Ejector pumps and pits are totally different systems and need to be treated accordingly.
Recently,while performing a home inspection in Lake Zurich, Illinois the differences between sump pumps and ejector pumps were explained fully. The confusion of what each pump is made for is common but is broken down here in layman terms.
The Lake Zurich home inspection was using the sump pump pit as the area to deposit the waste water from the laundry. This is incorrect because a sump pump is suppose to dump its contents on the surface of the ground of the homes property. The water then would be absorbed by the ground. In this case, a slippery soapy residue was seen on the grass that can cause multiple issues to occur. Safety being the biggest concern of mine. You can see me inspect a plumbing system at ~ http://www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com/watchaninspection.html
This is a proper instalation of a sump pump and pit.
The sump pump is made for ground water under the basement floor. There is piping that will surround the footing walls of the foundation that collect any ground water ( a.k.a. grey water) and tie in at the sump pit to the pump which in-turn pumps to the exterior of the home. Some homes have 2 sump pits. The other sump pit is for the perimeter of the exterior of the footing walls or outside of home. Sump pumps almost always are piped with 1 1/2″ piping which is generally a tell tale of what type of pump you have. The only other way to tell is to investigate the pump which any plumber would do to document. This is how the Lake Zurich home inspection was installed but they added the laundry waste to the pit. The remedy for this is to remove the laundry waste.
The proper installation of an ejector pit and pump.
The ejector pit has a grinder built-in to grind solids so that they can be pumped into a sewer. This water that comes out of an ejector pump is sewer water (a.k.a. black water) and must be handled with caution. The ejector pit generally takes water from bathrooms in basements, floor drains, basement kitchens and laundry’s. That means that the ejector pit must be sealed to prevent methane gas from being emitted to the homes air supply. Methane gas can make you very sick and sealing of the ejector pit is a must. If you seal a pit you must install a vent for the system. The venting line needs to be tied into a vent supply that takes the air through the roof line. The piping that an ejector pump and vent are built with should be 2″. This is a tell tale if the pump is an ejector pump. My advise for my clients at the Lake Zurich home inspection was to install a ejector pump or a laundry tub and tie it to the sewer.
If you have more questions about sump/ejector pumps and pits please contact me at ~ http://www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com/about-jim-kolke.html
Thanks for stopping by. Jim Kolke