What is a waste ejector?

A common plumbing device in many homes is a sump pump. The purpose of the sump pump is to pump excess groundwater away from your house into your yard or a storm sewer. It pumps groundwater, not wastewater that has gone through your plumbing system. There also may be a second pump in your basement floor that resembles a sump pump, but it has a very different purpose. It is called a waste ejector pump. The purpose of the waste ejector is to pump wastewater up and out away from your house into a wastewater sewer line. It is used when a lower level bathroom, laundry or any other type of plumbing fixture is located below the level of the main wastewater sewer line flowing out of the house. It is made to handle both liquid and solid waste and is usually found in basements that are finished. It has a pit similar to a sump pump but the waste ejector is a much larger pump. The pit collects used wastewater from basement sinks, clothes washers and lower level toilets.

On average, a waste ejector collects and holds around thirty gallons of wastewater and waste. There are two large pipes coming out of the top of the waste ejector. The first is the waste pipe outlet that the ejector uses to pump excess wastewater up and out of the house. The second is a vent pipe that allows sewage odors to be vented up and out of the roof. It also has a cover, but on a waste ejector, the cover needs to be sealed and screwed down to prevent foul odors from coming into your home. If sewage water starts to flood, it can cause risks to your health because it may contain human waste. It has two different pipes leading out of it: one pipe to eject the sewage up into the wastewater sewer and the other pipe is a plumbing vent to vent out any fumes. Waste ejectors are typically installed in a finished basement because the sewer line for the house may leave at a higher level than the basement floor. If you want to install any plumbing in your basement, you need to pump that sewage up to get as high as the sewage line leaving the house.

Occasionally people have tied their groundwater sump pump system to the sewage waste ejector system, and they are pumping groundwater into the sewage system. This is illegal. The wastewater treatment plant does not want to treat relatively clean groundwater, they want it to go into the storm sewer. Too much excess water may overwhelm the wastewater treatment plant.

It is a good thing to know the difference between the two different kinds of pumps. They each have very different purposes.

If you are having a problem with or would like to install a sewage waste ejector or are looking for a quality plumber in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metro area, give St Paul Pipeworks a call today.

Yours Truly,
Matthew Dettwiler
Social Media Manager