Sewage Pumps

[8ntruck 6,991]

Anybody out there have any experience with sewage pumps?

 

The lake house has a lift station that quit lifting.  The pump runs, and I think the real problem is that the outlet pipe got disconnected.

 

I have the pump out.  It is a 1998 vintage Hydromatic model SP40A1.  It is rated at .4hp, 115 volts, and 9 amps.  I hosed it down and discovered that the crud on the outside was actually rust scale.  Given that the pump is 23 years old, I think I'll be better off installing a new one.

 

The local hardware stocks a Liberty pump.  The nearest Menards have Barracuda or Mears(?) pumps in stock.  All of these have a plastic impeller.  I'm wondering about the durability of the plastic impeller.  Part of me says an iron impeller would be better, but pumps with iron impeller seem to be few and far between.

 

Comments?  Reccomendations?

[oliver2-44 9,699]

You’ve done great getting 23 years out of that pump. My septic system has a pump and I ve replaced it twice in 25 years. The plastic impeller is the way to go. An iron or brass impeller would be corroded like the rust scalp on the outside. Of your current pump.  Good luck 

[Crazyredhorse 295]

Zoeller is supposed to be 1 of the best for sump pumps.dont know for sure with solids.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Crazyredhorse

[squonk 41,038]

Grinder pump for sewage.

[Herder 2,354]

Liberty and Zoeller pumps are good, Little Giants are better, plastic will not corrode.  Grinders are most commonly used in sewage but can become clogged by plastic, hair and strings.  When it comes to sewer pumps you have to know your $#it. 

Edited June 15, 2021 by Herder

[Pullstart 62,803]

Another vote for Liberty!

 

 

[squonk 41,038]

When building the new mechanical room at the hospital They had to install 2 sewage injection pumps. Little did I know at the time, but every drain in the new basement went to these pumps in a crock. There were 4 large air handling units in this room including one for the O.R.. 3 of these are big enough to have a small tractor show inside.

 

Contractors were still building up the room but the AHU's were running and the Central Sterile dept across the hall was in operation. The original grinder pumps hadn't arrived so the contractors substituted regular pumps. I was walking down the hall and hear an alarm going off in the mech room. I go inside and the sewage pumps are in alarm. The contractors there don't seem to give a rip that the room it about to be flooded with sewage. Turned out the Sterile dept. found it necessary to flush rubber gloves down a hopper and locked up the pumps. It took a LOT of hell rasin by me to get the GC to get the correct grinder pumps in there ASAP and to get the idiots in Central Sterile to stop flushing stuff that didn't belong in the hopper down the drain. (This took about a year and many meetings with the top brass to get this resolved!) 

[peter lena 8,583]

@8ntruck, always had a ZOELLER PUMP , for many years , replaced it years back with a  hybrid pump plastic impeller , no issues. but most important is to yearly , lift it out , look it over , thoroughly clean it and dry it out . clean out pump base hole area , for debris , improve anything you find at fault , and correct it . just my own experience , pete 

[ACman 7,618]

I’ve got a grinder lift pump in the basement and my son moved out a couple weeks ago . This is good reminder for me to fill up the tub , sinks , flush the toilet and let all the water flow into the crock and hopefully clean it out . Definitely don’t want the stuff sitting in there to sit if nobody’s using it daily.

 

A month ago my cousin called and said his toilets weren’t flushing and sinks and tub are draining really slow . First thing I asked him was who’s been flushing the wet wipes . When they opened it up they pulled out wipes , feminine hygiene products and tooth floss sticks . Lucky for him the filter between the solid and liquid tanks did it’s job . Moral of the story is nothing goes down the drain but some food particles from rinsing plates , 💩 poop and toilet paper even if it says flushable.

Edited June 15, 2021 by ACman

[squonk 41,038]

Hospital's big bug a boo was hairnets from the kitchen staff!  

[Handy Don 12,163]

3 hours ago, Herder said:

Liberty and Zoeller pumps are good, Little Giants are better, plastic will not corrode.  Grinders are most commonly used in sewage but can become clogged by plastic, hair and strings.  When it come to sewer pumps you have to know your $#it. 

Our street is solid rock only 12 or so inches below the pavement so the water, gas, and sewer lines are very close to the surface. The new (large, $$$$) house up the block was sited in a low spot so it needed to pump. They buried two holding tanks under the front yard with two pumps, and an auto-start generator plus a battery-powered alarm if the tank levels got too high. The owner had to replace the first pump after only five years and the second one a year or two later. I suspect he got the "builder special" models the first time!

[seuadr 488]

32 minutes ago, ACman said:

Moral of the story is nothing goes down the drain but some food particles from rinsing plates , 💩 poop and toilet paper even if it says flushable.

just cause it'll flush doesn't mean it'll break down in the tank - i had a real hard time getting that point across to my mom when she moved in with us. she is a big fan of those "flushable" wipes.

[Handy Don 12,163]

2 hours ago, squonk said:

stop flushing stuff that didn't belong in the hopper down the drain.

"Once it's out of my sight, it isn't my problem anymore!"

[Handy Don 12,163]

2 minutes ago, seuadr said:

just cause it'll flush doesn't mean it'll break down in the tank - i had a real hard time getting that point across to my mom when she moved in with us. she is a big fan of those "flushable" wipes.

I saw a sign in the head on a cabin cruiser I got to visit. "Please don't put anything in the 'head' unless you have eaten it first"

[peter lena 8,583]

@Handy Don , another thing I do is to , put in a union fitting to the pump area , for quick easy removal , having a septic system , I regularly   use ridex or similar  treatment , monthly . with no issues . never use a toilet for a garbage disposal . pete

[Herder 2,354]

1 hour ago, Handy Don said:

Our street is solid rock only 12 or so inches below the pavement so the water, gas, and sewer lines are very close to the surface. The new (large, $$$$) house up the block was sited in a low spot so it needed to pump. They buried two holding tanks under the front yard with two pumps, and an auto-start generator plus a battery-powered alarm if the tank levels got too high. The owner had to replace the first pump after only five years and the second one a year or two later. I suspect he got the "builder special" models the first time!

The best sewer pump stations are Eone and they are sold by Siewart Equipment out of Albany NY.  Not cheep, but worth the money in the long run.  Their pumps and controls can be retrofitted into most existing stations.   

[Crazyredhorse 295]

had a small plant were I worked you wouldn't believe some of the things ppl put down the drain.we used to pull out 3 or 4 ft balls of strands from tampons not fun