How to connect Zoeller poly sewage basin?

[DVMSteve]

Greetings from eastern NC. On the advice gleaned from extensive browsing of previous posts, I recently ordered a Zoeller pump package. This is for my basement remodel project, which will have a typical bathroom only (tub/shower, toilet, sink). From the pit it will pump up about 8' to join my main 4" building drain, which runs into a septic tank.

I ordered one with a 0.5 hp pump, but it was back-ordered. My friendly, helpful, and (hopefully) knowledgable Ferguson supply guy took it upon himself to substitute an identical system with a 0.4 hp pump, assuring me that it would be more than adequate. Is that so?

Main questions though, have to do with the inlet, discharge, and vent connections. The inlet is 4", and the tank is polypropylene. Do I use here a Fernco-type coupling, or a PVC fitting and cement it on? I hate to ask stupid questions.

The lid is also poly, and has 8 stainless bolts. Instructions say to check the vent hole in the discharge pipe periodically, and also for pump maintenance and future replacement, etc, one needs to be able to get into the pit on occasion. The lid has two 2" holes for discharge and vent. Both of these are threaded on the outside, top, of the lid. The discharge pipe will have a union, check valve, and ball valve. In order to get the lid *off* after unbolting, I'll need a union on the vent pipe also, right? I'm just trying to visualize this, and mentally walk through the process of actually taking the lid off once everything is connected. The cords are connected to the power source and alarm, and go through the lid, too.

Would the two unions allow easy disassembly? Or would two Fernco-type connections be used instead? My supply guy says that most plumbers use two Fernco connections, but that doesn't seem right to me. I've never used these, and thought they were inappropriate for any pressure connections. Or is the pressure on the discharge side low enough that I don't worry about it?

Lastly, inside the tank, the discharge pipe comes up and slides inside a sleeve built into the lid below the threaded connection. Does anything need to be done here or is that an adequate connection?

Thanks in advance for advice offered.
Steve

 

[Terry]

Normally the check valve has a fernco like connection of the ends. This can act as a union. You can use mission or fernco couplings with stainless steel wrapping to prevent pipe shifting.

The 2" vent should tie into the other vent systems, or make it's way through the roof. The 2" pumped discharge will go to the 4", and 4/10 hp is plenty.

The bathroom will be plumbed normally; traps and vents for fixtures before it ties into the basin. The toilet is it's own trap. I haven't seen a glue on adapter for a basin. Normally it's either a rubber inside seal, or a mission or fernco like connection.

 

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[DVMSteve]

Thank you for the fast reply. That answers a lot of my questions! Mainly, I was wondering about Fernco-type couplings. I'll need one, too, on the vent to get the lid off. And the discharge pipe off the pump rises to slip into the built-in connector in the lid without anything else needed to make it work, right?

Terry, you also mentioned something I didn't ask about, but that which was addressed on many of the posts I studied. That is, does the vent from the basin need to be separate from any other venting and go straight to the roof, or can it tie in to the other vent system? That seems to be a somewhat controversial point, and maybe the answer lies with my inspector? I would sure love to tie it in and have only one new roof penetration!

 

[Jadnashua]

It can tie into an existing vent. Where you do it defines if it is done properly. It must be tied in at least 42" above the floor or 6" above the highest fixture's flood plane that uses that line to prevent waste backing up and blocking the vent if there's a clog. A vent line, like a waste line, needs proper slope (if you have to run it horizontally anywhere) in case condensation or preciptiation makes it into the pipe...it must be able to drain and not collect and block the vent.

 

[DVMSteve]

Thanks for the clarification, Jim. So, last two little questions: Fernco coupling on the vent line, at the same level as the one on the discharge to allow removal of the lid? And, internally in the basin: discharge pipe rises to slip a little ways into the integrated sleeve in the lid, above which there is a threaded connection that starts my discharge pipe. This makes for a proper fit without doing anything else?

 

[Jadnashua]

Never had to deal with one, so can't help!

 

[DVMSteve]

Thanks anyway, Jim. Anybody else? Lid fits down onto the discharge pipe coming off the pump, and that alone makes a secure connection?

 

[hj]

That is not like any Zoeller system I have worked on. Most of them have rubber grommet around the discharge pipe and the pipe is a single piece from the pump to the checkvalve, which is secured with "Fernco" style couplings. How you connect to the tank depends on which type of connector it has. Female for use with a rubber push in gasket, or male for use with a NO-Hub or Fernco coupling, or possibly a glue connection if it is IPS PVC/ABS.

 

[DVMSteve]

While taking some pics to post, I saw something on the lid. The underside of the lid shows the poly sleeve that looks as though it is intended as a coupling. No rubber grommets in sight. The top of the lid shows the threaded connection with the 2" PVC below that slides into it. Then there is the message that may or may not be important. Can this be installed in a basement, flush with the rest of the floor?

 

[hj]

quote; Can this be installed in a basement, flush with the rest of the floor?

That is what "below ground installation" means.

 

[DVMSteve]

OK, well, I thought it might mean that it is intended to be entirely buried in the dirt, like in an outside installation.

Still, what about the lid and connection to the discharge pipe? Will this work, or do I need to return what I have to the supplier and have them order something different, like the one somebody inserted a picture of above?

 

[DVMSteve]

And the answer is: my supply guy called Zoeller while I was there. There was a missing hardware bag that was supposed to be there when the unit shipped. I didn't know to look for it. They're mailing it to me, and it will have the required gaskets and seals.