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Maintenance Guide for Free Standing Septic Pumps and Sump Pumps InspectAPedia®  -

• Septic tank pumps, septic grinder pumps, septic effluent pumps
• Sewage ejector pumps
• Sump Pumps
• Sewage Pumping Stations
• Septic Pump Alarm
• Septic Alarm demo video

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This article explains the differences between Sump Pumps, Sewage Ejector Pumps, Septic Grinder Pumps, Sewage Pumping Stations, & Septic Pump Alarms. Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical review by industry experts has been performed and is ongoing - reviewers welcomed and are listed at "References." This document is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

What is a Free-Standing Sewage Grinder Pump

A sewage grinder pump is about the same as the packaged on in-can sewage ejector pump discussed above, except that the grinder pump is a heavy-duty pump which, instead of being in a prepackaged container such as for use to install a single basement bathroom at a level below the building sewer outlet height, the grinder pump is installed right in a septic tank.

The free standing sewage grinder pump macerates sewage so that it can be pumped through a (usually smaller-diameter, perhaps 2") force main to an uphill septic tank or sewage pumping station or to a municipal sewer line, all of which are in this case located higher than the pumping location. Thus the need for the pump.

A non-clogging sewage pump used in the same application is designed to move larger solids, up to perhaps 4" in diameter, to a gravity drain.

The "septic pump in a can" or packaged septic grinder pump systems described at Sewage Ejector Pump Grinder Pump have varying lift capacity depending on the pump horsepower, but these are generally less powerful than a submwersible sewage pump.

Where a lot of vertical lift is needed (where there is a large "head" pressure), a submersible sewage grinder or effluent pump will be used and will be installed at or near the bottom of the holding tank. Though we can't see the pumps in this photo - they are below the sewage level in this pumping chamber - that's what we'd expect to find installed in this municipal sewage lift station (which we discuss in more detail at Septic Pumping Stations).

If someone installs an ordinary dewatering sump pump to pump sewage they're opting for an inexpensive pump that is not going to last long at all because it's being mis-used and it's going to clog up. Using an ordinary dewatering sump pump to move septic effluent is making a similar, if not as completely egregious mistake.

If you are pumping only clarified septic system effluent out of a septic pumping chamber which itself is downstream from and separated from a septic tank which contains solids and floating scum, then your pump does not need to be a grinder pump. However even in this case I would avoid the common $100.00 (ballpark) common sump pump because it's unlikely that the pump will have the duty cycle and durability to give you a long term, reliable septic system operation.

The best design for any pumping system, solids to a tank or effluent to an elevated drainfield, is a duplex pump system so that you have a chance to keep a working house drain system even when a pump fails.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEPTIC SYSTEM PUMPS
  Sewage Ejector Pump Grinder Pump
    What is a Sewage Ejector?
  Free-Standing Sewage Grinder Pump
  Septic Pump Alarm Systems
  Septic Pump Buyers Guide
  Septic Pump Duplex System Designs
  Septic Pump Inspection & Maintenance
  Septic Pump Installation Guide
  Septic Pumping Stations
  Sump Pumps

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
• Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
• How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
• Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
• Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.
  Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
  
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
• Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
• Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)

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