Sewage pumps are one of the most interesting devices used in modern plumbing. The main purpose of a sewage pump is to help waste and waste-water overcome the effects of gravity and travel through a sewage system. The main uses of sewage pumps are when there is a need for a waste and waste water to collect at a level below the main sewage line. This is often the case in basements of homes. The basement might have a bathroom, washer and dryer, or kitchen that produces waste-water. It is often the case that this waste-water must be pumped up since the home’s main waste line might be just below the main level. In situations like these, a sewage pump is used.
The sewage pump essentially grinds or chops the waste products into a muddy liquid. Once the waste material is predominately liquid the pumps motor engages and provides pressure which drives the waste up the pipe and into the main sewage line. This usually occurs in just a few seconds. There is usually a large reservoir for waste-water that fills partially prior to the sewage pump engaging. The pump itself contains a float similar to the float that appears in the back of the toilet tank. Once the liquid in the sewage reservoir rises to a certain point the float triggers the motor to kick on and this activates the pump. Now once the pump is activated it will pump the liquid out, causing the float to fall back down and then the pump will turn off. Depending on the size of the reservoir there may be quite a bit of waste stored at one time in between the the pumps activations.
Sewage pumps come in a variety of configurations including submersibles, grinders, and choppers. These all have one thing in common, they allow a plumber to have much more flexibility when designing sewage systems.