However, my nostalgic reverie was not to last. As I sat down to watch my new DVDs, I was rudely interrupted by the harsh buzzing of my septic tank alarm and the disgusted cries of MrsBaliHai as stinky sewage backed up the basement drains and flowed out over our laundry room floor. I spent the next couple of hours trying get ahold of an emergency plumber, to no avail.

I took apart the electrical box by the lift pump, checked all the voltages, and even ran an extension cord out to the septic tank to bypass the alarm circuit, but I couldn't hear any signs of life from the pump. Finally, I took the cover off the alarm box and had a look inside. When I put everything back together, the alarm had stopped. We eventually managed to stem the foul tide in the basement by enforcing a strict "no-flush for number 1 policy" with the kids, and turning off all of our water-using appliances. Looks like I'll be staying home tomorrow to wait for the septic guy to show up.

UPDATE: The plumber found nothing wrong with the lift pump, but suspected that the float switch got stuck temporarily, thus allowing the water in the pumping chamber to rise to the point where it started backing up into the basement. I still had to pay him $95 for the diagnosis.