Aerobic Control Panels

Control panels are designed to monitor every part of your treatment system, also offering you complete control over it for regular usage or maintenance purposes.

Control panels have two main functions. Their first function is to provide a location to joint electrical equipment to a power source. To do that safely, these units are weather resistant to protect their electrical circuits from the elements. Their second function is to organize and manage the systems they power. Various models will have different approaches for the second function, but all control panels will serve those two functions.

Aerobic septic systems often use an effluent pump and an air compressor, and both of those products require electricity to operate. A control panel provides a place for the power from the house to supply the compressor and pump. In order to properly control and manage these, control panels often use timers, alarms, and pressure switches.

Control panels that do not use a timer for their effluent pump are called “on demand” panels. This is because the pump is activated whenever it is needed. A float switch is most often used to activate and deactivate the pump.

Clock timers and dosing timers are the two most common timers for controlling the effluent pump. Timers are used to either regulate either what time of day the pump can activate or how long the pump can run for each activation. Clock timers allow the user to control what time of day the pump can activate. For example, the Grasslin timer breaks up each 24-hour day into 15-minute intervals, and the user can dictate which intervals the pump can activate.

Dosing timers are used to specify an activation and deactivation cycle and have no regard for the time of day. This style of timer allows the pump to be activate for a prescribed amount of time and deactivate for another length of time. The pump will the continue that on/off cycle.

Override float switches are typically used with control panels that use timers. This is because irregular usage may cause the system to fill up before the timer activates the pump again. The override float switch activates the pump independently of the timer. This allows the system to pump down before the wastewater backs up into the home.

Pressure switches and high-water float switches are the most common methods for triggering the control panel’s alarm. High water float switches will trigger the alarm when the water level within the tank is too high.

A pressure switch may be connected to the air compressor. The purpose of a pressure switch is to trigger the alarm when the pressure drops below acceptable levels. Usually, a small hose connects the air compressor to the pressure switch. That hose allows pressure from the air compressor to be conveyed to the pressure switch.

The figure below shows the typical connections found on an on-demand control panel for an aerobic septic system.

1. Effluent Pump. The effluent pump is used to remove wastewater from the system.
2. On/off float switch for pump. This float switch turns the effluent pump on and off.
3. Air compressor. The air compressor injects air into the system for aerobic bacteria.
4. Float switch for high water alarm. This float switch will trigger an alarm if the water level gets too high.
5. Pressure switch for low presser alarm. The pressure switch will turn on an alarm if air pressure drops too low.

The following figure depicts they typical connections found on an aerobic control timer with a timer.

1. Pump. The effluent pump is used to remove wastewater from the system.
2. On/Off Float switch for pump. This float switch turns the effluent pump on and off.
3. Air compressor. The air compressor injects air into the system for aerobic bacteria.
4. Override Float. This float switch will override the timer and activate the pump.
5. Float switch for high water alarm. This float switch will trigger an alarm if the water level gets too high.
6. Pressure switch of low air pressure alarm. The pressure switch will turn on an alarm if the air pressure drops too low.