Sewage pumps when there isn't much of a fall to the septic tank

summereire

Hi- I've no experience of sewage pumps- what kind of money are they for domestic/light commercial use and are they a viable solution to put on the piping between a building and septic tank when the fall isn't what it should be? And other pros and cons of them much appreciated. Thanks

Metric Tensor

They can be done as a last resort and can work if properly specified, installed and maintained

But....

Define what you mean when you at the fall is not correct? Is the tank at a higher level than the building? Do you have a basement? The recommended falls for properly maintained pipes are quite shallow and considering that the vast majority of tanks are buried there are not many in which the inlet to the tank is higher than just below the floor level of the development.

What I'm getting at is that there may be a simpler solution but I can't tell from your post.

summereire

Thanks. Basically the tank is somewhere between level and slightly lower than the building (bungalow) and about 50 metres away. I'm just judging this by eye- is there a simple way to calculate the levels of each by the way? My worry is that we won't quite have the fall we would like to.

BryanF

summereire wrote: »

Thanks. Basically the tank is somewhere between level and slightly lower than the building (bungalow) and about 50 metres away. I'm just judging this by eye- is there a simple way to calculate the levels of each by the way? My worry is that we won't quite have the fall we would like to.

And does the waste system meet current council/ epa requirements?

summereire

Yes it was installed though for another building which is at a different angle from it hence the question.

BryanF

BryanF wrote: »

And does the waste system meet current council/ epa requirements?

summereire wrote: »

Yes it was installed though for another building which is at a different angle from it hence the question.

So the answer is no? It doesn't comply because it was installed for a different building?

summereire

I'm not following- how does that relate to the fall or pumping in any case? Yes it was installed as per the guidelines, however those specifications and the planning etc applied to the original building- I'm now curious as to how to bring wastewater from an outdoor toilet to the same tank rather than the unnecessary duplication of a separate tank.

Metric Tensor

Is this toilet in your garage/shed? If so I wouldn't countenance putting in any type of pumped system because it won't receive the maintenance it should. The jacks in your shed is pretty much the very last thing on your annual maintenance budget!

The first thing you need to do is establish the exact level change you have. You need access to your tank inlet (hopefully you have a manhole adjacent to the tank!) and the outlet level of your wc. Also consider that a very shallow pipe is likely to sustain damage where it's near the surface so you may need to take this into account.

summereire

Thanks, all good points. What in practice is the best way of measuring the slope? It's about 50 metres and the ground goes up and down so hard to do by eye.

Metric Tensor wrote: »

The first thing you need to do is establish the exact level change you have. You need access to your tank inlet (hopefully you have a manhole adjacent to the tank!) and the outlet level of your wc. Also consider that a very shallow pipe is likely to sustain damage where it's near the surface so you may need to take this into account.

Metric Tensor

You need a surveyors level and staff and someone who can use them or alternatively a builder's laser level and staff and someone who can use them!

If you know any local draughtsmen, engineer's or builders it's a five/ten minute job for them so you might get it free. I'm sure you can rent the relevant equipment too but you'd need to know how to use them. It's not super tough but easy enough to make simple mistakes when you're inexperienced.

summereire

Great, I'll get measuring. And with that data, what realistically is the most minimal slope over that kind of distance I'll get away with/ over which I'd need a pump?

Metric Tensor wrote: »

You need a surveyors level and staff and someone who can use them or alternatively a builder's laser level and staff and someone who can use them!

If you know any local draughtsmen, engineer's or builders it's a five/ten minute job for them so you might get it free. I'm sure you can rent the relevant equipment too but you'd need to know how to use them. It's not super tough but easy enough to make simple mistakes when you're inexperienced.