Control Panels: Getting the Right Panel for the Job

In this episode, we dive into control panels—the “brains” of septic systems—and explain what they do, how they work, and why choosing the right one matters. We break down the differences between alarm panels and control panels, including timers, relays, PLCs, and telemetry. We also share planning tips, common mistakes to avoid, a practical checklist to ensure the correct panel is specified, and troubleshooting insights—plus a few warnings, especially about panel placement. Details matter and getting them right protects the investment.

If you have comments or questions about our podcast, you can reach us through this link. To discuss a project or talk to one of our engineers, call 800-348-9843.

Transcript

00;00;09;26 - 00;00;27;26

Angela

Hello and welcome to “Make it Clear”. A conversational podcast about all things related to water and wastewater. I'm your host, Angela Bounds, and I'm joined by my co-host Shawn Rapp. In each episode, we'll tackle a relevant topic with facts and expert opinions and make things clear.

00;00;27;29 - 00;00;31;03

Angela

Hello, and thanks for joining us again. 

00;00;31;05 - 00;01;02;18

Angela

Today, Shawn and I are going to discuss control panels. The brains, if you will, of  a septic system. Whether that septic system is on site or if it is a large commercial system or community system. It has a brain. The brain is the control panel. It runs everything. Let's talk about it. Shawn and I both have a lot of experience with control panels.

00;01;02;18 - 00;01;15;27

Angela

So for those of you that may be unaware, Shawn, Shawn worked on the customer service line, and being part of the customer service line means you take all of the calls.

00;01;15;29 - 00;01;17;02

Shawn

Lots and lots of calls.

00;01;17;03 - 00;01;45;09

Angela

Everything, everything. Someone was telling me a story last week about how they were trying to service their system at home. They, like, took the lid off and were trying to look and that they were talking to someone on our customer service line and they jokingly they were like, all the person heard was no, because my phone dropped into the tank.

00;01;45;10 - 00;01;47;15

Shawn

Oh, no.

00;01;47;17 - 00;02;13;29

Angela

Right. So funny. So Shawn has extensive knowledge and his trouble shot many, many control panels. And if you have a control panel on your home that was built prior to 1994-ish, I could have built it.

00;02;13;29 - 00;02;15;22

Shawn

Right?

00;02;15;25 - 00;02;49;06

Angela

This weekend. I was talking to my daughter's boyfriend and my youngest son, who should know things, and they were like, they want to fix these speakers. They said, we need to go out and have Terry solder it. And I looked at them and I said, what do you mean go and have Terry solder it? Do you understand? That man taught me to solder when I was like ten.

00;02;49;08 - 00;03;25;14

Angela

They're like, what? Have you not listened to the stories of me soldering boxes, alarm panels, watching Scooby-Doo? Like that's a thing. It's a thing. Like I'm like, you understand that, t hat's where I worked. How I worked until I was about 18. I worked putting control panels together, and my night job after school was soldering alarm panels. Oh, is what I got.

00;03;25;16 - 00;03;29;08

Angela

Like I can solder.

00;03;29;10 - 00;03;30;06

Shawn

That's right.

00;03;30;12 - 00;03;39;17

Angela

You want me to solder, I got you. I'm like, I actually, I don't know if I have a soldering gun anymore, but I'll just try not to burn myself.

00;03;39;18 - 00;03;40;19

Shawn

You have the skill.

00;03;40;22 - 00;03;43;16

Angela

I do have the skills. It's not crazy.

00;03;43;18 - 00;03;44;05

Shawn

No.

00;03;44;12 - 00;04;07;28

Angela

Taught a ten year old. Like, it'll be fine. But I worked in the control shop for a very long time putting them together. So we're going to talk today about control panels and what they are, what they do. So let's start off with what a control panel actually does.

00;04;08;00 - 00;04;25;08

Shawn

Yeah actually all of them have some things in common which is great. So central panels are power in from your service. You've got inputs like your floats, pressure sensors whatever those whatever your inputs happen to be logic which whether…

00;04;25;08 - 00;04;26;07

Angela

That's logic.

00;04;26;08 - 00;04;36;06

Shawn

Well, I think we're going to count timers actually as like programable timers as logic as well, because it does have a it does follow a form of logic.

00;04;36;08 - 00;05;06;11

Angela

So we should delineate between alarm panels and control panels. So we do carry a line of alarm panels. And they are built to basically just take the input from a float and alarm. It's why they're called alarm panels. They don't have logic. They don't have timers. They don't even have contactors to turn pumps on and off.

00;05;06;12 - 00;05;08;19

Shawn

Right. That might have a relay, but that’s...

