Hydro Jetting in Lithia Springs, GA

Hydro jetting in a house with a sewage ejector pump takes a little more planning than in a home where every drain runs downhill to the street. A Lithia Springs home with a finished basement or a lower-level bathroom may send that wastewater to a basin and pump it up to the main sewer. The pumped section, the basin and the gravity line beyond it each clog in their own way, and each calls for a slightly different approach.

How a pumped drain system works

Fixtures that sit below the level of the sewer, such as a basement toilet, shower or laundry sink, drain into a sealed basin set in the floor. A float switch turns the pump on when the level rises, and the pump pushes the wastewater through a discharge pipe, often around two inches across, up to a gravity drain that carries it out of the house. A check valve on the discharge pipe keeps the water from falling back into the basin each time the pump stops.

Where buildup forms

• The basin: grease rinsed down a basement sink floats and hardens into a mat, while wipes and floss settle at the bottom where the pump can pick them up.
• The discharge pipe: grease and soap coat the inside of this narrow line, and a sticky check valve makes the pump work harder.
• The gravity line downstream: everything the pump lifts joins the rest of the household waste in the main sewer, where roots, scale or a sag can slow it all down.

Signs the line, not the pump, may be the problem

A pump that runs longer than it used to, cycles on and off rapidly, or trips its high-water alarm while still humming normally may be fighting a restriction downstream. Gurgling from upstairs fixtures when the pump kicks on is another clue. A basement shower that empties slowly into the basin points to the short gravity pipe between that fixture and the basin. A pump that makes no sound at all, or keeps tripping a breaker, points to the unit or its power supply, and that is a job for sump pump and sewer pump service rather than jetting.

Jetting around the pump

The pump is switched off and its circuit secured before anything is opened. The discharge pipe is usually isolated at a union or valve so that water and loosened debris are not driven back through the check valve into the pump. A small hose and a nozzle sized for the pipe then clean the discharge run toward the gravity drain. If the basin holds a grease mat or a nest of wipes, it is cleaned out separately, since flushing that material into a freshly cleaned line would defeat the purpose. Jetting equipment in general is described in our Georgia hydro jetting overview.

Checking the main sewer beyond

When the upstairs drains are slow as well, the restriction is probably in the gravity sewer that both levels share. A sewer camera inspection from the outdoor cleanout shows whether that line is coated, rooted or damaged. Buildup can be jetted out; a broken or sagging pipe is a matter for main sewer line repair.

Douglas County rules if parts are replaced

Permits for Lithia Springs addresses come from Douglas County's Building Permits & Inspections office, which requires plumbing permits for new or renovation work. If a cleaning visit ends with a recommendation for new discharge piping or a replacement pump, ask the office whether that job needs one before it begins.

Ejector pump questions in Lithia Springs

Does an ejector basin need regular cleaning?

There is no set interval. A basin that serves only a toilet and a small sink may go a long time with nothing more than an occasional check, while one that takes laundry or kitchen water builds a grease mat sooner. Opening the sealed lid is a job for the technician, since the basin is built to keep sewer gas in.

Why do the basement drains back up even though the ejector pump runs?

A pump that runs without lowering the level may have a clogged impeller, a stuck check valve or a restricted discharge line, and any of those can let the basin overfill. Sometimes the gravity sewer downstream is partly blocked, so the pumped water has nowhere to go. Finding out which part is failing comes before any cleaning.

What should never go into a basement toilet that drains to an ejector?

Anything other than toilet paper and human waste. Wipes, paper towels, dental floss and feminine products wrap around the impeller or jam the float, and grease poured into a basement sink hardens into a mat on the surface of the basin. Even products labeled flushable can cause trouble in a pumped system.

Keep the lower level draining

Lower-level drains acting up in your Lithia Springs home? Call Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448, mention that the house has an ejector pump, and the cleaning will be planned around it.