Venting an outdoor sewer pump

I have an outdoor sewer pump. My house is on a hill side (no basement), and needs to pump from the sewer pump holding tank up a small hill to the city main. The sewer pump was previously located under a deck, and the venting for the sewer pump goes back to the house (~10 feet away) and to then the roof. It's at least 15 feet from any windows.

I'm guessing that the vent back to the house was used to avoid the smell from the deck. Now that the deck has been removed (and there is no good reason to rebuild a deck there, can I simply remove the vent and allow it to vent to the outside, instead of routing it back into and through the house? The reason to change the venting, is because the vent pipe is above ground, now that the deck has been removed, it's an eye sore.

I could bury it/run it closer to the ground to remove the eyesore, but if I could simply cut the current vent pipe, that would certainly be much easier.

My plan is to build a "wishing well" over the pit area (easily removable, so that when the pump fails access is easy).

any ideas appreciated.

thanks,
steve

If you don't vent that pump system clearly away from all outdoor living spaces, the smell will definitely be something of a nuisance odor that will be more problematic than something you simply ignore.


You can run that underground to another destination but beware that it must have pitch, that way any condensation can roll back to the pump and not create a low spot that would act as a trap in the line, sealing the vent off.

thanks Rugged.

So what's your definition of clearly away from all outdoor living space? The closest window is 15 feet. The closest used outdoor living space is at least 20 feet. So 15 and 20 feet are the closest used living space.

If I do go thru the trouble of burying it, it will be back to the original vent. It is upgrade. Sounds like the trouble might be worth it.

In my area where houses are close together, or even in situations where the grade of the yard allows for nearness to the roof depending hillsides, downdrafts from the roof are common and will let you know of it unpleasant smell.


They make carbon filters you can attach to these. It's not a fix but it helps with the smell.

I think I'm gonna try the following:

1) leave the vent pipe connected for now. I'm having the house resided, and wanted to perhaps eliminate the need to cut the new siding around the vent pipe. But I'll force that issue, make the siding guy make the cuts for the vent pipe.

2) Sometime in the future (when I get to caring about the eye sore, i.e. when I start the landscaping where the old deck is first), remove the vent pipe and cap it near the house. I'll wait till a good 100+ degree day (sometime next summer, or whenever really) and see how the smell is. If it bothers me, I'll hook it back up, nice burried/concealed with the proper pitch.

3) I'm the closest house to it....all other houses are much further away, and should almost certainly not be an issue. My main concern was code/smell. Not sure how bad the smell would be. I think my "trial" and error solution will work for me, if I don't like it, I buy some pvc and hook it back up (pretty cheap and easy).

thanks for the thougths Rugged.

steve.

If your local code does not require an outside vent, then why vent it at all, it is outside correct? The 4" incoming line is going to have enough air in it for the pump to operate correctly!

All of our outdoor basins do not have vents or require vents, it is only if your local code requires it!

ZP