00;05;08;21 - 00;05;09;27

Angela

They might have a relay.

00;05;10;01 - 00;05;10;21

Shawn

Yeah.

00;05;10;27 - 00;05;20;26

Angela

But for the most part they are built to be a high level alarm or potentially low level. That's what you hooked it up to.

00;05;20;27 - 00;05;21;17

Shawn

Right?

00;05;21;18 - 00;05;37;10

Angela

Yeah. But once we get into control panels, which are our S-series panels, then you're looking at something that is built to control the system. So control panels do come with contactors.

00;05;37;11 - 00;05;38;11

Shawn

Yes.

00;05;38;14 - 00;06;02;26

Angela

And relays that run your pumps. Right. They turn your pump on and they turn your pump off. Make sure everything runs. The logic comes into play like Shawn was talking about when you start including some of the add-ons. Right. So you don't just want to turn it on and off, you want to turn it on and off on a schedule not based on just what the floats are doing, but I want to turn it on every so many minutes and off every so many minutes.

00;06;02;26 - 00;06;16;16

Angela

And let's, let's control this a little bit. And that's where your standard timers come into play. You can do more advanced stuff with like an MVP panel.

00;06;16;18 - 00;06;41;23

Shawn

Yep. I think that's where we… where we differentiate the panel types aside from the alarm panels. You know, there's the electromechanical which as you talked about they just have the basic non-digital components. Things like relays and solid state types of things. The motor contactors and timers and that kind of thing. Then the PLC base, which are like the MVP panels.

00;06;41;26 - 00;06;57;21

Shawn

There's… there are custom panels out there that include a PLC as well, that is not necessarily an MVP version, but there are other PLCs that are available. And then telemetry panels like our VeriComm panels or TCOM panels that talk to SCADA systems. So… 

00;06;57;23 - 00;07;08;27

Angela

Right. And it just depends on how fancy you need to get. And I say need for a reason. Not all systems need it. Not all systems want it.

00;07;09;00 - 00;07;09;20

Shawn

No.

00;07;09;22 - 00;07;13;09

Angela

You don't need to add unnecessary complexity to a system.

00;07;13;16 - 00;07;24;13

Shawn

I took too many calls from people who had had a panel on their system, because that was the panel that the installer had on his truck at the moment.  And it wasn't necessarily the panel they needed.

00;07;24;19 - 00;07;26;05

Angela

Like, that was probably a bad idea.

00;07;26;06 - 00;07;28;08

Shawn

Right. 

00;07;28;11 - 00;07;37;27

Angela

Yeah. There is a better option for that. Yeah. So I guess that that takes us kind of into when the wrong panel is spec for your job.

00;07;37;29 - 00;07;38;21

Shawn

Yeah.

00;07;38;26 - 00;08;00;18

Angela

Like, so it's like I said, you don't need something that's more complex than you need. Right. I think that we talked a little bit recently about like VFDs. Right. I use VFD as an example because I don't know, it's just like the first thing that pops to my head. Like a variable frequency drive. You don't. Not everybody needs that.

00;08;00;24 - 00;08;02;07

Shawn

No.

00;08;02;09 - 00;08;09;25

Angela

Some people don't even need timers encounters. You just need something that's going to turn it on and turn it off. Yeah. And that's fine.

00;08;09;27 - 00;08;15;11

Shawn

You get a panel that, for some reason, has a UV ballast in it that your system doesn't even have UV.

00;08;15;13 - 00;08;30;16

Angela

Right. And it's like, why is that there?  It's unnecessary. Don't do it. It's just an up charge. And if you don't need it, don't do it. Sometimes you do. When you need it, you want it. Yeah.

00;08;30;18 - 00;08;41;07

Shawn

Something else that comes to mind is somebody who they spec a panel for, like a 220V. But 110V is supplied to the site for the pump instead of 220V.

00;08;41;08 - 00;08;41;21

Angela

Yeah.

00;08;41;21 - 00;08;53;00

Shawn

So I mean there's, there's that as well. You need to pay attention to what equipment is actually going to be in there and inspect the panel to match the pump.

00;08;53;02 - 00;09;05;28

Angela

Shawn and I both have taken the call from somebody who has the wrong voltage panel. So make sure that you've got the right thing for what you, what you need.

00;09;05;29 - 00;09;06;23

Shawn

Right.

00;09;06;24 - 00;09;25;03

Angela

Right. So how do you choose the right panel for a system? Or how do you as a homeowner, if there are homeowners listening? How do you ensure that the right control panel is chosen? So let's just kind of run through a checklist. Everything for us is a checklist.

00;09;25;04 - 00;09;25;21

Shawn

Right.

