Seeking advice on connecting utility sink pump

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NachoTime

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Just purchased a home and we're looking for some advice on getting our laundry room up and running. The house was built in 1950's and is a single story with an unfinished basement so fortunately we've got plenty of access.

The sump pit is original and as I understand it really needs to be covered for sanitation and code sake. Down the road we may need to install an interior perimeter drain (if needed) and also plan to add a downstairs bathroom at some point. At that point we'll do a proper sewage ejector to handle everything downstairs, in the mean time (1-2 years) we plan to use a utility sink pump to lift the gray water to the horizontal main stack.

Here are some pictures of the current setup and proposed changes. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

View 1
View 1 - Proposed Changes
View 2
View 3
View 3 - Proposed Changes
View 4

Cheers,
Sten
 

hj

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Well, most of the pictures just show that someone had a lot of duct tape, rubber hose and clamps, and "epoxy putty" which he/she used to repair pipes. What are you trying to do with the utility pump, that you cannot do just as easily by connecting the sink to the existing drain line. The water will end up in the same place whether you use a new pump or the existing sump pump. If you want a cover, just buy one and put it over the pit.
 

NachoTime

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Thank you HJ for taking a look at the setup. My first thought was to use the existing drain line, but was informed the gray water should be treated separately even though it all seemed gray to me. I'm no fan of reinventing the wheel so I'll look in to using/upgrading the existing sump pit (adding check valve, upgrade pump, install cover).

I had a feeling the duct tape and chewing gum repairs would garner a few chuckles. A plumber who helped with the initial inspection commented that the cast iron should last for a very long time, however I'm getting the impression it may need to get replaced sooner than later. I'm already planning on upgrading the galvanized supply lines to PEX so perhaps I should consider redoing the drains as well.
 

Cacher_Chick

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Groundwater from a sump pit is not permitted to be pumped into a municipal sewer system, and should never be pumped into a septic system.

Grey water from a washing machine is not or is no longer permitted to be dumped onto one's property in most areas.

The vertical pipe is not likely to be vent. A vent goes through the roof and does not have any other fixture draining into it.

Do you intend to install a laundry sink for drainage? Unless a sink pump has a 2" inlet and outlet, it is not rated for direct connection to a washing machine standpipe. Most do not/are not.

Separate systems are proper and good.
 

hj

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quote; but was informed the gray water should be treated separately even though it all seemed gray to me.

I do not know why ANY informed person would tell you that. The way you intend to connect it, BOTH pumps would empty into the same pipe, so it would NOT be treated separately.
 

NachoTime

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Groundwater from a sump pit is not permitted to be pumped into a municipal sewer system, and should never be pumped into a septic system.

Gotcha. The previous owner configured it to pump in to the sewer (not that it makes it right). It's my understanding that it's not allowed, but does commonly occur. The volume of water we're talking about is extremely minimal if any. It's been raining pretty good over the past several days and the water level in the sump pit hasn't risen at all. Ultimately we plan to install a proper sewage ejector system in the next couple of years to handle this and a downstairs bathroom addition.

I purchased a Flotec submersible sink pump system (FP0S1800LTS) but am contemplating whether to return it since the previous owner used the existing sump pump for discharging the grey water and not wanting to run a vent pipe for a temporary workaround. Either way we'll be using a nylon stocking filter to prevent lint from clogging the impeller.

The vertical pipe is not likely to be vent. A vent goes through the roof and does not have any other fixture draining into it.

Upon closer inspection it appears the main vertical vent is cast iron and appears in the upper-left of view 4. I'm still unsure what the role of the smaller vertical pipe is. The thing I find odd is nothing else drains in to besides the existing utility and floor drains. It goes through the ceiling and apparently passes through the wall above. I will take a look in the attic to confirm what's passing through the roof.

Do you intend to install a laundry sink for drainage? Unless a sink pump has a 2" inlet and outlet, it is not rated for direct connection to a washing machine standpipe. Most do not/are not.

I do intend to install a utility sink and don't intend to plumb a standpipe.

Separate systems are proper and good.

Agreed, however I've come to the realization this is a stop-gap measure to buy some time until a proper system can be installed. We'll likely be replacing most if not all of the plumbing as well at that point.

I do not know why ANY informed person would tell you that. The way you intend to connect it, BOTH pumps would empty into the same pipe, so it would NOT be treated separately.

My thoughts exactly. I'm guessing the advice I received was based on conforming to code over what is practical in our case.


Many thanks to you both for chiming in. It's greatly appreciated.
 

hj

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YOUR vertical pipe does NOT have to "go through the roof", since it could attach to some other pipe which then DOES go through the roof. You do NOT know if you have subsurface drain lines going to the sump pit, and since the laundry drain appears to be an original installation, the assumption is that you do NOT have any, and pump was installed to take care of the washing machine, which WOULD, or at least should, have been connected to the sanitary system. I think you are "overthinking" and over engineering what you want to do.
 

Schustermarie54

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This gets way nerdy on the pump/plumbing of the Reservoir System. Beware. If you are super nerdy, this is where you can jump in and start making this system better!!

Your reservoir system is a liquid circuit controlled by a pump on a timer. The pump needs to only pump water, not air. Running a water pump dry will kill it. The relationship between the amount of time your pump is turned on by the timer and the gallons per minute flow of your pump dictates a minimum amount of water in your system and, therefore, a minimum size for a sewer pipe reservoir.

However, there is plenty to tinker with here.

Here are notes from my thinking when I wrote that part of the Reservoir system How-to. They are notes that I have not really edited, so ask questions if something is unclear,
 
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