I am building new construction basement house and want to have as bathroom in the basement – at least a slop sink – for my woodshop. I suppose a toilet is not a necessity but it would be nice – but a slop sink is a necessity.
The septic is already in for the current living space and pumping would need to happen to get the waste out. (it is a septic tank not city sewage – I am in rural Vermont)
Does anyone have any links to information on what I need to make this happen? It seems an ejector pump is what I am looking for but I don’t know. It seems there are differences if pumping solids or just water (hence my comment about possibly just having a slop sink and no toilet).
I would also have a floor drain (hopefully).
Would this replace the need for a sump pump? Are they two seperate things in the first place? Or do I need both?
Thoughts, comments, ideas, links….
Thanks,
Matt
Edited 3/11/2008 1:52 pm ET by mattschrag
Replies
I know next to nothing about plumbing but I do know that the current issue of the FH magazine has a nice spread on adding a basement bath with a pump up to the waste line.
I'm pretty sure you don't want to flood your septic system with water runoff from your sump pump. Why clean water that's already clean? Also "slop" and "woodshop" suggest chemicals that are also bad for a septic system, so think twice there.
http://www.saniflo.com/macerator.asp?gclid=CIbll_ydhpICFQa1IgodVh_m-w
This might be what your after.
There are several ways to go, but the most usual route is to install a pumping station--which is a below-floor tank into which all your below-grade drains empty--and either an ordinary (liquids-only) submersible sump pump or a sewage pump which can handles solids and grind them up. Your choice. Sewage pumps are about 2-3 times as expensive as liquids-only pumps.
An in-basement pumping station resembles an over-sized plastic garbage can. It is normally installed (as are the under-floor drains leading to it) before the floor slab is poured, but in a remod, you break out the slab and dig as necessary, then re-pour.
The pump goes into the tank, along with a float switch. The tank must be vented, and the discharge line must have an anti-back-flow valve on it. You should arrange the plumbing so that if ('when') the pump fails x-number of years down the road, you can change it out without cutting the pipes or 'diving' into the tank to get to the pump. (A polypropylene retrieval rope spliced to the pump is a good idea, for instance.)
If the pumping station will be in a relatively inaccessible area (ie: not visible on a daily basis), it is not a bad idea to install a high-level alarm, too.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
These are very common, simple, systems that any decent plumber should be able to provide and install. I've done about 4 of these in various configurations in the past few years. There are above slab, as well as below slab systems. Basically, it's a black plastic holding tank with an ejector pump set up on a float. As others have mentioned, it needs to be vented and plumbed correctly. A no-brainer really.
If this is new construction, and foundation drainage was done properly, you should NOT need a sump pump at all. If you do need a sump, mixing these systems is NOT recommended.
Common sense dictates that you do NOT dispose of hazardous materials down your drain, period.
Also, since this system is based on a mechanical pump and not simple gravity, you need to be a little more careful about what you dump down there (try to keep the grit and any other solids to a minimum). If you plan to pump black water, there are pumps with macerators that are designed exactly for this.
If you are a novice at this sort of work, you'l' be well served going to the nearest plumbing supplier for info and parts, vs. the internet (except for the fine advice that you'll get here of course.)
Good luck though you shouldn't need it. This is everyday stuff for almost any decent plumber.