The alarm of your septic control unit is buzzing, and the warning light is flashing. Your Hiblow aerator has suddenly stopped working.
Before you purchase a replacement, you should consider rebuilding your existing Hiblow aerator using a repair kit.
Hiblow septic air pumps typically stop working when one of the diaphragms tear.
The air pump is designed with a safety screw that breaks when the magnet travels too far due to the diaphragm rupturing to prevent further damage to the aerator. 

This Tutorial

This tutorial will provide a step-by-step process of rebuilding a Hiblow aerator using a rebuild kit.
In this demonstration, we will be using the Hiblow HP-60/80 rebuild kit. However, the process is the same for any model of Hiblow aerator.
This process is also the same for other linear diaphragm pumps due to them having similar design layouts and working methods.  

Step 1: Gather Tools and Materials 

You will need these items below to rebuild your aerator.
A chart is provided below to match up your Hiblow model number with the proper repair kit in our store.

What you will need:

• The damaged aerator
• Phillips screwdriver
• 5/16 or 8mm socket wrench
  7mm for the diaphragm nut/washer
• A repair kit for your aerator

Your repair kit should have the following replacement parts:

• 2 blocks
• 2 diaphragms
• Dust filter
• Nuts and washers for the diaphragm
• Replacement safety screw

Below is a chart to help you find a repair kit for your aerator:

Step 2: Remove corner bolts

Locate and remove the four bolts on each corner of the aerator using the 8mm wrench or the Philips screwdriver.
This will usually be easier using the wrench because the insides of the screws may be rusted or have dirt in them.
Using the screwdriver may run the risk of stripping the screw.
Don’t panic if this happens; you can still use a socket wrench to remove the bolts.

Step 3: Remove the top cover

Remove the green cover form the base of the aerator.
This reveals the insides of the aerator.
You might have to tap lightly on the edges with a hammer or mallet to loosen the cover.

Step 4: Remove the Fire-Resistant sound-insulating Shroud

Remove the rectangular sound-insulating shroud that is wrapped around the unit.
This will be tightly fit around the aerator.

Step 5: Remove chamber block screws

Locate the two-chamber blocks on the ends of the aerator.

 Use the Philips screwdriver to remove 8 total screws from both chamber blocks.

Step 6: Remove Chamber Blocks

Once the screws are removed, remove the chamber blocks to expose the diaphragms.
To do this, you will need to detach them from the rubber air tubes.
Be sure to detach the chamber blocks from the tubes after the blocks are unscrewed. 
Twist the chamber blocks back and forth to accomplish this, do not pry at the rubber air tubes, as you run the risk of tearing the rubber.

Step 7: Remove Nuts and Washers

Use the 7mm wrench to remove a nut and washer located in the center of each diaphragm.

Here is the second diaphragm below.

Step 8: Remove Diaphragms

Remove the old diaphragms.
You will have to remove both diaphragms before inspecting the magnet in the next step.

Step 9: Check Magnetic Rod Block

Remove and inspect the magnet in between where the two diaphragms were.

You should be looking for any cracks in the housing, or if the threads that were attached to the diaphragms are broken. These issues may happen if the safety screw does not function properly.

If your magnet is damaged, you should purchase a replacement magnet before continuing the rebuild. 
If you don’t spot any issues, replace the old magnet back into the aerator.
If your aerator has a lot of red dust inside, It is advisable to replace aerator due to the fact the coils are breaking, which is a sign your aerator doesn’t have much more life left.

Step 10: Replace Diaphragms

Put the new diaphragms on where the old ones used to be. Replace both diaphragms before replacing the chamber blocks.
Secure the new diaphragms using the replacement nuts and washers from the kit. 
You will have to push into one of the diaphragms after replacing the first one so that the threads on the magnet stick out to replace the second diaphragm, as pictured below. 

Pushing on one side of the diaphragm.

Step 11: Replace Chamber Blocks

Place the replacement chamber blocks onto the diaphragms. 
Screw-in the chamber blocks using the 8 screws that were removed in step 5. 
Be sure to secure the air tubes to the chamber blocks using the metal sealing clamps. The sealing clamps should be pointed upwards so that the shroud will fit back on correctly. 

