Marc Bowers
Gas Engineer
- Messages
- 50
Hi Chuck, If there were no soil stack above there would be no viable option. The situation arrises because an extension has been built on to a property and the existing waste water was routed into a rainwater gulley which went to a soakaway which is now under a concrete floor and apparently blocked so of no use.ISTM that by solving one problem (no convenient downpipe) you've created another (freezing) that's harder to solve because, ... physics.
What would you do if the down pipe you have your eye on wasn't there?
TBH, I don't really understand why you have a problem. Surely, once the pump stops the contents of the 'horizontal' pipe are going to run back into the Saniflo or into the downpipe depending on the fall and the pipe won't be full of water in any case? What do the MIs say?
In all matters related to these pumps I defer to @rpm. Take anything he says really seriously.
Basically a bodged extension built years ago that is now raising its head.
Its a dental practice so 1. money isn't really a problem but 2. disruption to the surgeries is a costly affair, so Im trying to seek a solution that can be installed with minimum disruption but can be relied on all year round.
As for the water in the pipe (I assume you meant vertical, as the horizontal pipe will fall into the soil connection and therefore isn't an issue), the off the shelf pumps have check valves at the unit to stop the back flow into the unit, as a full outlet pipe of water is then very likely to trigger the pump cycling that rpm was warning about. Hence my desire to only empty the top portion of the pipe prone to a freeze risk.
But maybe you're right inso far as that if I make my own float operated sump, I can make it of a size to allow for the water to fully drain back after operation.