Sewage pump floats

[alarmguy]

They are sometimes called Macerator pumps:

https://www.bestproductsreviews.com...MI8OK1u7ea_QIVM4VaBR1N5wnwEAAYAiAAEgIa2fD_BwE

I know that word well, my boat had one for the holding tank. But not knowing anything about for a home I suspect maybe the sewer type for a whole house application is more robust than pictured.
Like below ... I'll be able to find out what model that they use since this phase of the community is just underway.

Grinder Pumps - Pumps - Ferguson

Shop for Grinder Pumps at Ferguson. Ferguson is the #1 US plumbing supply company and a top distributor of HVAC parts, waterworks supplies, and MRO products.

www.ferguson.com

 

[Rand]

Hey everyone to add to the excitement. So our sump pumps (2) are connected to the sewer system and pump into that holding tank where the sewage pump is. The sewer company is now saying I have to change that. The caveat here is my wash machine also drains into the sump pump. There is no floor drains in the basement or anything of the sort. So how could I go about re routing the washing machine so it doesn't drain into the sump pump? Is there a way to pump the Washing machine into the sewer?

I guess I dont understand what is out of compliance? Its a sewer and you are pumping waste water into it?
Maybe I'm having a low-braincell moment but could you describe this with more details etc.

 

[brianl703]

Hey everyone to add to the excitement. So our sump pumps (2) are connected to the sewer system and pump into that holding tank where the sewage pump is. The sewer company is now saying I have to change that.

I don't think it's ever been acceptable to have a sump pump discharge into a sewer system, and regulations in most places require that to be corrected.

 

[brianl703]

I guess I dont understand what is out of compliance? Its a sewer and you are pumping waste water into it?

Can't pump water from your sump pump into a sewer. That water isn't sewage and doesn't need to be treated as such (it can be discharged into the yard, a drainage ditch, or onto the street), and it can overload the sewage treatment plant in the event of a heavy rain. It also increases the costs of running the sewage treatment plant. For those reasons most sewage companies have regulations prohibiting this.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

I don't understand how this works?

Around here sewer for a cluster of homes collects at a cess pool, then a pump transfers it uphill/wherever in a "high pressure sewer line" to the holding tanks at the treatment plant.

One pump in the cess pool covers many homes, each home only has I think one one-way valve. Not a pump on every home!

 

[JohnnyG]

I don't understand how this works?

Around here sewer for a cluster of homes collects at a cess pool, then a pump transfers it uphill/wherever in a "high pressure sewer line" to the holding tanks at the treatment plant.

One pump in the cess pool covers many homes, each home only has I think one one-way valve. Not a pump on every home!

Apparently, we're talking about three different things here.
1 A sump pump. Not pumping sewage, but pumping it into a sewer line, which is usually not OK.
2 A sewage lift pump. This would be intended for use in a home that has a sewer line that does not have a gravity drop to the main collection line.
3 A city lift station. Pretty common around here. Not much gravity drop to the treatment plant, but enough drop from many homes that WILL grivity to the lift station.
And
4 If you wish to include it, the Macerator pump that I brought up. AKA grinder pump. Still provides lift of sewage, but might not be applicable in this case.

Let's face it, sewage is complicated.

 

[Rand]

Can't pump water from your sump pump into a sewer. That water isn't sewage and doesn't need to be treated as such (it can be discharged into the yard, a drainage ditch, or onto the street), and it can overload the sewage treatment plant in the event of a heavy rain. It also increases the costs of running the sewage treatment plant. For those reasons most sewage companies have regulations prohibiting this.

So you can pump your washing machine etc into the sewer
But the sump has to be drained to yard like a storm drain?
I dont think that is common around here usually if you have a sump you are on a septic system.

 

[wheelman]

I don't think it's ever been acceptable to have a sump pump discharge into a sewer system, and regulations in most places require that to be corrected.

It's been like that for my entire life. The house was my grandparents. That doesn't mean it's acceptable but that's how it's always been. Never seemed to cause an issue.

 

[JTK]

In my past two homes with septic systems, the sewer line that routes through the basement wall is ~5 feet above the floor. My laundry tubs / washing machine drain into one of these, that pumps the waste water up to the sewer line: https://www.amazon.com/Superior-Pump-92072-U-Machines-Dehumidifiers/dp/B005MKGQMO/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2GXA83BVOLQ4E&keywords=sink+pump+for+basement&qid=1676582682&sprefix=Sink+Pump,aps,162&sr=8-5

 

[brianl703]

So you can pump your washing machine etc into the sewer
But the sump has to be drained to yard like a storm drain?
I dont think that is common around here usually if you have a sump you are on a septic system.

Yes. The sump has to be drained to the yard or some place that isn't a sanitary sewer.

And if you're dumping your sump pump water into your septic system that's a good way to make sure it overflows in a heavy downpour.

