Sewage Ejector Pump and Basin Quesion

[lzicc]

I purchased a house last year. It has a septic tank with a sewage ejector pump. It once was a septic tank with a leach field, but city sewage was put in up the at the top of the property, so now the tank is pumped into the city sewage instead of the leach field. The city sewer is uphill, so it has to be pumped. I want to replace the septic tank with either a grinder pump and basin or a sewage pump with basin. I want to put in a kitchen garbage disposal so I am thinking the grinder pump would be the better way to go. Any suggestions?

This will be install outside of the house, not inside.

 

[MMalabama]

Do they not both have a grinding action? Don't see how you could have a sewage pump that didn't grind unless it was just a effluent pump.

 

[Coyote machine]

I'd talk to the city the sewage is now flowing into and see if there are specific requirements you have to comply with by law. I would think there would most likely be restrictions and specs you need to adhere to whether you want to or not. I wouldn't do anything until you know the rules.

 

[Cord]

You should already have a grinder pump. Adding a garbage disposal should have no effect on the pump.

 

[wagne223]

Your county health dept is who you need to talk to. They make the rules, they approve the changes, and they charge you with a crime if you do it without asking them first.

 

[orezok]

Your county health dept is who you need to talk to. They make the rules, they approve the changes, and they charge you with a crime if you do it without asking them first.

I’m not understanding why there is any difference from gravity flow from your residence and pumped flow. It’s the exact same doo doo.

 

[oosik]

OK - too much mysticism here. There is a difference between a sewage lift pump and a sewage grinding pump. Example - I have a septic tank that gravity flows into a pump tank. Due to septic tank being baffled and having a very efficient outlet filter - NO SOLIDS make it into my pump tank. Pump tank is 1000 gallons. It has a sewage lift pump that pumps the effluent to my pressure drain field. My pump is DEFINITELY NOT designed to grind sewage. Think about it - do you really want to GRIND the total output of a household and discharge the slurry to your drainfield.

The sewage grinding pump is used when the total output of a house - solids, liquids et al - are going to be discharged to a public sewerage system. The grinding pump ensures that all discharge is ground into a liquid - thereby guaranteed transfer and discharge with very little plugging problems.

IZICC - it is a wise move to have a sewage grinding pump installed and have an appropriate sewage collection basin installed for the grinding pump to sit and work in. It will eliminate most all future problems. STRONGLY suggest you contact your local Health Dept to ensure your are aligned with the appropriate rules/regulations. If the current pump is IN the septic tank - then it darn well better be a grinding & lifting/transfer pump. If the pump is in the septic tank and IS NOT a grinding pump - I absolutely guarantee future problems.

OREZOK - the difference between gravity and pumped flow. Gravity USUALLY means all solid material has been left in the septic tank and only effluent(fluids) will flow by gravity to a drain field. Pumped flow can mean the same as gravity flow OR it can mean the grinding of all household waste and its being pumped to a public sewer.

Too many terms - too often used interchangeably when they actually mean something very different.

 

[orezok]

OREZOK - the difference between gravity and pumped flow. Gravity USUALLY means all solid material has been left in the septic tank and only effluent(fluids) will flow by gravity to a drain field. Pumped flow can mean the same as gravity flow OR it can mean the grinding of all household waste and its being pumped to a public sewer.

Too many terms - too often used interchangeably when they actually mean something very different.

My point is that the OP stated that the city put in a sewerage system. That is designed to handle solids as well as liquids for processing elsewhere. I would suggest that the OP abandon the septic system completely and just install a lift station and pressure main before the existing septic and pump everything to the city system. My statement was to indicate that whether he was located above the elevation of the city sewer and used gravity to feed it or below and used a pump, it is the same.

Why have the cost of maintaining a septic tank? Let the city deal with it as he will be paying for the city sewer anyway.

 

[lzicc]

I believe it is an effluent pump but will need to verify. It sits high in the septic tank. The solids go to the bottom and the enzymes break up the solids into liquid. That is how I understand how it works.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

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.

 

[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.