Sewage Ejector Pump and Basin Quesion

[oosik]

Izicc - siting high in the septic tank - it probably is an effluent pump. Floating solids and settling sludge would be less likely to get "sucked up". Still - your thinking is correct - a grinding pump in its own basin - discharging to the public sewerage system is your best approach.

Otherwise - you will always be faced with the maintenance of that dam septic tank.

 

[jfh28]

I think you want to visit the city and find out exactly what they installed.......I have a really hard time believing they would not have installed a grinder pump in this situation.......keep in mind that the pump, tank and pipe to the street are now your responsibility no matter who installed them......and this means the pump could have been replaced by a previous homeowner too....to find out exactly what you have is going to mean pumping out the tank and going down there to examine the pump....do you really need the garbage disposal that badly.......if you are having problems with the pump then replacing with a grinder pump is the only way to go.......also you want to make sure there is a check valve on the pipe to the street.....otherwise if the main street line ever fills up or clogs up all that "stuff" will be coming down to you......Jack

 

[wagne223]

I would not put an effluent pump into a septic tank. A grinder pump sure. Also, as far as I know, the health department has 0 to do with sewage. We have a Sewage Enforcement Officer who handles anything to do with the sewage whether onlot or public. YMMV.

The health department does not do the work on wells and sewage, however they are the overseer.
They make the rules and issue permits and citations.
Even the city has to answer to the health dept.
I would be surprised if your Sewage Enforcement Officer did not answer directly to the health dept in your area.

It is possible that different states are set up differently, however that is how it has been anywhere I lived.

 

[kc5dlo]

If it were me I would leave the lift pump in the septic tank. A lot less work and a lot less dirt work. I would have the pump in the upper part of the tank to prevent the tank floating in wet weather.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

The health department does not do the work on wells and sewage, however they are the overseer.
They make the rules and issue permits and citations.
Even the city has to answer to the health dept.
I would be surprised if your Sewage Enforcement Officer did not answer directly to the health dept in your area.

It is possible that different states are set up differently, however that is how it has been anywhere I lived.

I'm almost 100% certain that the township has no health department. The township owns and operates the sewage treatment plant and that is governed by the State (PA) Department of Environmental Protection. They reviewed my design of my septic that the SEO signed off on (Who works for the township) when I gave it to him. No health department in my situation. For a City, yes I'm sure there is a health department, but I'm skeptical that they care. More than likely the Department of Public Works or whoever controls the operations of the sewage treatment plant would control.

 

[Stomper]

I, and several other resident in my area of town, have been on a pressureized sewage main and grinder pump system for 17 years now. We were force to go to this system because of a bylaw not allowing septic tanks in town limits anymore. This is what I know about these kinds of system. Plain and simple...THEY SUCK!!! I, and several other residents, have had nothing but problems with these pumps plugging up and wearing out. In 17 years I have gone through 4 pumps and just installed my 5th one in March. At $1800 a crack that hurts. And like mentioned in above posts, your if it's on your property it's probably your problem. I pay the same for sewage as everyone else in town but I have to deal with the issues and extra costs of new pumps around every three years. If I had to call a plumber everytime I have an issue with it, I wouldn't be able to afford to live where I do. My family is extremely carefull of what we put down the sewer system. From my past experiences, there is no way I would even consider a garborator of any sort. The less you put down the sewer the better off you will be. We will not even flush kleenex down the toilet. We buy the cheap toilet paper that prety much disinigrates while you are using it. It plugs up so often that I eventually installed cam lock quick disconnects on the discharge line to save time and work when unplugging it. I have no idea if the design of the sewage main has anything to do with it or not. At least the town is saying it doesen't, go figure. I would suggest talking to some of the other residents in the area on the same system and finding out what is working or is not working for them. When you do install this system make it as user freindly to work on as you can. My main project this summer is to build a dedicated heated building to house my grinder pump system. It will be set up with wash down hose, hoist system and a custom fabricated pump box. The pump box/basin that comes with these systems is not very big and the pump takes up most of the room in the Dawson. Because of the small volume left in the pump cycles on and off alot during the course of a day. I beleive this is what is wearing the pumps out. When it plugs up, it is usualy because when pump cycle is done and the pump stops as a peice of toilet paper is sucked into the cutter system, when the pump starts back up again, it doesn't have enough power to cut the toilet paper an start pumping and eventualy the high level alarm sounds. I have changed out the start and run capacitorsin a few of them and it helps out some but eventually i have to buy a new pump. I have tried new shredder rings and cutters but thats just seems to be a band aid fix as well like the new capacitors. I don稚 mean to scare you about this type of system and I wish you luck. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones like my neighbor, they致e had no issues that I know of. I will help you out in any way I can if you need any because I wouldn't wish this problem on my worst enemy. It痴 always a concern of mine when I leave town and the wife and kids are left there. They know nothing about it.