Brands of septic pumps and septic grinder or ejector pumps - buyers' guide
Where to buy Septic tank pumps, septic grinder pumps, septic effluent pumps
What type of septic pump should you buy?
Questions & answers about buying sewage pumps and grinder pumps: brands, models, pump supply sources, pump parts suppliers
This article offers buying advice for Sump Pumps, Sewage Ejector Pumps, Septic Grinder Pumps, Sewage Pumping Stations, &
Septic Pump Alarms. We discuss the types of sewage and sewage grinder pumps available and we provide where-to-buy information for sewage grinder pumps: contact information for sewage pump brands, models, manufacturers, and suppliers.
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Technical review by industry experts has been performed and is ongoing - reviewers welcomed and are listed at "References."
This article is part of our series: Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.
Sketches are from the Environment One Low Pressure Sewer Systems Grinder Pump catalog.
What Brand of Sewage Ejector Pump Should I Buy? - Sewage Pump Selection Guide
The general name for these pumps is sewage grinder pumps if they are intended to grind and move black water or sewage, or sewage effluent pumps if
the pump is intended only to move clarified effluent, say from a septic tank to a drain field. Some well-established and widely-used septic pump brands
include:
ABS pumps
Crane (centrifugal grinders) pumps
Environment One or E/One sewage pumps
Goulds pumps
Hydromatic pumps
Liberty sewage pumps
Little Giant pumps
Myers pumps
Tsurumi pumps
Webtrol sewage pumps
Zoeller sewage grinder pumps
Directory of Producers of Septic Pumps, Sewage Pumps, Grinder Pumps, Effluent Pumps: Contact Information
Several sewage pump manufacturers produce
a separate line of commercial or municipal sewage grinder pumps from those used in residential application.
Crane Pumps and Systems, 420 Third Street, Piqua, Ohio 45356 Phone: (937) 778-8947 and Crane Pumps and Systems,
83 West Drive, Bramton,
Ontario, Canada L6T 2J6,
Phone: (905) 457-6223
Fax: (937) 773-7157 Fax: (905) 457-2650
www.cranepumps.com. See Weinman submersible sewage ejector pump installation and service manual for an example instructions for the Weinman Series WE and 3WE sewage ejector pumps ranging from .5 to 1 hp.
Drain & Sewage Ejector Packages, plumbingsupply.com, Tel: 530-891-6428, 24 hour message phone: 530-891-1556, Email: sales2011@plumbingsupply.com Sewage Ejector pump types, models, float control switches using Little Giant and Zoeller sewage pumps as examples, web search 08/15/11, original source http://www.plumbingsupply.com/
Float Switches for Pumps, plumbingsupply.com, Sewage Ejector pump types, models, float control switches using Little Giant and Zoeller sewage pumps as examples, web search 08/15/11, original source http://www.plumbingsupply.com/
Flotec 800-365-6832, Flotec produces a wide range of effluent pumps, grinder pumps, sewage pumps, sump pumps
Gorman-Rupp, P.O. Box 1217, Mansfield, Ohio 44901-1217, Tel: (419) 755-1011
Fax (419) 755-1263. Gorman produces a very wide range of pumps including septic pumps, sewage pumps, effluent pumps, grinder pumps, submersible shredder pumps, IPT
Grundfos Pumps Corporation, 2555 Clovis Ave., Clovis CA 93612, Tel: 800-333-1366, web search 8/9/11, original source
http://www.us.grundfos.com/web/download.nsf/Pages/
7C03990D6E09EC6C882565220069C131/$File/Seeje-io.pdf
Hydromatic Pentair Water, 740 East 9th Street, Ashland, OH 44805,
Phone: 1-888-957-8677,
Web Site: http://www.hydromatic.com
Little Giant, Tel: 877-869-0200, Email: sales@little-giantpump.com, Little Giant produces a wide range of pumping equipment including sewage and wastewater pumps
Liberty Pumps, Liberty Pumps, 7000 Apple Tree Avenue, Bergen, NY 14416, Tel: 1-800-543-2550
Fax: 1-585-494-1839, Email: liberty@libertypumps.com. Submersible pumps, sewage pumps, effluent pumps, grinder pumps. Submersible sewage pumps include the LE series line ranging from 4/10 hp up to 2 hp. LIberty also provides simplex and duplex pump systems and engineered septic and sewage pump systems.
