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User Tips

Sewer systems will handle all typical household waste. However, do not allow the following items to enter the toilets & drains, including but not limited to:

  • glass
  • rags
  • cloth
  • all disposable wipes
  • seafood shells
  • egg shells
  • feminine products
  • diapers
  • Go-Jo hand soap
  • flammable material
  • gasoline
  • strong chemicals
  • metal
  • plastic
  • condoms
  • oils
  • grease
  • paint
  • sand
  • cat litter

Disposable wipes pulled from a grinder pump under repair. Wipes often cause plumbing & pump repairs.

Remove small amounts of grease off of dishes with a napkin or paper towel before washing dishes.

BCSS Bathrooms

* It is fine to use a garbage disposal with the sewer system, as long as any of the items above aren’t put in it.

* Complimentary magnets with this list & grease containers available for customers. Contact us to request magnets, signs and grease containers. We can mail you magnets, and the grease containers can be picked up at our Summerdale office during office hours.

* BCSS offers decorative bathroom and kitchen signs that request guests keep items out of the drains at two signs per customer at no charge. More signs can be purchased through Identity Signs at a low price.

Additional Suggestions

  • Pour 1 cup Dawn liquid soap down the drain once per month to break up any possible build up in the pump.
  • If you are comfortable doing so, open the pump lid every year and hose out the pump. First, you should be able to pump the wastewater out of the pump by holding down the “Push to Run” button in the pump’s panel box. BCSS or a plumber can clean the pump for a charge.
    • Brand new grinder pumps have a 1 year manufacturer’s defect warranty, with no charge for parts and labor.
    • If you would like a grinder pump manual for your new grinder pump, contact BCSS to request one.
    • If you hear your grinder pump’s alarm sound or see the alarm light flashing for more than 15 minutes, we suggest that you limit water usage and contact BCSS to determine the problem.
Pumps installed by BCSS after July 15, 2010 do not have audible alarms.

Grease Containers

Pour larger amounts of excess grease into a sealed container to recycle or throw away. BCSS provides free grease containers and encourages you to take your full containers to any of these locations so the grease can be properly discarded or recycled into biodiesel by other local utilities.

Click here for a map of drop-off locations

Troubleshooting Tips Before Calling BCSS or a Plumber:

If you don’t have a grinder pump and there’s a sewer back-up or overflow, or if you have a grinder pump but the alarm is off:

  • If there’s a pump, make sure the breaker switch in the pump’s outdoor panel box or in the main breaker box hasn’t tripped. If it has turned off and you’re qualified to turn it back on, turning it on could fix the problem.
  • Consider the possibility of a clog in the plumbing line from the building to the sewer service line, especially if the outside sewer cleanout is not full of wastewater (sewage). Here is a demonstration on how to check the cleanout.
  • Many properties do not have visible cleanouts, especially at older homes and buildings. If water is backing up in just one sink, tub or toilet and it is not the lowest drain in the house, the clog might be in the house plumbing. Drain cleaner, although not good to use in large quantities, can clear a clog. So can boiling water or a drain snake. Contact a plumber if you don’t feel comfortable fixing the clog yourself or if you’re unable to resolve it.
  • If sewage has overflowed in your yard, there is most likely a clog or break in your sewer service line. BCSS can check out a service line issue and recommend a plumber if a further repair is needed.

 

If you have a grinder pump and the alarm is on for more than 15 minutes:
  • If there has been heavy rain and there’s flooding around the pump, turn the pump’s breaker switch off in the main breaker box until flooding subsides.
  • When there’s no flooding, or if flooding has diminished and the light remains on:
    • With a float system pump, you can press the PUSH TO RUN button inside of the pump’s panel box, then remove the pump lid and see if anything is stuck in the pump or if any floats are stuck to the side of the basin. If you’re qualified to do so, you could try to remove any blockages (with something like a fish net) and clean the basin and floats with dish soap and a garden hose.
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