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Pumped sewage - recipe for disaster?

  • 21-04-2017 10:04AM
    #1
    Lumen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,246 ✭✭✭✭


    We currently have an old septic tank (1987 vintage) which I'd like to replace with a mains sewer connection.

    Apart from the environmental and aesthetic reasons, we'll likely be going for planning permission for an extension in the near future and I want to regularise the sewage system before that happens.

    The public sewer runs under the roadway approx 33m from the house. The house is on a sloping site and is approx 5m below the roadway, so a pumped system will be required.

    According to the (Wicklow) Council engineer, Irish Water will require a discharge manhole on the property so that our sewage will flow via gravity, following pumping to the required level, to the public sewer.

    Is this (pumped system) something I should shy away from? If the pump fails, do I end up drowning in excrement?

    The alternative is a brand new waste treatment system in the garden and that seems nuts when we have a public sewer so close.

    Also, what sort of engineer do I need? I've put a job up on tradesmen.ie for "civil engineer" but don't know if that's correct.


Comments

  • #2
    Metric Tensor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,727 ✭✭✭Metric Tensor


    Yes, a civil engineer is correct.

    There's many pumped effluent sumps all over the country for various reasons, but that's not to say it's something you'd opt for or should have a preference for.

    Normally the effluent will drain to a sump (a small collection tank - usually with approx. 24 hours emergency storage) and be pumped from there to another manhole on your property from which point it can fall by gravity into the public sewer. If the pump fails you should have a day's storage to get it fixed before your garden starts to flood. So you need a warning system for when the pump is not working and also a plan for how you will get it fixed or replaced within the time window.

    Where these systems are used in larger schemes there is normally two pumps (a duty and a standby) so that if one fails the other one can take up the slack while the repair is ongoing. Whether that would be considered overkill for a domestic job is your call. Also bear in mind that pumps are susceptible to damage from all manner of debris flushed down the toilets - particularly things like baby wipes. So have your engineer look carefully at screening and a macerator. A well maintained system like this will be good for as long as you live in the house but it requires home owner understanding and management.

    NOW - a gravity system also has to be managed and cared for but most people don't bother and will never know when theirs is not working correctly! Also worth bearing in mind that if you put in a new system your ground conditions may require the installation of an on-site system that also requires pumps. You're not guaranteed to get away with a full gravity system just because you have one now. But you might!


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