Hi-
We have a finished basement with toilet. There is a Zoeller M267-F pump in the basement as well. My understanding is that the toilet dumps into the hole in the ground and then the pump shoots the water waste up to the main floor to the sewage pipe. The pump tripped the breaker a few times and just makes a buzzing noise when plugged in.

I watched a few videos on how to replace these types of pumps and it seems fairly simple but I may be wrong. Looks like you just loosen the two screws on the upper and lower rubber connector thing and pull the pump out of the water. Put a new piece of pipe of the same length with threaded connector into the pump and put the pump back into the well, then reconnect and plug in.

The pump was installed in 2012 and there may just be some TP stuck in there but I am fine replacing it if need be. Is this a job I can handle or is there something more complicated a plumber needs to do. I have done minor plumbing work and this doesn't seem all that bad. I know the same pump is around $400 and I saw another sewage specific one for about $500. I was quoted $1,000 to clean it out or $2,000 to replace it.

Is there something I am missing here? Looks like I can do this in an hour if I understand everything correctly.

Thanks.

 

So are you replacing the grinder, for the toilet, or the sump for the house?

Basically they are similar really not a who lot of differences for installing!

No way would I spend an extra $1600 to have someone replace that, if it's the grinder it wont be fun but for that savings I would smile all the way to the bank!

 

"Is this a job I can handle..."
Only you know your skills and capabilities. But aside from the smell and remembering to keep your mouth closed it isn't a bad job.

The job is about as simple as you describe... except for the "water" part. I prefer the highly technical term "poo juice". It's more descriptive of the aromas you'll be experiencing.

But, replacing the pump should be basically as you describe. The job will be easier the closer the new pump matches the old. You might even be able to reuse all the piping from the old pump. Just make sure you pick a suitable sewage ejectment pump. They have a specially shaped impeller to chop solids and prevent clogging which a sump or plain water pump doesn't have.

 

Hi-
I’m not exactly sure what I am replacing. I was just going to order the same thing and replace it.

The repayment costs seem a bit excessive. If it was $1,000 total I would do it in a heartbeat. Thx

 

I can do this! I bet there is a poo poo wet wipe caught in the grinder. I will pull it out and check the part number to be sure it matches what is on the tag.

Quick question. There is water in the well so I cant fully see what’s going on. The pipe on the right looks like it’s from the bathroom toilet and the one on the left is the outgoing. What is the purpose of the blue shutoff valve on the left? Thx!

 

It's an isolation valve so when you take it apart you dont get a flood of crap flowing out of the pipe. You will want to close that before you start but make sure it's open before starting it up again.

 

The pipes bringing liquid to the sump are located underneath the slab. Drain piping is gravity powered so all the drain lines must be lower in elevation than the bottom of the toilet.

The pipe on the left has a check valve and shutoff valve. That is the pump's output line and should connect to the house's drain piping. The pipe on the right should be a vent and probably just goes into the sump and stops without connecting to anything.

When you remove the piping in the sump make sure to look for a hole drilled in the pipe connecting to the pump's output. If you reuse the pipe you don't have to worry about it. But, if you make up a new pipe remember to recreate the hole. Usually it's drilled at an angle aiming down into the sump. It prevents the pump from getting air locked.

 

Ok thanks everyone. I’m gonna give this a try and report back. If you don’t hear from me I fell in the poo hole and got stuck.

 

Hi-

I finally got this thing open and did not see any TP jammed in the propeller/grinder thing at the bottom of the pump so I will just purchase a new one. The outlet was fried so I replaced it.

1. What its the green little box halfway up the pipe?

2. ** I closed the blue valve above the green box on the pipe. Is it safe to leave everything like this until I get the new pump? This is on the lower level of our home which is three stories, the bottom level is entirely finished and is a walk out.

3. To replace the black pipe I jus purchase 2" black pipe and new rubber clamp seals and that is it?

Thanks!

 

1. The green thing is probably the check valve. It keeps the liquid in the piping above from draining back into the sump when the pump turns off.

2. Yes, keep that valve closed until you get the new pump installed. The valve is stopping the sewage from draining out if the check valve leaks.

3. You can probably reuse your old Fernco couplings (the black rubber boots) or buy new if needed.

 

Ok thanks. I just ordered a new one and I think I will just replace the pipe and boots as well. I found a good tutorial online and it looks like I also need a thread insert to attach it to the pump, then glue that to the pipe and just put everything back where it was.

Also, back in June someone mentioned to see if there is a hole drilled in the pipe for air escape so I will need to double check that.

 

I finally got the new pump today! A lot of the bolts holding the bottom casing of the pump were loose interestingly. I was reading reviews on the Zoeller pump I got which is the same one I'm replacing. I did see someone mention the same thing about some casing bolts being loose too. I was planning on putting a little lactate on them and call it a day regarding that.




Also, Pilot Dane mentioned to drill a little hole in the pipe to prevent an air lock. I looked all over the pipe but cannot find a hole--maybe its plugged up. The sticker says make sure its under the pit cover, should I keep it close to the cover so it's above the water? When the lower level toilet flushes the system seems to discharge and make a little bang. Is it normal for the banging sound and could this be caused by not having a hole possibly?

Thanks everyone.

 

I try to get the hole in the upper part of the sump. Drill it at an angle so it's aiming down into the sump.

The banging sound is probably the check valve and they often make a clunk or bang sound when they slam shut.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. After dragging this out for many months I finally installed the new pump. It took me about an hour, I suppose someone with experience could bang it out much quicker.

All in all I spent less than $600 and was originally quoted $1,200 to repair the old pump, or $2,200 for a new one. Couldn't have done it without you!