Septic Pump Systems · Great Waters Reynolds
Septic pump systems, meaning effluent pump tanks, controls and alarms, for septic homes in Great Waters at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What is a septic pump system in Great Waters, and who works on it?
On a Great Waters septic home that sits below its only usable soil, a pump tank after the septic tank pushes effluent uphill to the field. A Class Septic installs and repairs those pumps, floats and alarms under Putnam County's permit. A Piedmont grinder pump is a different machine on the sewer side, and Piedmont services it.↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Local facts
Two kinds of pump in one neighborhood
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sewer-side pump | Piedmont's low-pressure sewer puts a grinder pump at each building that grinds waste to a slurry and pushes it to the main | Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list) |
| Who owns the grinder | Piedmont says the grinder is the homeowner's property; it uses E/One pumps and offers repair on pumps it installed | Piedmont Water Company: Grinder Pumps |
| Septic-side pump | A submersible effluent pump, rated for effluent and corrosion resistant, in a pump tank after the septic tank | GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section E: Effluent Distribution and Dosing Devices |
| Reserve in the pump tank | A day's flow, at least 150 gallons per bedroom, between the high-water alarm and the inlet | Same source as above |
| Septic homes on record here | A 2001 Reynolds Drive home was listed on a septic tank | MLS listing: Reynolds Dr home, Eatonton GA 31024 (RP - Great Waters) |
The Great Waters Reynolds story
Why lake-level houses pump uphill
Great Waters was laid out so homes could look across the Nicklaus holes at the water, and many sit low on lots that fall toward the lake. Gravity wants sewage to run downhill, but the drain field cannot go downhill here. It has to stay 50 feet from the normal water level, and the steepest ground near the shore is often over the 25 percent slope Georgia allows for a field.↗↗↗
So the field ends up on higher, gentler ground toward the street, and a pump tank does the climbing. Settled effluent leaves the septic tank, collects in a separate tank, and a float-switched pump doses it up the hill through a small force main.
Neighbors on Piedmont sewer have a pump too, and owners mix them up all the time. Piedmont's grinder takes raw sewage from the house to the public main. A septic effluent pump only ever sees liquid that has already passed through your own tank. If your bill says Piedmont sewer, the pump is a grinder and the call goes to Piedmont.↗
Great Waters was laid out so homes could look across the Nicklaus holes at the water, and many sit low on lots that fall toward the lake.
More about Great Waters Reynolds
How Georgia wants a pump tank built
The controls are three switches: pump off, pump on, and a high-water alarm wired on its own circuit apart from the pump switches. The manual also wants electrical connections kept out of the tank and riser, where moisture and gases ruin them.↗
The state's own experience is that most pump failures trace back to a switch that stuck and burned the pump out, which is why it calls good switches a sound investment. When an alarm sounds in Great Waters, the float is often the first thing we check.↗
Big fields need dosing anyway. Conventional systems that need more than 500 linear feet of trench require a dosing tank, and past 1,000 feet the state calls for alternating siphons or pumps, so a large house on slow clay can need a pump even on flat ground.↗
The controls are three switches: pump off, pump on, and a high-water alarm wired on its own circuit apart from the pump switches.
Warning signs
Signs the septic pump needs attention
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. The high-water alarm horn or light is on
- 2. The alarm clears, then comes back within a day
- 3. A breaker for the pump circuit keeps tripping
- 4. Effluent surfacing around the pump tank lid
- 5. The pump runs constantly, or you never hear it cycle
- 6. Wet ground along the force main up the hill
What it costs
Published pump costs
Septic pump repair
$250-$400
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
Septic pump replacement
$1,000 or more
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
General septic repair, typical
$627-$3,041
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Switch-only fix versus a burned-out pump
- 02Length and lift of the force main up the lot
- 03Whether the panel and wiring meet the current manual
FAQ
Great Waters septic pump questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620My pump alarm is going off. Is it a septic pump or a Piedmont grinder?
If the house pays Piedmont for sewer, it is a grinder pump on the low-pressure sewer, and Piedmont is the call. If the house has a septic tank and field, it is an effluent pump, and that is our work.
Source: Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
How long can the house run after a septic pump alarm?
The tank is built with reserve for about a day's flow, at least 150 gallons per bedroom above the alarm. Cut water use right away and call.
Why is the alarm on a separate circuit?
Georgia's manual requires it, so a tripped pump breaker cannot silence the warning at the same time.
What usually kills a septic effluent pump?
A failed float or switch that leaves the pump running dry or stuck on. DPH says most pump failures trace back to switches.
Does a pump repair in Great Waters need a county permit?
Repairs and replacements to an on-site system are permitted and inspected by the county; in Great Waters that is Putnam County Environmental Health in Eatonton.
Source: North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Can any pump go in the tank?
No. It must be submersible, rated for sewage effluent and corrosion resistant, and its performance curve is part of plan review.
Nearby areas
Septic pump systems around the lake
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
- 1GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section E: Effluent Distribution and Dosing Devices
- 2Piedmont Water Company: Grinder Pumps
- 3Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
- 4MLS listing: Reynolds Dr home, Eatonton GA 31024 (RP - Great Waters)
- 5Explore Georgia: Greene County visitor brochure (golf and lodging)
- 6Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
- 7GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section B: General Site Provisions
- 8HomeAdvisor: Septic Tank Repair Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026)
- 9North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Ready when you are
Septic pump alarm in Great Waters? Ease off the water and call.
Tell us what the panel is doing. We will check the floats, the pump and the circuit, and tell you plainly if the problem is on the septic side or belongs to Piedmont.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620