If you don’t have a grinder pump and there’s a sewer back-up or overflow:

• 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 of 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 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.