Sewage Ejector Pump Repair and Replacement in Lago Vista, TX

A sewage ejector pump lifts wastewater from a bathroom, laundry room or wet bar that sits below your home’s drain line, and sends it up and out to the sewer or septic line. When it stops, the lower level stops draining and the pit can fill. Real Texas Plumbing repairs and replaces sewage ejector pumps for homeowners in Lago Vista, The Hollows, Jonestown and around Lake Travis. We’re a family-owned shop, here since 2018 and a 2024 and 2026 Nextdoor Fave, and you get a written price before any work starts.

Licensed & insured · Texas Responsible Master Plumber RMP44420 · TDLR AC Contractor TACLA22663C · Family-owned since 2018 · 4.9 stars on Google

EJECTOR PUMP ALARM GOING OFF? DO THIS NOW

Stop using the fixtures that drain to the pump, check the breaker, and call us at (512) 662-2949.

1. Stop the water. Every flush, shower or load of laundry from the lower level adds to a pit that isn’t emptying.

2. Check the power. Look at the breaker and at any outlet the pump plugs into. If the breaker has tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off. That points to a motor or wiring fault.

3. Silence the alarm, don’t ignore it. If your alarm has a silence button, press it. The problem is still there.

4. Leave the lid on. The pit holds raw sewage and live wiring.

5. Call us. Tell us what the alarm is doing (light, horn or both), whether you hear the pump humming, and whether the lower-level drains are slow. That helps us bring the right parts.

How urgent is it?

If sewage is backing up into a floor drain, tub or shower, stop all water use in the house and call right away. Those calls get priority, and we’ll book you into the next available time slot. If only the alarm is on and you can keep the water off, it can usually wait for our next opening.

We’re open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon. We don’t dispatch overnight, so if it’s the middle of the night, keep the water off and call as soon as we open.

WHAT A SEWAGE EJECTOR PUMP DOES, AND WHERE YOURS IS

A sewage ejector pump sits in a sealed pit in the floor and pumps toilet, shower, sink and laundry wastewater up to your home’s drain line when gravity can’t carry it there. When wastewater fills the pit, a float rises and starts the pump. The pump pushes the waste up the discharge pipe, past a check valve that keeps it from running back down, and the float drops and shuts the pump off. A vent keeps the pit from building pressure, and most systems have a high-water alarm.

You’ll find one wherever a bathroom, laundry room or wet bar sits below the main drain line. Lake Travis homes are often built into a slope, so a finished lower level, a walkout or a guest suite can end up below the line. Look for a round or square lid set into the floor, a vent pipe nearby and a power cord or conduit running to the pump.

EJECTOR PUMP OR GRINDER PUMP? HOW TO TELL WHAT YOU HAVE

If the pump is inside your home in a pit near a lower-level bathroom, it’s an ejector pump. If it’s in a buried tank outside, with an alarm panel on the side of the house, it’s a grinder pump station.

• Ejector pump: a submersible pump in a lidded pit inside the house. It has no cutting blades and passes solids up to about 2 inches through a larger discharge pipe. It usually serves one lower-level bathroom, laundry room or wet bar.

• Grinder pump: cuts waste into a slurry and pushes it through a smaller pipe, farther and higher. Many homes in Lago Vista, The Hollows and Jonestown have a grinder pump station that sends waste to the city main.

If you have a grinder pump, you want our page on grinder pump repair and replacement, and our page on grinder pump alarm repair if the alarm is sounding. Not sure what you have? Call us, tell us what you see, and we’ll sort it out with you.

If your home is on a septic system, don’t swap an ejector pump for a grinder pump to fix a repeat problem. Grinding waste into a fine slurry can keep solids from settling in the tank and can cause trouble in the drain field. The right pump depends on your system, not on which one is bigger.

SIGNS YOUR SEWAGE EJECTOR PUMP NEEDS REPAIR

These are the signs we hear about most, and what each one usually points to.

• The alarm sounds or the light stays on. Water in the pit is higher than it should be. The pump isn’t running, isn’t keeping up, or isn’t moving water out.

• The pump runs nonstop, or switches on and off every few seconds. Usually a stuck or tangled float, or a check valve that isn’t holding, so pumped water drains back into the pit and the pump starts again.

• It hums but nothing moves. A jammed impeller, a blocked discharge line, or a failing motor. Wipes and other debris cause many jams.

• Slow drains or gurgling in the lower-level bathroom or laundry. The pit may be full, or the vent may be blocked.

• A sewage smell near the pit. A cracked lid, a failed lid seal, or a blocked or disconnected vent.

• The breaker keeps tripping. A motor or wiring fault. Stop resetting it and call us.

• Grinding, rattling or banging. Worn bearings, a damaged impeller or debris inside the pump.

• Water or sewage around the lid. The pit is overflowing or the seal has failed. Keep the water off and call right away.

Pump age matters too. Most ejector pumps last roughly 7 to 10 years, depending on how often they run and what goes down the drains.

WHAT A SEWAGE EJECTOR PUMP SERVICE CALL LOOKS LIKE

1. You call or text. We ask what the pump and alarm are doing and give you steps to keep things safe until we arrive.

2. We diagnose. A proper diagnosis covers the breaker and power, the float and alarm, whether the pump runs and moves water, the check valve and shutoff valve, the discharge line, the vent, and the lid and pit.

