Downward slopped sewer replacement versus a new line with lift station

[Annc]

It appears the sewer pipes were not installed correctly 8 years ago when our house was built. We have already had one crushed pipe 2 years ago and now a major fail of the entire system that backed up sewer three inches deep into our bathroom. The camera video shows two long bellies that have to be remediated but really it looks like the entire sewer system was not properly supported.

The two options that are being proposed are:
1. cut through the slab in long trenches throughout the bottom floor to replace the sewer correctly. Somewhere between 25,000 and $50,000.

2. Given our kitchen and baths are at the back of the house (sewer currently runs from back to front to the city street connection), dig 5 or 6 feet under the side of the foundation, rehook the sewer to a new system that is brought out to a side street where it can be connected to the city sewer there. To do this a lift station would be needed. No idea of the cost of that but was told it would be less. Plus our basement would not be destroyed.

I discussed the second idea with our main plumber who is vehemently against this choice, said it would not be as good as jackhammering our house up to be able to use the natural slope to replace the sewer where it already is.

Any opinions? Is a lift station a poor option compared to a downward sloped sewer?

 

[Reach4]

You have a basement. How about converting to overhead sewers? Search for that term.

That involves a sealed vented pit in your basement with a grinder pump that lifts the basement sewage. The main floor stuff drains out by gravity through the basement wall and joins the existing sewer line. Along the same lines, you can run a line around the house for main floor loads, instead of crossing the basement ceiling. Budget maybe $20000 depending on your local situation.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

Gravity doesn't stop when the power goes out. Or need to be repaired when the pump eventually dies. Gravity is quieter, too (no late night pump turning on when someone flushes a toilet). You might need a couple of cleanouts because of the changes of direction, but is there enough slope available to go out the short distance, then run the drain around the outside and connect it in where it originally as? MUCH easier (and cheaper) to dig a trench outside than through the basement slab. That could destroy more landscaping, but you don't always lose things if they're dug up carefully then replanted at the end.

 

[WorthFlorida]

When I had my home in Illinois with a basement, there was a sealed pump unit below the basement floor used to pump out the washing machine waste water. I never had a problem for the six years that I owned the home. It was very quiet, it pumped the water about seven feet high to the waste line that eventually went out the basement wall about three feet off the floor.

You maybe close enough to the owner of this forum to get Love Plumbing's opinion.
Love Plumbing & Remodel
12108 NE 163rd St
98011 Bothell, WA
Phone 206-949-5683

 

[Annc]

Thank you, all these are very helpful and we will discuss with plumbers and the contractor who is helping us figure all this out. And we will definitely try to get a consult with Love Plumbing.

 

[Sylvan]

Had the same problem on a job a few years back. We opted a duplex sewer ejector with a battery back up rather then jack hammering a 6" concrete slab with re bar