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patricioj1

Sewage ejector wet vent?

PatricioJ1
11 years ago

I'm finishing my basement and want to add a wet bar. Is it within code to have the drain pipe from the sink drain directly into the vent pipe of my sewage ejector pit? I would tie into it with a t-fitting directly below the check valve. If not, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Comments (7)

  • lazypup
    11 years ago

    The simple answer is NO!

    A sewage ejector must have three lines.

    1. The input line from the fixtures
    a.All the fixtures must be vented per code before the line enters the sewage ejector.

    2. The discharge line from the pump. This line must have a union, a backflow preventer and a manual gate valve. The manual gate valve must be above the union & backflow preventer.

    3. A dedicated vent through the roof. There may be no fittings or valves attached to this line and this vent may not be connected to any other pipes within the structure.

    You sewage ejector cover may have additional input ports that are plugged. If so, you could use one of those, but be careful. You may not attach any line that would encoumber the ability to open the sewage ejector vessel service cover.

  • PatricioJ1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Lazypup. I didn't think I could. I've attached an image of my proposed floor plan to describe my situation. All the drain pipes in the bathroom were already stubbed out by the builder. I guess I would have to bust up the concrete and tie the wet bar drain pipe into the input line. Would you suggest I do that between the shower/tub drain and the sewage ejector?

    I have 2 vent pipes: a 2 inch pipe above the ejector pit and a 1.5 inch above the toilet area. I didn't know the ejector needed a dedicated vent. I was planning to vent the wet bar sink from it. So would you suggest tying into the 1.5 inch vent pipe, or should I just use an air admittance valve?

    Lastly, I can place a union on the ejector pump vent pipe, right?

    Sorry about all the questions. I appreciate your help.

  • lazypup
    11 years ago

    First examine the top of your ejector cover. Most of them have a rigid section where the pipes are connected and the service access cover is slightly smaller than the top of the ejector pit. If you can open the service access cover without disconnecting the lines you don't need a union.

    Check that top carefully. If it has the rigid area where the pipes are connected, look and see if it has a 2" port that is plugged? If it does, you could pull that plug and connect your sink drain through the top and you won't have to break any concrete.

    I have copied your print and I annotated it in red with my "Best guess" as to how your DWV is laid out.

    I then annotated in blue how you could attach your sink drain to the ejector input line. You could either break out the concrete all the way to the sink or you could run the sink drain line just above the floor in the back of the cabinet out of sight and offset it down just before connecting to the 3" line. The connection to the 3" line MUST BE made by means of a wye on the 3" with the side opening coming off the line horizontal. You could then put a street 1/4bend on the wye turning up and another 1/4bend at floor level so you could run the line above the floor.

    AT the sink your line will rise vertical to the sink with the sink fixture arm connected to the vertical riser.

    You could then either continue the riser up to the ceiling and across and connect to the vent behind the WC or you could install an AAV on the riser, but if you install an AAV it must be in an accessible location and the bottom of the AAV must be 6" higher than the fixture arm.

  • PatricioJ1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you so much for your help. You went above and beyond. Your diagram and explanation makes total sense. Makes me want to go out and help someone else. Thanks again.

  • PatricioJ1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    So I ran into a few more issues. I opened up the ejector pit cover and discovered that the input line is coming in from towards the wet bar wall, and not a direct line from the WC (pic 1). I'm guessing there's a 90 degree bend toward the WC? Can you tell me the best way to tie into it with the new information? BTW, the floor plan I uploaded wasn't accurate. See (pic 2). The tape measure is where the sink drain should be located.

    Also, I can't seem to move the pipes up or down that are connected to the ejector pit cover (pic 3). So how would I connect the discharge line to the pump? Seems like I would have to connect the pipe, while it's on the cover, to the pump at a precise measurement and lower the whole assembly into the pit. And if the pipe measurement is off by a tiny bit, the pump would dangle above the floor, or the cover would not go down and seat properly.

    Lastly, can you suggest the best way to tie the discharge pipe into the main waste drain? The picture shows the close-up and wide shot of how it's set up now (pic 4 and 5). Ideally, I would have liked to cut that pipe in between the 45 degree fitting and the 90 degree fitting (pic 4) and extend the pipe to the ejector pit. However, there's not enough pipe for the coupling to attach to. I could add a 90 degree fitting below the existing 90 degree fitting to extend the pipe across, however the pipes would then drop below the joists and I would have to drop the ceiling down. Is there a better way?

    Thanks again for all the advice.

  • lazypup
    11 years ago

    I have attached an illustration showing all the code requirements for the sewage ejector discharge line.

    As you already know, you cannot open the sump with the lines permanently attached. If you look at the illustration I have shown where to put the unions so once the unions are disconnected you will have clearance to lift the lid and pull the pump.

    Sight unseen, I would guess the sump to be approx. 24" deep so if you cut those lines at about 30" you will be able to open it up and see what your dealing with.

    What is that cover made of? Is it steel or PVC?

  • PatricioJ1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you again, Lazypup, so much for taking the time to help me with my plumbing issues.

    The cover is PVC and made by Top Industries Incorporated. The pipes coming out of it are actually already cut and capped off above the cover, and the pump hasn't been installed yet. Sorry, I didn't explain myself well. What I meant to say was that the pipes won't budge from the grommets on the cover. I just don't want to break the cover if I use too much force, like hitting the top of the pipe with a rubber mallet. I need to extend the pipe below the cover.

    My main problem is how to connect the discharge pipe to the main drain. The builder stubbed it out kind of how it is in your diagram. However, I think I need to extend the pipe that's between the 1/8 Bend and the 1/4 Bend. But there doesn't seem to be enough pipe to work with (see red circle). Can you see a way around this?

    On a side note, when connecting the sink drain to the 3 inch drain under the concrete, in an earlier post, you had said to use a wye "with the side opening coming off the line horizontal". Does it have to be perfectly horizontal? Seems like a slight angle going up would let the water flow into the 3 inch drain better.

    I appreciate all your help.