3. You get a written price before any work starts. A price for the repair and, if it makes sense, for a replacement. Nothing starts until you say yes.

4. We fix and test. We run a full pump cycle, test the alarm, seal the lid and leave the area clean.

Every visit starts with a $65 trip charge, and we credit that $65 toward the work when you go ahead with it.

REPAIR OR REPLACE? HOW WE HELP YOU DECIDE

We recommend replacing an ejector pump when the motor or seals have failed, when it keeps failing, or when repair parts cost close to a new pump. Age alone isn’t a reason, though a pump past 10 years that’s acting up deserves a hard look. Many alarm calls come down to a float, a clog or a check valve, and those cost far less than a new pump.

When replacement is the right call, we match the pump to your system: its horsepower and discharge size, the type of float switch, how high it has to push, and whether the pit is big enough for the fixtures that drain to it. We also replace a worn check valve and test the alarm.

If you’ve added a bathroom, laundry or wet bar since the pump went in, tell us. A pump sized for one toilet can struggle with a full bath, and that’s a common reason a pump keeps failing.

WHAT DOES SEWAGE EJECTOR PUMP REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT COST?

The price depends on what failed. A float switch or check valve costs a fraction of a new pump, and a replacement costs more when the pit, vent or discharge piping needs work too.

What moves the price: whether it’s a repair or a replacement, the pump size and type your system needs, the condition of the pit, check valve, shutoff valve and vent, how far and how high the discharge has to push, and whether the wiring or alarm also failed.

Every visit starts with a $65 trip charge that we credit toward the work when you go ahead, and you get a written price before anything starts. Online cost guides give national averages. Your quote should show you exactly what you’re paying for.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR EJECTOR PUMP OUT OF TROUBLE

• Flush only toilet paper and human waste. Wipes, even ones labeled flushable, are a leading cause of jams. So are paper towels, feminine products, floss and cat litter.

• Keep grease out of lower-level sinks and floor drains. It hardens in the pit and around the float.

• Keep the lid on and sealed, and the vent clear.

• Know your breaker and test your alarm. If your alarm has a test button, press it every few months. If your pit has no alarm, tell us. It’s worth adding.

• In a power outage, go easy on water. The pump can’t run without power, and the pit holds only so much.

• Have it looked at once a year. We check the float, alarm, check valve and pump draw before they fail as part of plumbing maintenance.

• Never reach into the pit. It holds raw sewage and live wiring.

EJECTOR PUMP SERVICE IN LAGO VISTA AND AROUND LAKE TRAVIS

We work out of two shops, one in Lago Vista and one in Lakeway, and we work on homes. We repair and replace sewage ejector pumps in Lago Vista, The Hollows, Highland Lake Estates, Northshore on Lake Travis, Jonestown, Point Venture, Lakeway, Bee Cave, Horseshoe Bay and Marble Falls, and in Cedar Park, Leander, Round Rock, Anderson Mill, Crystal Falls Parkway and Austin. Our Lago Vista shop is about 5 minutes from The Hollows.

WHY LAGO VISTA HOMEOWNERS CALL REAL TEXAS PLUMBING

Real Texas Plumbing is a family-owned plumbing company, here since 2018 and a 2024 and 2026 Nextdoor Fave. We hold Texas Responsible Master Plumber license RMP44420, and we’re licensed and insured.

Pumped sewage systems are a big part of our work. We repair and replace grinder pumps across Lago Vista, The Hollows and Jonestown, and an ejector pump uses many of the same parts: floats, check valves, alarms and wiring. It gets the same careful diagnosis, and you get the price in writing before anything starts.

Pump alarm on, or a pump that’s acting up? Call (512) 662-2949 or get in touch. We’re open Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

Related services: grinder pump repair and replacement, grinder pump alarm repair, sump pump installation, drain cleaning and plumbing maintenance.

A sewage ejector pump is usually installed in a sealed basin below the floor. When wastewater enters the pit, the pump turns on automatically and pushes the waste up through a discharge pipe. These systems are common in basements, garage apartments, and commercial spaces with below-grade restrooms or utility areas. If the pump fails, you may notice slow drains, sewage odors, unusual cycling, alarm alerts, or wastewater backing up into the lower level.

Our service starts with a full inspection of the pump, basin, float switch, check valve, venting, discharge piping, and electrical connections. We look for clogs, worn components, stuck floats, motor failure, broken seals, and improper sizing. If a repair makes sense, we handle the problem directly and test the system for safe operation. If replacement is the better long-term option, we will explain your choices clearly and give you an honest estimate before any work begins.

We also help customers choose the right pump for the job. Important factors include horsepower, flow rate, total dynamic head, solids-handling capacity, basin size, and how many fixtures drain into the system. A correctly sized sewage ejector pump helps prevent backups, short cycling, overheating, and early failure. We work with both residential and commercial sewage pump applications and make sure the installation meets code and performs reliably.

At Real Texas Plumbing - Heating and Air, we are fully licensed and insured, and we bring years of hands-on plumbing experience to every job in Lago Vista and the greater Austin area. We believe in honest recommendations, affordable pricing, and no unfinished jobs. If you need sewage ejector pump repair, replacement, troubleshooting, or a new installation, contact our team today to schedule service and protect your property from messy and costly wastewater problems.