flooding the motor with groundwater.

Every situation is different. But they all had one thing in common: the pump gave signs — just not ones most folks recognized.

What to Do (and What Not to)

Do this:

• Check your breaker — but only once.
• Take note of noises, smells, and timing (is it running nonstop?)
• Call someone who’s seen hundreds of these things

Don’t do this:

• Don’t pour anything down the pit — not drain cleaner, not soap
• Don’t assume you can “just wait it out”
• Don’t try to replace random parts from a hardware store tutorial

How We Handle It at Golden Valley Plumbing

We show up with tools — and experience.
We’ve repaired, rebuilt, replaced, and re-routed ejector systems in homes big and small. Sometimes it’s a $15 fix. Sometimes it’s a full replacement. Either way, we’ll tell you what’s actually going on and what it’ll take to make it right.

No scare tactics. No guessing.

Got pump problems? Let us take a look. We’ll sort it — before it turns into a sewage situation.

Your ejector pump won’t text you when it’s in trouble.
But your drains, your nose, and your basement?
They’re already talking. Let’s catch it early.