Cleaning A Sump Pit For A Basement Kitchen

[Number_35]

Not quite home repair, but I figure church is close enough.

There's a large kitchen in the basement, which was expanded some years ago. (The church was built in 1968, and I estimate the kitchen was expanded in the '80s or '90s.)

As part of the expansion, a couple of sinks drain into a dedicated sump pit rather than directly into the sewer system. An electric sump pump then pumps the grey water up and over and down into the sewer.

Anyway, unlike a conventional sump pit for ground water from the weeping tiles, this one collects dishwater debris and grease.

It had been smelling really foul for a few years, so yesterday another fellow and I tried to clean it out.

We bypassed the lost to run the level down as low as possible, added much bleach, and sprayed off as much of the coagulated fatty buildup as we could, using a pressure washer.

When that quit doing much, we resorted to stiff brushes and bleach.

We ran the sinks to add clean water and did several rinse cycles, and finished up by adding a chemical that's supposed to eat the build-up and get rid of the odor.

I'm told that as of today the basement smells much better. I hope it lasts.

 

[Pablo]

I’m not a large man and I don’t think I could fit in there!!

Good work and good on you.

Maybe suggest all grease and chunks go in the garbage perhaps some signage

 

[walterjay]

That should be a sealed pit to prevent odors.

 

[Number_35]

I’m not a large man and I don’t think I could fit in there!!

Good work and good on you.

Maybe suggest all grease and chunks go in the garbage perhaps some signage

I was just in head and shoulders. It was a bit claustrophobic anyway. I'm just under 6', about 185#, and small-boned.

I completely agree about trying to minimize the amount of grease and food waste that enters the pit.

 

[Number_35]

That should be a sealed pit to prevent odors.

The pit has a thick plastic cover on it, held down by six screws. I wondered if we should add a bead of removable caulk around the perimeter.

I did check to make sure the sinks are each equipped with a trap.

 

[doitmyself]

Yikes! Didn't know that was code acceptable, especially in a public building. Seems like a great place to grow lots of dangerous bacteria, etc.. I suppose there is no way for any cross contamination to occur. Interesting. Would be very difficult to control what goes down a kitchen sink, especially with multiple users.

If you seal the pit air tight, would the vacuum during pump out maybe suck the water out of the traps? Seems that the pit should have a vent pipe to the outdoors. Just asking questions. All new to me.

 

[B1974]

We have a sink like this at work that's just used for hand washing and it gets smelly form time to time. I usually just run the tap for about 10 minutes to flush out the stagnant water and then pour some broad-spectrum germicidal detergent that we have for cleaning hard surfaces into the drain. This works, but this sump pit doesn't see the type dirt yours does.

 

[spackard]

Pretty sure one of the two ABS pipes is a vent, otherwise waste won’t flow freely into the sump.

I have a big-*ss sump for a laundry sink and washer next to my garage. It’s buried. When I first moved in the pump had failed so I had to dig to it to open the lid and replace the pump. I put in a vent (it didn’t have one) and water goes in a lot better than before.

 

[Kira]

I grew up in a "Land of Septic Systems" which was accented by water shortages.
>>It was no 'hard luck' story.......but it did instill upon me a sense of water conservation and 'sink drain discipline' many can't fathom.
And this is funny because the little effort involved can save a family or congregation lots of money and inconvenience.

I use grease dumps to preclude drain clogging. No big deal here; empty milk containers work just fine.
A huge problem source is the multiple users mentioned. They all make "community noises" but ask 'em to care about someone else's property and you'll get the stupidest looks you've ever seen.

I help a guy take care of a church, so I know of what I speak.

Besides being careful about what goes down the drain, I'd make sure some Purple Power (or Simple Green/Fast Orange) went down after a brief run of boiling water to keep the grease from building up.

Thay couldn't've located that trap any more inconveniently.

Also, a pal bought a home with a well and clogged septic system. The previous inhabitant was one of those slobs who knows nothing.

He used some magic fluid which is said to clear everything you'll commonly find clogging a domestic system even paper. I wasn't there when he poured it down the drain but starting the next day and in the subsequent 15 years, there has been no problem. I'll ask him if it was the product posted here.

In the OP's case, I'd consider lowering the sump float, so the trap/reservoir didn't fill so high between emptying cycles.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

I have a 50' drainpipe for my kitchen sink (no septic system).
I always wipe the dishes clean 'before' washing.

As PM, I will add a Drain Cleaner containing 'enzymes'.
It's not very strong so you have to let it sit to do its job.
I will also pour some Dawn Dish Soap down the drain occasionally, followed by hot water.

What if the pump fails ?
I would have two water alarms (one as a backup) to let me know right away.

Ideally, the sink would be 'next to' the sump pit allowing for easier maintenance.

 

[nomas]

Does this sump eventually drain into a treatment plant or a septic tank ? If so , you killed all of the good bacteria with all of that bleach .

 

[Number_35]

Does this sump eventually drain into a treatment plant or a septic tank ? If so , you killed all of the good bacteria with all of that bleach .

The sump water is pumped into the city's sewer system, and ultimately to a sewage treatment plant.

The output from this one sump pit would be miniscule compared to the total. Nevertheless, is there a cleaner we could use that would be less harmful than bleach?

 

[nomas]

The sump water is pumped into the city's sewer system, and ultimately to a sewage treatment plant.

The output from this one sump pit would be miniscule compared to the total. Nevertheless, is there a cleaner we could use that would be less harmful than bleach?

Ok , I just didn't want you to harm your own system if you had one . I would definitely be vigilant about not disposing of grease and cooking oil down the sink . I really have no idea of what to use in place of bleach .

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Nevertheless, is there a cleaner we could use that would be less harmful than bleach?

Try Dawn Dish Soap, and a long-handled brush.
Best would be to put it on a 'schedule' for maintenance and cleaning.

 

[Sumboodie]

Does this sump eventually drain into a treatment plant or a septic tank ? If so , you killed all of the good bacteria with all of that bleach .

Unless several gallons were used, it would be fine.

They say the bacteria doesn't really exist in tanks around here because the soil temps are too cold. Need over 50* temps... tanks are usually ~8-10ft down.

 

[Number_35]

Try Dawn Dish Soap, and a long-handled brush.
Best would be to put it on a 'schedule' for maintenance and cleaning.

Agreed, we need better brushes, and to not wait so long next time.

 

[Number_35]

My son says that a grease trap is now required on a such installations. The bylaw must have come in after this installation.