I’m planning on building out my garage in a 1950’s era CA ranch. Garage is SOG, rest off house is perimeter foundation. I’m building up garage floor w/ joists so that new floor is level with rest of house and gives me crawl space to run plumbing for relocated laundry area and new bathroom.
Problem: I am still running the numbers (it is going to be really close) but I may not have enough vertical to give me a 1/4″ / foot fall from the new drain locations to the sewer tie in – at least not without digging below grade under the house. Is the solution as easy as installing some type off in-line pump? Suggestions on model/manufacturer? Costs?
Just some quick background – I’m a DIY, but a handy one. Plan on doing all the rough carpentry myself and then turning most of the electrical and plumbing over to a pro.
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just my opinion... but even 1/8" ft fall will work... many have less... there should be little issue with the washing machine... it has a 36-48" headstart... from the washer box... the water closet should be fine also... 3" pvc will flow fine as long as it's downhill... again just my opinion... but the pump/grinder setup would be way more problems than it'd ever be worth... i'd make the washer box downline from the toilet so that it in effect cleans/sweeps the drain line with it's discharge
good luck
p
I can't remember if it was 3'' or 4'', but with the larger pipe you can legally pitch it 1/8'' per foot. Support it well , you don't want any bellies. I agree with ponytail- avoid pumps if at all possible.
If you have enough space to fit it, between or under joists, I'll bet there are tank/pump systems that will do the job. You no doubt have seen the toilet's atop a polyethyline tank? Those thanks will accept additional gray water from shower or sinks. A friend of mine bought a house with a toilet in the basement where the installer set the tank on the slab and built the floor flush with the top. There was an access panel to get to the pump in the floor.
Saniflow makes another specialty pump/drain system - pricy but effective.
There'll be an article in the next FHB (I think) on cutting out the slab of a basement and laying drains to a sub-grade sewage ejector and tank. It's along the same line. I've installed dozens of underslab ejector systems in basements with nary a problem.
I've installed dozens of underslab ejector systems in basements with nary a problem.
Mike, I just bought a house that had to have a new septic installed. The kitchen water drained to open field somewhere, very common in this little burg. The county enviormental eng made the HO's install a pump system for my kitchen, to far away to drain to the septic, but what I'm getting at in my round about way is - is this what you mean by an ejector system? and can I install another one for a bathroom down in my basememt? I have a bathroom down there now but its all elevated and I dont like it. The drain to the septic is higher then the floor so thats why the elevated bath.
Thanks
Doug
You can install an ejector system below the basement slab for all the fixtures that pumps up to the sewer drain. I wish I could send you the article that'll be in the next FHB - that will show the whole layout. But I'll get my head chopped off for doing so before publish date. be on the lookout in late Dec or early Jan.
Thanks Mike,
I wish I could send you the article that'll be in the next FHB I can wait, I'm not planning on doing anything until next spring.
Doug
Certainly you can use a pump, but, as others have said, gravity is cheaper, more reliable, and requires less maintenance.
Don't be too proud to make the bathroom a step up if that's what it takes.
If you're hiring the plumbing, let the plumber spec the pump (if needed). Note that it can be either near the bathroom or at the other end of the run, near where it enters the house.
This isn't cheap, but here at BT you recieve a full spectrum of ideas. I have a mound system for a septic. The water table is high in my backyard. The county told me I had to have a mound system.
How it works. I flush the toilet and it goes to the first 1000 gal septic at 1/8th inch drop.Next to the first tank is another 1000 gal tank. At the bottom of the tank is a turd grinder pump. Its technically refered to a trash pump w/ 2" opening on the bottom. The pump takes the effluent up to distribution box and field.
In your case you won't be using a 1000 gal tank, just an injector pit.
I'm not a plumber, but my system hasn't given me any problems in five years,
pump cost something like $250 and is rebuildable
> and is rebuildable
Yeah, but who can you find to rebuild a pump that's been sitting in #### for five years?
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
If the pipe is 4" it can be run at 1/8" per foot, that drops the pipes fixture unit maximums by about 1/3, but in a house that's never an issue.
An inline pump would cycle every time effluent hits it, I wouldn't expect it to last very long. Also you would have an instant back up during a power outage.
Small package units are quite common. Zoeller has package units like this one.
View Image
http://www.zoeller.com/zcopump/products/package/Preassembled900.htm
I put a Zoeller "Quick John" in my inlaws basement over ten years ago. The original pump is still in there and working fine. You just can't use the basement facility durring power outages.
Even an in floor crock should last that long or longer. Pulling a pump on either type should be no problem. every system I looked at had check valves and couplings on the discharge and vent lines, and some had a ball valve shut off in addition to the check valves. Pulling a pump should be no problem if access to it planned in the scope of the job.
Dave