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When you have a basement bathroom or laundry room, sewage ejector pumps do the hard work of pumping waste up, up, and away to your main sewage line. Without sewage ejector pump installation, sewage can back up into your taps and drains, causing smelly, expensive overflows and extensive damage to your basement. Learn how to install a sewage ejector pump in your basement, how much you can expect to pay, and when it might make sense to hire a professional instead.
If you know how to clear a main sewer line clog yourself, you may have the baseline plumbing skills necessary to perform this installation. Keep in mind, however, that in addition to plumbing skills, you may need to perform some concrete and electrical work, as well, to get the unit positioned and connected properly. Read the manual for your new ejector pump unit to make sure you have what you need for your specific make and model.
You’ll also want to check local building codes; depending on your location, you may need to make some adjustments to ensure you have the proper venting, pipe sizes, and permits to complete the job. As always, before starting, put on your personal protective equipment, including safety goggles, gloves, and a face mask.
If you’re replacing an existing sewage ejector pump, you’ll want to remove the old unit first. Disconnect the vent and discharge pipes coming up from the sewage basin cover. You may need to cut them with a hacksaw.
Then, remove the basin cover by unscrewing the fasteners and slicing through the silicone to break the seal. Remove the check valve, being careful to dodge any wastewater that falls back down as a result. Lift out the old pump and set it on a pan or in a bucket to contain the inevitable drips and mess.
For ejector pump replacements, the pump basin will already be in place. If it’s in good condition, you can simply reuse it. However, if you’re performing a new install, you’ll need to drill out a hole—commonly 18 inches in diameter and 30 inches deep—to place a new pump basin in. The inlet pipe usually runs under the concrete slab and into this basin.
Use PVC glue to attach a male-threaded adapter to the ejector pump. Then, you can attach the discharge pipe to the adapter. Tighten with a pipe wrench.
With the discharge pipe attached, lower the pump into the basin. Position it far away from the inlet pipe so that the float switch can’t operate properly. When the pump is in place, you can use zip ties to secure the electrical cord to the discharge pipe. That stops the cords from twisting up and falling back into the basin. (You’ll want to hire a pro later to connect the pump to your home’s electrical system, as this can be very dangerous for a DIYer, leading to potential electrical shock.)
You can set the self-adhesive gasket material all around the lip of the pump basin. The cover will rest on this gasket to form a tight seal and keep smelly sewer gases from floating throughout your house and ruining everyone’s appetite.
Place the check valve on top of the discharge pipe. The check valve lets water travel one way: up. You can use PVC primer and PVC glue to secure the check valve to the discharge pipe and tighten the clamps.
It’s not strictly necessary (unless required by basic finished basement codes in your area), but it is a good idea to add a ball valve above the check valve. The ball valve will completely stop the downward flow of waste if you need to repair or replace the ejector pump in the future.
With the pump in place and the discharge pipe attached, you can attach the basin lid. Run a bead of silicone caulk around the lip of the basin and use the included fasteners to bolt the lid in place. You can add a touch of anti-seize lubricant to the bolts to prevent them from rusting.
Don’t forget to place the donut gaskets around the discharge and vent pipes, plus the gasket that holds the electrical cords in place. These are critical for putting a damper on sewer gasses.
Speaking of sewer gases, the last step is to run the vent pipe from inside the basin to the vent. You might connect the vent pipe to your main plumbing stack or to a dedicated vent to the outdoors, depending on local codes. Give the pipes a final seal using a bead of silicone caulk around the hole in the lid and pat yourself on the back: You’re going to eject so much sewage now.
After you learn how to install a sewage ejector pump, you’ll need to take steps to maintain it over the years. If you braved doing this challenging and long installation process yourself, maintenance will be a piece of cake. But you can always call a local sewer cleaning company to do the work if you’re not keen on the task.
You should visually inspect the system every three months, and a more detailed maintenance process from a professional is recommended once a year.
Before doing maintenance, turn off the circuit breaker for the pump. Shut off the water supply, too, just to be certain it won’t leak while you’re working. Some of the key maintenance steps you should take include:
A sewage ejector pump installation with a septic system is nearly identical to a traditional sewer main line.
With a septic system, you will have to dig into the basement floor concrete to bury the basin for the ejector pump, just as you would do with a traditional sewer system. Connect the discharge pipe from the ejector pump to the septic system’s inlet pipe, and it should be ready to use.
It’s possible to put in a septic system for an in-law suite or similar structure rather than trying to tie it into the main sewer or septic line.
Before adding any new fixtures that would need an ejector pump to a septic system, figure out the capacity and type of septic system you have. Some systems are not large enough to handle more fixtures and waste, meaning you’ll have to check if the septic tank is full more often or replace it with a larger tank.
Although the process for installing a sewage ejector pump is fairly straightforward, it does involve some plumbing skills that might be more complex than you’re used to.
After all, if you get it wrong, you’ll have an expensive (and stinky) mess on your hands. Plus, for new installations, you’ll need to drill into the concrete of your basement floor to place the pump basin. That can turn a “straightforward” job into a loud, dusty, multi-day project requiring additional tools and skills.
Fortunately, you can hire a local sewer service to take care of the whole project for you, ensuring that your new ejector pump is installed safely, properly, and according to code.
An ejector pump will last about 7 to 10 years on average—as long as you keep up with maintenance. Properly maintained, it’s not unheard of to get decades of use out of an ejector pump. On a similar note, it’s important to repair or replace the pump right away if you note any damage. Put it off, and you could experience the horror of a sewer line backup.
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