 Step 12: Replace Safety Screw

Locate the broken safety screw on top of the aerator

Insert the replacement safety screw through the two copper connectors. Make sure that the screw head is inserted on the other side of the copper connectors so that the white nylon nut can be threaded on correctly. 

Once the screw is in place, take the white nylon nut to the end of the screw and tighten until the copper connectors are closed. 

There is a space between the threads of the screw where it is smooth. The nylon nut only needs to be placed up to here.

Step 13: Replace Shroud

Replace the rectangular shroud that was removed in step 4.
Remember that the sealing pins on the air tubes need to be facing up for you to adequately replace the shroud. 

Step 14: Replace Cover

Replace the aerator cover and corner bolts 

Step 15: Replace Air Filter

Use the Phillips head screwdriver to remove the top of the cover

Replace the old filter with the replacement from the kit 

Screw the top of the aerator back on

You’re now finished

You have successfully rebuilt your Hiblow Aerator. 

The post How to Rebuild and Repair a Hiblow Septic Aerator appeared first on Aerobic Septic System.

Condoms are other things that don't biodegrade. They stay in the system and wrap around pumps; burning them up. They get on diffusers and cause back pressure on aerators. They never go away. They also make for awkward conversations with the customer as we must tell them what we found in the tank because they are not suitable for the system. So, if they have a daughter and dad's there you can see the "I’m going to kill someone look" come on pretty fast. Plenty of times we have told the husband hey we found condoms in the septic system and they are not good and got back "We don’t use condoms” so that’s always uncomfortable. Extra discomfort because we haven’t gotten paid yet and then ask for the money for the job.

When I pull up to a job I always ask "how long has it been since you had a clean out?". For my worst job ever, the man said about a year and a half, so I think okay you probably don’t need a cleanout maybe just snake a line. He said the toilets are not flushing and it's backed up. So, we prep everything, open the access closest to the house and tank, and my guy says we have a problem. He sticks the stir stick in and can’t break through to stir the tank pads. There is no way to tell how many are in the tank due to how they tangle up and the weight of them. You have to guess. Our guy has been with us 20 years and he has seen it all. He does tons of cleanouts; he said it's bad and it was. The guy's daughter, who did this before because it happened the last time, also just didn’t want to listen and flushed pads down like it was the thing to do. It took us 4 hours to do one tank and cost the guy 850 dollars for that one tank. That one 500-gallon tank took 2000 gallons of water. That was the first time our guy said it's too bad and wanted to walk away. I told him we had to finish. He had never said that before and hasn't since.

It costs city sewer a considerable amount every year to deal with these products and they pass that cost along. From 2005-2017, the cost for city sewer services has gone up 200 percent; mostly due to these products. A city sewer has massive equipment that not much can get in the way of, but in the pipes coming to the plants is where most of the issues happen. So, thirty to forty dollar increases in people’s bills happen every month. You will never get that back even if everyone stopped using wipes, the government never goes down on fees. If you are okay with an increase every four-five years, then keep doing it. If not, then please stop flushing these products.

The post Flushing These Items Ruins Your Septic System. appeared first on Aerobic Septic System.

#1 Don't

Don't get frantic when you hear the septic alarm. Systems should be designed with free board or extra room so you can still use the bathroom or do dishes. Hold off on laundry as it uses a lot of water. The alarm panel should have two lights; amber and red. We’ll cover what they each mean later in the article. If you are not comfortable reading through and finding an answer in here, call a licensed septic company when your alarm sounds or the light turns on and reduce non-essential water usage.

#2 Do

Do hire a septic company that is competent. People in the business for a long time generally know what they are doing. Picking someone just because they’re cheap is generally not the best call, you do get what you pay for. Some people say to use proprietary parts… that's a joke. No company manufactures parts; we know what parts are what. Most pumps are Franklin or Sta-rite and most aerators are Hiblow or Gast.  Unless you’ve got a Norweco or Jet. Then I feel bad for you.