00;09;25;22 - 00;09;34;05

Angela

If you know us, there are checklists in all of our manuals or most of our manuals. I love a good checklist.

00;09;34;05 - 00;09;36;06

Shawn

They simplify things.

00;09;36;06 - 00;09;51;17

Angela

Yes. I'm a, I'm a sticky note person. So I have ever changing checklists on my, on my desk. Things to do. So first thing that you need to do is know what kind of system you have.

00;09;51;18 - 00;09;52;00

Shawn

Right.

00;09;52;01 - 00;10;18;19

Angela

So the type of system that you're going to have, the type of system that you need, as we've talked about for your soil, for your regulations, is going to determine the type of panel that you need for your system, whether that be an alarm panel, a simple control panel, something that actually has timers and counters in it, or if you need something more advanced like VeriComm or even

00;10;18;21 - 00;10;20;25

Angela

A telemetry panel.

00;10;20;26 - 00;10;21;14

Shawn

Yeah.

00;10;21;18 - 00;10;23;22

Angela

You have to know how many pumps you need.

00;10;23;24 - 00;10;26;08

Shawn

Yeah. 

00;10;26;08 - 00;10;27;07

Angela

That's actually very important.

00;10;27;08 - 00;10;33;17

Shawn

Yeah. You don't want a panel that’s a simplex panel for a duplex system. That’s not going to work.

00;10;33;19 - 00;10;50;02

Angela

What he means by that is simplex is just like it sounds. It's a single pump. Duplex, just like it sounds dual pumps. We also have a triplex that we've done and a quadruplex. So tri being three, quad being four.

00;10;50;04 - 00;10;56;17

Shawn

Hopefully when they get into the quad or the tri and the quad, they're working with somebody that's a… because that’s a custom.

00;10;56;25 - 00;11;03;06

Angela

Yes, most, most tris and quads go up into custom land.

00;11;03;07 - 00;11;03;21

Shawn

Yeah.

00;11;03;22 - 00;11;25;07

Angela

That's what we call it. So make sure that you get the documentation around the specifics for your panel. So the panel that is on your set of drawings for the home or the building that you're working on, or designing a system for? The, the drawings for that system should have a control panel listed.

00;11;25;09 - 00;11;25;19

Shawn

Yes.

00;11;25;19 - 00;11;42;16

Angela

That is needed, but make sure that they match. Shawn and I have both looked at a set of plans that will call out an S1, and then have two pumps. And that's not going to work.

00;11;42;18 - 00;11;45;13

Shawn

Right? 

00;11;45;15 - 00;11;51;20

Angela

Or, I've had it where it'll call out an S2 when it's really 115V.

00;11;51;21 - 00;11;52;13

Shawn

Right.

00;11;52;15 - 00;11;59;12

Angela

Yeah. And it'll say 115V and then they'll call out an S2. So just make sure you're getting the right thing.

00;11;59;16 - 00;12;06;19

Shawn

Yes. And one other thing is the… make sure the specs and the plans reflect the actual operation of the system.

00;12;06;20 - 00;12;07;07

Angela

Right.

00;12;07;08 - 00;12;12;28

Shawn

So if it's calling for a UV but you don't have a UV listed in the panel, that's going to be an issue.

00;12;12;28 - 00;12; 22;06

Angela

Take note of that because that means Shawn has mentioned that twice. Which means that he has actually taken a phone call where somebody had that…

00;12;22;12 - 00;12;24;09

Shawn

yep.

00;12;24;14 - 00;12;36;01

Angela

listed in their panel and did not need it. It happens. It happens. You got to think everything that we talk about is from experience.

00;12;36;02 - 00;12;36;17

Shawn

Yeah.

00;12;36;18 - 00;12;39;28

Angela

Because somebody has done it. It's like a warning label.

00;12;40;04 - 00;12;40;26

Shawn

Yeah.

00;12;40;29 - 00;12;42;01

Angela

Podcast version.

00;12;42;02 - 00;12;44;08

Shawn

Exactly.

00;12;44;11 - 00;13;09;12

Angela

We are one big warning label. So from an electricians standpoint, you want to verify incoming power. You're going to want to check your fuses, float sensor. floats or sensors. All of those things make sure that they're all in good working order. Confirm outputs. Make sure everything works.

00;13;09;14 - 00;13;24;10

Shawn

Well, and make sure your breakers in the house are big enough to handle the load that's going out to the system. That… the system requires a certain load, and if the breaker in the house isn't big enough for that, you're going to end up tripping breakers all the time too. So, just another note.

00;13;24;11 - 00;13;34;07

Angela

Yeah. And when you're, when you're troubleshooting a panel, you really do want to pay attention to those counts.

