Poop pump pooped out

[jkaetz]

Noticed the basement toilet draining slowly, tried a plunger but of course it was a cheapie and didn't fit the squared shape of the hole. Got a better one and still didn't get anywhere so now I'm blaming it on the 3 year olds wondering what they flushed. Before pulling the toilet I decided to walk around to the ejector pit only to find a puddle above the lid. . Fortunately that bathroom isn't used too much and the water softener dumps in there when it regenerates so the water was mostly clear. Managed to get the old one out and a new Zoeller installed with a minimum of swear words and yuck factor.

If you have a basement bathroom do yourself a favor and get a water alarm!

 

[qwerty]

Brine is rough on pumps..... Looks like you may have an overhead sewer; I know my softener allows for up to 8ft vertical so I was able to plumb it into a drain line with an air gap to save some wear on my pumps. Just a thought. Zoeller is a nice pump, not sure if they still have a facility in Indiana.

 

[Cameramonkey]

THIS. These are cheap and save the day.(But you gotta be home to hear it)

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Basement-Watchdog-Battery-Operated-Water-Alarm/1005609

IF you have an alarm system, this can be added and notify your central station so they can call you in case you arent home. And if you add a cutoff valve, it can shut down your water source to prevent further flooding.

Winland Electronics

www.winland.com

 

[jkaetz]

Brine is rough on pumps..... Looks like you may have an overhead sewer; I know my softener allows for up to 8ft vertical so I was able to plumb it into a drain line with an air gap to save some wear on my pumps. Just a thought. Zoeller is a nice pump, not sure if they still have a facility in Indiana.

It is overhead, but it goes up ~12 feet from pump level, makes a couple turns, then another 10 feet or so horizontally before making another 90 and going up a few more inches before it can gravity drain. It's no wonder the check valve bangs shut, it's holding back a lot of water in the piping and I don't really see a way to make it more direct. From where it goes off into the finished portion of the basement I'm guessing it joins up with the kitchen drain before heading the rest of the way out of the house.

The softener is actually air gapped into the vent pipe of the pit at the basement ceiling. I suppose I could theoretically take the softener line over to the gravity level pipe, but I loose access to it before I could make a connection. The other option would be to try and grab the washing machine drain line but I'm not sure if there is enough access there either.

THIS. These are cheap and save the day.(But you gotta be home to hear it)

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Basement-Watchdog-Battery-Operated-Water-Alarm/1005609

IF you have an alarm system, this can be added and notify your central station so they can call you in case you arent home. And if you add a cutoff valve, it can shut down your water source to prevent further flooding.

Winland Electronics

www.winland.com

I have a few of the battery style ones arriving tomorrow. That would have worked in this situation, I'm sure the pit took several days to fill to the top. I've looked into some IOT based ones but they seem expensive for what you get and you're usually stuck with some strange company's app to do the monitoring.

 

[KLB]

I have a similar situation with my sump pump. I figured out my problem on the third one. I went with a cast iron pump at that time and it has been going strong for a long time now.

 

[ws6guy]

This year I had to replace the sump pump and then a few months later the poo pump. The sump is easy peasy but he poo pump wasn't as fun. At least the pump worked but wouldn't turn off so the pit wasn't fiull. However there was no ball valve in discharge pipe so it was interesting removing the check valve. Now it has a ball valve.

I currently have 3 water alarms. One in the sump pit that is set to sound if the main pump quits but before the backup pump kicks in. Then I have an alarm out side of the pit and another by the water heater.

 

[Cameramonkey]

It is overhead, but it goes up ~12 feet from pump level, makes a couple turns, then another 10 feet or so horizontally before making another 90 and going up a few more inches before it can gravity drain. It's no wonder the check valve bangs shut, it's holding back a lot of water in the piping and I don't really see a way to make it more direct. From where it goes off into the finished portion of the basement I'm guessing it joins up with the kitchen drain before heading the rest of the way out of the house.

The softener is actually air gapped into the vent pipe of the pit at the basement ceiling. I suppose I could theoretically take the softener line over to the gravity level pipe, but I loose access to it before I could make a connection. The other option would be to try and grab the washing machine drain line but I'm not sure if there is enough access there either.

I have a few of the battery style ones arriving tomorrow. That would have worked in this situation, I'm sure the pit took several days to fill to the top. I've looked into some IOT based ones but they seem expensive for what you get and you're usually stuck with some strange company's app to do the monitoring.

This will pair with the waterbug nicely. and its their self hosted model. Amazon product ASIN B008ANTGMM
You can program it to email you, or send you a page. you can also add up to 5 more sensors on this for utility power, temps, door sensors, etc.

I put a 110v relay on the power port and it closes the circuit when the power goes out. Its on a ups so it can still send me a page to tell me power is out.

 

[HoughMade]

I replaced my sewage ejection pump myself on a not-so-pleasant Sunday afternoon a few months ago.

I feel for you.

 

[ws6guy]

This is the water sensor I use in the sump pit. Hooked it up around 6 months ago and so far working great.

Proteus Aquo - Wi-Fi Water Sensor

The Proteus Aquo Wi-Fi water sensor for your basement, kitchen or bathroom is designed to detect and alert you to potential water damage. The Wi-Fi water sensor keeps constant guard throughout the day and night, and automatically alerts you when water damage is imminent. In addition to...

proteussensor.com

 

[04FXSTS]

I replaced my sewage ejection pump myself on a not-so-pleasant Sunday afternoon a few months ago.

I feel for you.

Our house in Illinois where we used to live had the same pump arrangement and the pump went out twice. Something I try to block out of my memory. Jim.