Myers, Myers Applied Wastewater Systems - 1101 Myers Parkway Ashland, OH 44805, Phone: 419-289-1144, Fax: 419-289-6658, or in Canada: Myers, 269 Trillium Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 4W5 Tel: 519-748-5470
Fax 519-748-2553Myers produces a wide range of pumps including sump pumps, sewage pumps, effluent pumps
Superior 2805 Fairview Ave. N Roseville, MN 55113, Tel: 800-495-9278Tel: 651-487-0378. Superior produces sewage pumps (float operated submersibles)
Tsurumi Pumps, Tsurumi (America), Inc.
1625 Fullerton Court,
Glendale Heights, IL 60139,
tel: 630-793-0127,
fax: 630-793-0146,
toll free: 888-TSURUMI (878-7864),
info@tsurumiamerica.comTsurumi Pump produces sewer pumps and submersible pumps, categorized as wastewater pumps, sewage pumps, and centrifugal pumps including portable equipment.
Wayne , Wayne Pumps, 101 Production Drive, Harrison OH 45030, Tel: 800-237-0987. Wayne produces a range of sewage pumps and water pumps including cast iron submersible pumps
Weinman sewer pumps - see Crane above.
Zoeller Pump Company, 3649 Cane Run Rd., Louisville, KY 40211, Phone: 1-800-928-7867, 502-778-2731
Fax: 502-774-3624. Technical support and/or quote related emails: zcotechnical@zoeller.com. Zoeller produces just about every kind of septic, sewage, effluent, grinder, and sump pump. Homeowners who need a sewage pump are asked to contact their local representative or retail sales outlet. Zoeller classes their pumps into these categories:
Grinder pumps, such as Zoeller's 810/815 Turnkey Grinder Systems, 800-series Grinder Pumps, Cold-Climate grinder pumps, Simplex prepackaged grinder pump systems, and Simplex and Duplex (two pumps) grinder systems including four outdoor use.
Utility, pedestal, & gas engine pumps. These are portable gas-engine powered pumps used typically in construction, service, or emergencies
Sewage & Dewatering pumps, such as certain Aqua-Mate Models and Waste-Mate models, and Sewage-Waste 600-series pumps
Sump, Effluent, Dewatering pumps, such as Water Ridd'r , Mighty-Mate, Aqua-Mate, Flow-Mate, and High Head Flow-Mate pumps - of certain models - be sure to read the manufacturer's intended use for a pump model before purchasing it
What Type of Septic Pump Should I Buy?
The type of sewage pump you need depends on how it will be used. The pumps at left may have been a misapplication for this municipal lift station ,which may explain why we found these discarded units on the site. Septic pump systems vary by these parameters:
Grinder vs. ejector pump: in how they treat the waste
Lift capacity or "head": by how many feet of elevation does the waste need to be raised to reach the build. "Head" is the term used to describe the height in feet that a column of wastewater needs to be raised, and is expressed in feet of lift. A "ten foot head" means that the pump has to be powerful enough to lift the column of waste water ten feet vertical distance.
Total wastewater system capacity: how many toilets and other fixtures is the pump serving. A basement bath including a shower, sink, and toilet, uses a small pre-packaged low-capacity septic grinder pump that may be just 1/3 hp. while in a home where all of the wastewater needs to be moved from a common pumping point to a higher-elevation sewer line, an higher capacity multi-horsepower pump needs to be used (and probably should be installed duplexed with a pair of pumps.)
Size of solids that need to be removed: larger solids are handled by larger grinder pumps. A pump with a four-inch impeller housing and impeller will typically be able to handle solids up to 3" in diameter without clogging.
Water temperature: most sewage pumps are designed to operate at a maximum temperature of 180 deg F. So if a restaurant were installing a pumping station that had to handle near-boiling water, say from a commercial dishwasher or an asian fast-food cooking line, special equipment may be needed.
Duty cycle: a community pumping station or a sewage pumping system serving a multi-family home needs to be able to run more frequently to handle the much higher wastewater load than that from a single family home.
Reliability requirements: while single-pump systems are often installed to support an extra basement bathroom, where a sewage pump is handling an entire home or larger facility, duplex septic pumping systems (shown in the photo at left) are preferable for their greater reliability.