00;13;34;10 - 00;13;34;28

Shawn

Right.

00;13;35;03 - 00;13;47;14

Angela

The timer counts. All those things can be great information. Like, why is this thing coming on so often? Why does it keep tripping high level?

00;13;47;19 - 00;13;48;13

Shawn

Right.

00;13;48;15 - 00;13;57;02

Angela

Like, you can you can view some of those things depending on the panel that you have. Don't just generically swap panels out.

00;13;57;04 - 00;13;59;04

Shawn

Right.

00;13;59;07 - 00;14;16;07

Angela

Yes. Yes. That, that is something that occurs and it can be a problem. And we will get a call. And one of the things that Shawn's mentioned in a previous podcast is the system is an investment.

00;14;16;12 - 00;14;17;01

Shawn

Yeah.

00;14;17;08 - 00;14;27;21

Angela

So we understand that these things are not you know, it's not always fun to talk about. It's definitely not always fun to spend money on.

00;14;27;23 - 00;14;29;08

Shawn

Right.

00;14;29;10 - 00;14;35;08

Angela

Right? But they're an investment so that you can enjoy the thing that you love, which is usually your home.

00;14;35;09 - 00;14;37;11

Shawn

Yeah.

00;14;37;14 - 00;14;59;18

Angela

So just treat it like an investment because that's what it is. And if you invest in something, you want to know what's happening with it. You want to know how it works. You want to… if somebody is investing in you to put something into the ground to design it or install it, and they're paying you to do it, you want to make sure that it's right.

00;14;59;20 - 00;15;02;05

Angela

Right? You want that repeat business.

00;15;02;08 - 00;15;03;05

Shawn

Yep.

00;15;03;08 - 00;15;07;25

Angela

Invest the time. In making sure that what goes in is correct.

00;15;07;29 - 00;15;08;18

Shawn

Yeah.

00;15;08;25 - 00;15;09;19

Shawn

Details matter.

00;15;09;21 - 00;15;10;23

Angela

Details matter.

00;15;10;27 - 00;15;13;29

Angela

It all matters.

00;15;14;01 - 00;15; 19;26

Angela

So anything else you want to share thatt relates to control panels?

00;15;19;28 - 00;15;28;19

Shawn

I think this was just a fun one to share. And. Yeah, just make sure that when you're spec’ing out control panels that you've got all your i’s dotted and your t's crossed and...

00;15;28;20 - 00;15;45;00

Angela

Yes. Oh, one more plug before we stop. I also heard last week about… let's call it the placement of the control panel.

00;15;45;03 - 00;15;45;23

Shawn

Oh, yes.

00;15;45;24 - 00;15;47;12

Angela

On a bedroom wall.

00;15;47;14 - 00;15;49;06

Shawn

Yeah. That's…

00;15;49;09 - 00;16;03;22

Angela

So while we're on the topic of control panels again, I feel it necessary to say, ensure that that panel is not mounted on a bedroom wall.

00;16;03;25 - 00;16;07;21

Shawn

Or pretty much anywhere that attaches to a living surface in your house.

00;16;07;22 - 00;16;12;18

Angela

That attaches to a living space. It is best to just put it on a post.

00;16;12;20 - 00;16;13;08

Shawn

Yeah.

00;16;13;11 - 00;16;16;16

Angela

Next to the wall, but on a post.

00;16;16;18 - 00;16;17;03

Shawn

Yeah.

00;16;17;04 - 00;16;18;19

Angela

If at all possible.

00;16;18;22 - 00;16;27;25

Shawn

I can't tell you how many phone calls I took from homeowners saying, I've got something on my outside of my house which makes this loud thumping noise at 3 a.m.. 

00;16;27;27 - 00;16;53;18

Angela

Yeah. Oh, yeah. I actually know what that is. As soon as they started telling me the story, I go, oh, no. As soon as she said it, the story started like, So we'd just be sitting there and I'm like, I automatically went, oh no. They put the panel on the outside of the bedroom wall, didn't they? She she was like headboards here,

00;16;53;24 - 00;16;57;12

Angela

Panel’s here. Like oh no.

00;16;57;15 - 00;16;58;04

Shawn

Yeah.

00;16;58;05 - 00;17;05;19

Angela

No no one wants that. No one wants that. So simple plug.

00;17;05;21 - 00;17;06;00

Shawn

Yep. Good info.

00;17;06;01 - 00;17;20;17

Angela

Not a plug. Not a plug. Just a simple word of warning. Please ensure that you put the control panel on a post right next to the house.

00;17;20;20 - 00;17; 25;06

Angela

And with that, thank you for listening.