Sewage pump thoughts

[hasco]

I may be in the market for a replacement sewage pump for my Garage bathroom currently have a Flotec 1/2 Hp. Lowes has Utiltech (china)
HF has Drummond ,any one have long term use ? It is China I assume, but with a 25% off coupon coming up it would be about 87.75 anyone know who makes "Drummond"

 

[muddyriverdogz]

Zoeller is the best you can get.

 

[bobbyjean]

zoeller, little giant,sta rite....all good brands

 

[ptschram]

Given the risk of damage should it fail (usually undetected until it is WAY too late), is this something you really wish to trust a Harbor Freight electric device?

 

[EOC_Jason]

+1 Zoeller... That's what we have in our septic tanks...

 

[doctordirt]

Liberty pumps for the win, 3 year warranty. Not that you would ever need it. Made in America. They also make a 120 volt grinder pump.

 

[ishiboo]

Zoeller or Liberty. A **** pump is one place you don't cut corners.

 

[GMCGarage]

Had a zoeller that failed, replaced with Coleman. No issues so far. Hopefully can get parts for the Zoeller.

 

[steveo1o9]

Zoeller or Liberty. A **** pump is one place you don't cut corners.

Yup, replace with a quality brand pump and forget about it for the next 5-10 years. Not worth the risk playing around with cheapos IMO.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

We had a low dosing septic system at our last house. It used a pump in the final chamber to pump effluent out into the entire drain field. When the pump failed I dropped in a HF special as a short-term fix while I came up with a better solution. It only lasted a few months. Tried a Rigid brand pump, it lasted about 2 years. Installed a Zoeller and never looked back.

 

[nh_yota]

Zoeller or Liberty.

 

[denis4x4]

I installed a 1/2 hp Simplex Pro-flo Pump with a backflow valve last fall. It was $450 from Ferguson. Had to replace over a 100' of substandard pipe with schedule 40. Didn't get much change from a $5000 bill! This included excavation and electrical.

 

[LS1-IROC]

Another vote for Zoeller! I installed one from HD in my lift station, it was the highest grade pump they carried...it lasted all of 8 months. Replaced it with a Zoeller. Don't buy China pumps for that environment unless you like replacing them often.

 

[ratdoggy]

I have 2 Zoellers and I keep a back-up one on the shelf....
Try and buy one after a heavy rain

 

[OccupantRJ]

A liberty is what I used on my workshop. Working great so far. I also got the trouble alert system for it.

 

[muddyriverdogz]

Had a zoeller that failed, replaced with Coleman. No issues so far. Hopefully can get parts for the Zoeller.

You can have those Zoeller's rebuilt. I live in a flood plain in the Mississippi valley and have owned every brand of pump made at one time ot another. Nothing has outlasted and been more reliable than a Zoeller. It's the only pump brand that goes into my sump hole.

 

[engineer2]

No matter what you get, avoid doing a lot of #2 when using a sewage pump. It'll live longer pumping less **** and TP. Might want to use a pit additive now and then.

Knew someone who overused his basement ******* and eventually a wall of thickened **** and TP filled up the pit except around the pump inlet. When it finally squeezed out the top, he had to open it up and scoop it out by hand.

 

[hasco]

"Knew someone who overused his bathroom ******* and eventually a wall of thickened **** and TP filled up the pit except around the pump inlet. When it finally squeezed out the top, he had to open it up and scoop it out by hand"

Jesus Christ, you got me Scared Shitless!!

I did some Inspecting today and the pump runs ,but won't shut off. It has a piggyback float switch that can be replaced. But i found the Ground fault outlet is **** (outside and rusty) it was still working somewhat. According to my Flotec O/M it says it has a lifetime warranty and i registered it back in 2007 although i got it on E-Bay. My pump is basically a "piss pump"

 

[ford33]

Zoeller M200 series with 1/2 HP motor and cast iron housing.

Don't skimp on a pump. You should also look at your float installation. Make sure it is not going to get fouled with sewage.

Install a water alarm sensor in the well. An inexpensive $10 one with battery is all you need. It will warn you when the water level in the well is too high and that will tell you that your pump is not working.

I also had an older Watchdog battery backup system from a previous basement sump pump installation. I installed this backup system in the sewage well. The backup pump is located about 10 inches up off the bottom of the well. It is my last ditch effort to prevent a sewage overflow.

 

[6768rogues]

When the HF pump shorts out, you might not like what gets shocked.

 

[Drycreek]

Zoeller and Liberty will save you money in the long run, both are hard to beat.

 

[hasco]

If I end up having to buy a New pump, it Will not be from HF or any Asian Junk. From what I have learned from this thread is that Zoeller is at the top of recommendations.

 

[redmondjp]

Zoeller is fine but the built-in float switch is the weak point. It is replaceable so I'd have a spare switch on hand. If you are using a piggyback pendant float, I'd keep an extra one of those on hand as well.

The most important thing outside of the pump is a high level alarm, on its own float, on a different electrical circuit from the pump itself, and connected to a red light and/or an audible alarm of some sort. You want to know when something is wrong as soon as possible (BTDT more than once). Being on a separate power circuit means that your high-level warning will still happen when the pump jambs/shorts out and trips the circuit breaker.

 

[hasco]

Well Today i received a new float switch Free, I called Flotech a week ago and they sent it under their Lifetime warranty. Great American Based customer service. I am glad i saved the box from 11 years ago.