Using a 50 gallon container to hold sewer water temporarily a good idea?
Hi there. A plumber wants 5k to replace about 8 feet of old broken clay pipe in my yard about 8ft deep. At that price, I'll probably never do it. I already have a sump pump but I dont want sewage water going into my yard long term.
What's the best solution next to spending 5k to replace 8 feet of broken sewer line in my yard?
Considering I've already installed a 1/3 HP sump pump.
Sewage must not be run through the basement perimeter drainage pipes and associated sump pump at any time.
Get some more bids for that sewage outlet pipe repair/replacement job.
Replacing the sewer line 8 feet down is quite involved. The trench must have a metal frame put in temporarily to keep it from collapsing on workmen laying the pipe, or the trench must be something like 16 feet wide in order to have sides sloping down gently (45 degrees or less) to the depth for the pipe that won't collapse.
Are you on city sewer or do you have a septic tank?
I wonder if the plumber wants to dig up and replace the entire run. That might make sense since if the pipe is broken in one spot it maybe be broken – or close to broken – in other spots. So maybe 5K wouldn’t be too bad depending on the length of the run. I think if it were me I’d replace it all (if I could afford it) rather than digging down one spot at a time as it leaks.
But I’m no expert for sure. Some of the other guys here come across problems like this all the time and give good advice.
The plumber talked about using that no dig (trenchless) method to put the 8 ft replacement pipes in. They want 16k to replace the whole line.
What do you mean by not using the sump pump to pump out the water in the house? It's a 2 bathroom house. Naturally, if the mainline clogs so will anything that is going down those 2 toilet lines. The sump pump hose just goes out a basement window into the yard for now. Is it illegal?
Is the trenchless (no dig) method something that could be done by a DIYer like myself?
Also, if I did dig up the yard I could dig a cube 16' by 8' by 8' to get that 45 degree slope right at the pipe. How do you think these plumbers break down a 5k job like this? Doing my own digging would probably save me half of that 5k I'm guessing. They could finish replacing the pipe.
Last edited by 7heJ0ker; 08-31-21 at 12:44 PM.
Reason: Typo
I'm not qualified to offer suggestions on the pipe but can tell you using the sump pump is a bad idea for many reasons. For one, sump pumps are not designed to handle solids.
But dont they have filters on them to keep solids out? I mean come on..people aren't filtering clean water throughout their water pipes. Garbage disposals, mechanics washing greasy hands in the sinks, etc.
I'm a little confused about what you are trying to do.
A sump pump in an open pit is never used for sewage or gray water.
An ejection pit is a pump like a sump pump but with a grinder and is located in the bottom of a sealed tank or barrel. The ejection pit doesn't allow any gases to escape.
If you have a broken underground sewer pipe..... it needs to be repaired. There is no way around it.
But dont they have filters on them to keep solids out? I mean come on..people aren't filtering clean water throughout their water pipes. Garbage disposals, mechanics washing greasy hands in the sinks, etc.
I think you're confused here. Sewage pipes are not the same as water pipes. Sewage pipes contain sewage, not just clean water; that's why they're called sewage pipes and not water pipes.
While millions of homes have water filters, those filters (with rare exceptions) are either used to remove impurities from water coming into the home or out of a faucet. Waste from toilets, garbage disposals, and sinks doesn't get filtered. The waste flows out of the house through pipes like the damaged one at your home.
You're going to have to fix the pipe, you're not allowed to put raw sewage through a sump pump.
On a temporary basis, (such as your broken sewer lateral) you might be able to rent a 100-200 gallon tank, grinder pump, and piping to get the raw sewage into the city sewer main until repairs are completed.
Part of the cost is because an 8 foot deep trench can kill you if it's dug wrong and collapses. Any good plumber is going to require the trench meets safety standards BEFORE getting in the trench, which requires a qualified excavator, which costs money.
What you MIGHT want to do is check whether your local municipality / sewer authority has a low-interest loan program to fund sewer lateral repairs.
I’ve had a notification system on my sump pump for about 3 years now and it typically only runs after we get rain (especially in summer). However for about the last six weeks it has been cycling once a day with clear water (which for me is about 45-50 gallons). It’s never done this previously. Here’s my thoughts/what I’ve checked -
1) turned off house water and monitored main at street- no change
2) all my plumbing is pex in the basement so I can see all pipes/drain lines
3) we put a pond in about a year ago (has been full for about 6 months). It’s about 75’ away from house on flat ground and roughly same depth as basement floor. Heavy clay soils
4) typical rain totals over last 6-8 weeks
5) humidifier and air con condensation drain into pit but can’t imagine that’s more than 10-20 gallons a day
I’m thinking it has something to do with pond but seems odd that an impact would have taken that long. I’m not overly worried about the 50 gallons/day but want to make sure it’s not something that’s going to get worse.
thoughts/ideas on what to check?
QUICK PSA FOR ANYONE IN THE PATH OF HURRICANE IDA
If your pedestal sump pump is running continuously and is hot to the touch, hang a small fan from the rafters above it to cool it down and keep it from overheating, tripping or burning out.
This is the first storm where my sump pump could not keep up with the inflow of water (old farmhouse basement leaks like sieve) BUT this is the first time I've had a sump pump running for 2 hours straight.
Motor case was too hot to touch. Worried it would trip the thermal overload, or burn out. I quickly slung a 6" desk fan from the sump pump discharge pipe to blow cool air onto the motor.
Seems to have saved the day. Motor is drawing fewer amps, has gone from too-hot-to-touch to warm-to-the-touch, AND seems to be pumping more effectively.
08-31-21, 07:42 AM