 

[Rand]

Yes. The sump has to be drained to the yard or some place that isn't a sanitary sewer.

And if you're dumping your sump pump water into your septic system that's a good way to make sure it overflows in a heavy downpour.

really depends.. Parents house gets hardly any water in sump.. but they have no basement drains.. so guess where the laundry sink and washer drain to?

 

[brianl703]

It's been like that for my entire life. The house was my grandparents. That doesn't mean it's acceptable but that's how it's always been. Never seemed to cause an issue.

There are houses that were built around here with the drain tiles connected to the basement floor drain which in turn connects to the sanitary sewer.

The water/sewer authority has a program where they will, for free, install a sump pump in these houses with the discharge routed to the street (they actually bore a hole in the curb for the discharge pipe).

Apparently they've figured out that spending the money for a sump pump equals big savings later in not having to treat rainwater. Infiltration (rainwater) getting into the sewer system really increases it's operating costs.

 

[brianl703]

really depends.. Parents house gets hardly any water in sump.. but they have no basement drains.. so guess where the laundry sink and washer drain to?

The code compliant answer is a pit with a sewage ejector pump. The git 'r' done answer is a sump pump pit.

The basement floor drains in my house drain to the sump pump pit, by the way. There is no laundry sink or washing machine in the basement, but if I ever put a bathroom down there, the plumbing is already in the floor leading to a pit ready for a sewage ejector pump to be installed.

 

[alarmguy]

I guess I dont understand what is out of compliance? Its a sewer and you are pumping waste water into it?
Maybe I'm having a low-braincell moment but could you describe this with more details etc.

Yeah, in most everyplace now in modern society you can not drain or pump rainwater or ground water into the sewer system.

An example to describe the big problem would be in NYC where rainwater systems and sewer are/was combined systems.
The system gets overwhelmed during storms and raw untreated sewage has to be dumped into waterways as the treatment plants could not possibly handle the huge volume of water. The system was so old when the city was developed many, many decades ago as a combined system. The system would dump raw sewage into the Hudson and everyplace else during rain storms.

(and after posting this I see Brian already posted something similar)

 

[PimTac]

Municipalities plan their sewage treatment on the capacity of the existing system. Any additional feeds like storm water will tax the system and the treatment plants so those are usually separate.


Can the OP dig a dry well in his yard for the sump and washing machine drainage?

 

[wheelman]

This is a picture of each sump pump plumbing. I am thinking I can cap off the portion going to the sewer and install a check valve (blue colored area) on each sump pump and put a T is the already existing line and run it straight out from there (purple drawn area illustrates the pipe going to the outside. Would this work?

 

[doitmyself]

I'm getting confused (easy these days). In the original post you talk about a single sewage pump on the fritz with questions about 3 float sensors. Now you are talking about 2 sump pumps?

There also seems to be some general confusion about handling 2 basement water types: ground drainage clear water vs. washing machine/bath grey water (which CAN go to the sanitary sewer).

brian703, do you think that a pump labeled as sewage ejector is required over a regular sump pump to move grey water from a washing machine or bath tub? Sump pumps like the Zoeller 53 can handle small solids (lint debris, etc).

 

[brianl703]

brian703, do you think that a pump labeled as sewage ejector is required over a regular sump pump to move grey water from a washing machine or bath tub? Sump pumps like the Zoeller 53 can handle small solids (lint debris, etc).

It'd probably be OK. In my house the sump pump pit has a drain from an exterior basement level stairwell draining into it, and I can pretty much guarantee that any debris (leaves, twigs, etc) small enough to fit through the drain grate goes into the sump pump pit where it will probably go through the sump pump. And a LOT of debris lands in that stairwell every fall...

I wonder though, if a sewage ejector might be more resistant to corrosion, since theoretically a sewage ejector is more likely to have to handle the backwash from a water softener.

 

[wheelman]

I'm getting confused (easy these days). In the original post you talk about a single sewage pump on the fritz with questions about 3 float sensors. Now you are talking about 2 sump pumps?

There also seems to be some general confusion about handling 2 basement water types: ground drainage clear water vs. washing machine/bath grey water (which CAN go to the sanitary sewer).

brian703, do you think that a pump labeled as sewage ejector is required over a regular sump pump to move grey water from a washing machine or bath tub? Sump pumps like the Zoeller 53 can handle small solids (lint debris, etc).

2 separate issues that are sort of related. So the sewage pump in the holding tank went out. Its being replaced however the sewer company is now saying the sump pumps can no longer pump into the sewer system. It's been routed that way my whole life but now they want the system's totally separate. That's the reason the posts got confusing. The sump pumps have always pumped their ground water into the sewer but they now want that changed.

 

[Donald]

I do not have a sewage lift pump but do have an air pump for my septic. Around here they require homeowners to have a service contract and inspection and cleaning 2x a year,