Remember that in a power outage your pump system will not work unless you've provided backup power.
Vertically-suspended sewage grinder pumps and closely-coupled submersible sewage grinder pumps are further distinguished and described in more detail at Septic Pumping Stations.
Septic pump manufacturers provide a pump selection and sizing table that is used to guide the installer in selecting the proper pump. We've seen sewage handling systems where the wrong type or wrong capacity of pump was installed, sometimes as an attempt to "save money."
Two types of sewage pumps are used in residential applications, sewage grinder pumps or sewage ejectors pumps, and non-clogging sewage ejector pumps. We describe these next at Septic Pump Duplex System Designs
Questions & Answers regarding this article
Questions & answers about buying sewage pumps and grinder pumps: brands, models, pump supply sources, pump parts suppliers
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Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
Septic Tank/Soil-Absorption Systems: How to Operate & Maintain [ copy on file as /septic/Septic_Operation_USDA.pdf ] - , Equipment Tips, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8271 1302, 7100 Engineering, 2300 Recreation, September 1982, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/82711302.pdf.
Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and
Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by
Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)
...
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
Advanced Onsite Wastewater Systems Technologies, Anish R. Jantrania, Mark A. Gross. Anish Jantrania, Ph.D., P.E., M.B.A., is a Consulting Engineer, in Mechanicsville VA, 804-550-0389
(2006), Advanced Onsite Wastewater Systems Technologies.
Outstanding technical reference especially on alternative septic system design alternatives. Written for designers and engineers, this book is not at all easy going
for homeowners but is a text we recommend for professionals--DF.
Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems, Woodson, R. Dodge: $ 24.95; MCGRAW HILL B; TP;
Quoting from Amazon's description: For the homebuilder, one mistake in estimating or installing wells and septic systems can cost thousands of dollars. This comprehensive guide filled with case studies can prevent that. Master plumber R. Dodge Woodson packs this reader-friendly guide with guidance and information, including details on new techniques and materials that can economize and expedite jobs and advice on how to avoid mistakes in both estimating and construction. Chapters cover virtually every aspect of wells and septic systems, including on-site evaluations; site limitations; bidding; soil studies, septic designs, and code-related issues; drilled and dug wells, gravel and pipe, chamber-type, and gravity septic systems; pump stations; common problems with well installation; and remedies for poor septic situations. Woodson also discusses ways to increase profits by avoiding cost overruns.
Country Plumbing: Living with a Septic System, Hartigan, Gerry: $ 9.95; ALAN C HOOD & TP;
Quoting an Amazon reviewer's comment, with which we agree--DF:This book is informative as far as it goes and might be most useful for someone with an older system. But it was written in the early 1980s. A lot has changed since then. In particular, the book doesn't cover any of the newer systems that are used more and more nowadays in some parts of the country -- sand mounds, aeration systems, lagoons, etc.
Design Manuals for Septic Systems
US EPA Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manua [online copy, free] Top Reference: US EPA's Design Manual for Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Disposal, 1980, available from the US EPA, the US GPO Superintendent of Documents (Pueblo CO), and from the National Small Flows Clearinghouse. Original source http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/Pubs/625R00008/625R00008.htm Onsite wastewater treatment and disposal systems,
Richard J Otis, published by the US EPA. Although it's more than 20 years old, this book remains a useful reference for septic system designers.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water Program Operations; Office of Research and Development, Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory; (1980)
"International Private Sewage Disposal Code," 1995, BOCA-708-799-2300, ICBO-310-699-0541, SBCCI 205-591-1853, available from those code associations.
"Manual of Policy, Procedures, and Guidelines for Onsite Sewage Systems," Ontario Reg. 374/81, Part VII of the Environmental
Protection Act (Canada), ISBN 0-7743-7303-2, Ministry of the Environment,135 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Canada $24. CDN.
Manual of Septic Tank Practice, US Public Health Service's 1959.
Onsite Wastewater Disposal Books
Onsite Wastewater Disposal, R. J. Perkins;
Quoting from Amazon: This practical book, co-published with the National Environmental Health Association,
describes the step-by-step procedures needed to avoid common pitfalls in septic system technology.