#3 Don't

Don't ignore the alarm. It went off for a reason and the longer you wait, the more costly it will become.

#4 Do

Do look at your chlorinator to make sure it has chlorine for final disinfection. If your system smells, it's not because of chlorine or lack thereof, it's something else.

#5 Don't

Don't shut the system off then forget. It doesn’t take that much power, so just leave it running. If you do decide to shut the system off so you don’t get sprayed while mowing or doing yardwork, don’t forget to turn it back on.

#6 Do

Do check around your aerator for ants, they love to ruin your system. If you have a Clearstream and it was put above the ground because the installer was lazy, you will need to check this more often as the ants can easily access the aerator and control panel. If your service provider or person who maintains your system installed the system and put the panel on the ground, fire them and find someone with common sense. Sorry, I have no mercy on this. The lazy design and lack of forward-thinking costs customers a lot of money.

#7 Don't

Don't put chlorine tablet buckets in enclosed areas. Chlorine is corrosive and eats everything. Also, be sure to keep it away from fire, it’s highly dangerous near a fire. Store chlorine in a ventilated and dry area.

#8 Do

Do use ant killer to kill ants if they start mounding by any part of the system.

#9 Don't

Don't use swimming pool chlorine tablets for tablet chlorinators. Only use calcium hypochlorite tablets that are designed for treating wastewater.

#10 Do

Do make sure all parts of the system are easily accessible at all times (do not build over any part, use landscaping that could grow over, etc).

#11 Don't

Don't fall for statements like: "If you don’t use a licensed person, it’s illegal and the poop police will get you" or "It will void your warranty if we don't install it" The only things that void a warranty should be in your actual contract. Besides those, a two-year warranty lasts for two years period. If a maintenance provider says "I am turning you into the authorities get another one" why would you want to hire someone who just threatened you find someone new? A lot of states and counties make it mandatory you have a contract, but don't police the contractors. There are honest ones out there, but there are a lot of shady ones also because the states won't pull licenses. Stand your ground and find someone new.

#12 Do

Do have your system pumped if your maintenance provider says it needs to be done and he is honest. Too many times we hear that a provider noted that no sludge was in the system but then the next month it's suddenly full. That is impossible and I would be highly suspect of their motives if they said this. Get a second opinion, there are a lot of people out there that take advantage of people.

#13 Don't

Don't put just anything down the drain or toilet. Whatever is put down those will go into the septic system and have to be treated. Be mindful of this. Aerobic systems are designed to treat domestic wastewater but that's it. We’ve written an article on it here

#14 Do

Do space your laundry out if you have a large family. Don't do ten loads in one day or you will overload the system. Space them out. Planning a load in the morning and a load at night is better than 10 in one day. Will this be a disaster if you do it once every three months? No, it won’t, but don't make this a practice. It's not good for any septic system, especially an aerobic septic system.

#15 Don't

Don't put a garden around your system, making it hard to get to. People have emergencies then need things pumped and fixed fast. Some homeowners go as far as to say "don't damage the plants." Your house has sewage in it and you're worried about the plants? A septic system is about function not form. It doesn't need to be ugly, but plants and trees should not be planted next to it. Plants and trees need water and the aerobic septic system is full of nutrient-rich water. As soon as they find it, the roots go crazy and cause damage that costs a lot of money. Do not plant vegetable gardens in or near the field lines or spray areas. Dangerous bacteria are in the system and you can get very sick from eating vegetables from areas like this. They will look fantastic because of the water but don’t eat them.

#16 Don't

Don't treat the system as a city wastewater treatment plant. Using water when needed and not wasting it helps prevent hydraulically overloading the system. Don’t let leaky faucets and toilets go unfixed. You may not think it’s a lot of water, but in 24 hours they average 100-150 gallons of water use. It's just unnecessary usage of your effluent pump.

And that concludes our 16 Aerobic Septic System Do's & Don'ts. We hope this list will help you manage your aerobic septic system more effectively. With just a little bit of care and attention, you can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on maintenance and pumping costs. This kind of education is what we’re all about!

The post 16 Aerobic Septic System Do's and Dont's appeared first on Aerobic Septic System.