Valuable in matching the septic system to the site-specific conditions, this useful book will help you install a reliable system in
both suitable and difficult environments. Septic tank installers, planners, state and local regulators, civil and sanitary engineers,
consulting engineers, architects, homeowners, academics, and land developers will find this publication valuable.
Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, Bennette D. Burks, Mary Margaret Minnis, Hogarth House 1994 - one of the best septic system books around, suffering a bit from small fonts and a weak index. While it contains some material more technical than needed by homeowners, Burks/Minnis book on onsite wastewater treatment systems a very useful reference for both property owners and septic system designers.
Septic Tank/Soil-Absorption Systems: How to Operate & Maintain [ copy on file as /septic/Septic_Operation_USDA.pdf ] - , Equipment Tips, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8271 1302, 7100 Engineering, 2300 Recreation, September 1982, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/82711302.pdf
Planting Over Septic System Component", Daniel Friedman (author/editor, InspectAPedia.com), The Innovator, Winter/Spring 2008, BCOSSA, British Columbia OnSite Sewage Association, 201-3542 Blansard St., Victoria BC V8X 1W3 Canada
Septic System Owner's Manual, Lloyd Kahn, Blair Allen, Julie Jones, Shelter Publications, 2000 $14.95 U.S. - easy to understand, well illustrated, one of the best practical references around on septic design basics including some advanced systems; a little short on safety and maintenance. Both new and used (low priced copies are available, and we think the authors are working on an updated edition--DF.
Quoting from one of several Amazon reviews: The basics of septic systems, from underground systems and failures to what the owner can do to promote and maintain a healthy system, is revealed in an excellent guide essential for any who reside on a septic system. Rural residents receive a primer on not only the basics; but how to conduct period inspections and what to do when things go wrong. History also figures into the fine coverage.
Test Pit Preparation for Onsite Sewage Evaluations, State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland OR, 800 452-4011. PDF document. We recommend this excellent document that offers detail about soil perc tests, deep hole tests, safety, and septic design. Readers should also see Soil Percolation Tests and for testing an existing septic system, also see Dye Tests
Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank, Bombeck, Erma: $ 5.99; FAWCETT; MM;
This septic system classic whose title helps avoid intimidating readers new to septic systems, is available new or used at very low prices.
It's more entertainment than a serious "how to" book on septic systems design, maintenance, or repair. Not recommended -- DF.
US EPA Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Manual Top Reference: US EPA's Design Manual for Onsite Wastewater Treatment and Disposal, 1980, available from the US EPA, the US GPO Superintendent of Documents (Pueblo CO), and from the National Small Flows Clearinghouse. Original source http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/Pubs/625R00008/625R00008.htm
Water Wells and Septic Systems Handbook, R. Dodge Woodson. This book is in the upper price range, but is worth the cost for serious septic installers and designers.
Quoting Amazon: Each year, thousands upon thousands of Americans install water wells and septic systems on their properties. But with a maze of codes governing their use along with a host of design requirements that ensure their functionality where can someone turn for comprehensive, one-stop guidance? Enter the Water Wells and Septic Systems Handbook from McGraw-Hill. Written in language any property owner can understand yet detailed enough for professionals and technical students this easy-to-use volume delivers the latest techniques and code requirements for designing, building, rehabilitating, and maintaining private water wells and septic systems. Bolstered by a wealth of informative charts, tables, and illustrations, this book delivers: * Current construction, maintenance, and repair methods
* New International Private Sewage Disposal Code
* Up-to-date standards from the American Water Works Association
Wells and Septic Systems, Alth, Max and Charlet, Rev. by S. Blackwell Duncan, $ 18.95; Tab Books 1992. We have found this text very useful for conventional well and septic systems design and maintenance --DF.
Quoting an Amazon description:Here's all the information you need to build a well or septic system yourself - and save a lot of time, money, and frustration. S. Blackwell Duncan has thoroughly revised and updated this second edition of Wells and Septic Systems to conform to current codes and requirements. He also has expanded this national bestseller to include new material on well and septic installation, water storage and distribution, water treatment, ecological considerations, and septic systems for problem building sites.
The NSFC Products List has an excellent list of design manuals/modules available from their website or by telephone 800-624-8301
Submissions welcome. send us a suggested document link or request an exchange of website links