Macerating Pump Recos for Cellar

Just closed on our rowhouse and there’s a 3/4 bath and laundry in the cellar, but both are on concrete platforms about 6 inches above the rest of the basement. This was necessary for drainage because the main waste pipe sits above the grade, but it means the ceiling is only about 6 feet in the laundry area and basement and unfortunately for me, I’m 6’2″. Seems likely they excavated the rest at some point but left those two spots higher for the drainage. Bathroom looks like it was done in the 70s (and is very much not to code).

At some point we’d like to bring those floors to the grade of the rest of the cellar and totally redo the bath and laundry room, but I suspected and my contractor confirmed bringing the main waste pipe down would be a huge job with lots of digging. So our next best option is a macerating pump. Has anyone installed one of these? It does seem to be allowed by code but I’m curious to hear about real world experiences and recommendations.

And I am aware the shower will still need to be raised a few inches for the drain trap. But between finding the r ight spot and digging out a notch, I think we can get it high enough for me to stand straight up in so I don’t look like Buddy the Elf in Papa Elf’s shower.

alexwithak

in Plumbing 3 years and 7 months ago

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Shamrock | 3 years and 7 months ago

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In my business basement we installed a toilet bowl where the sewage goes straight out the back of the bowl. This toilet gets heavy use, and is the most trouble free toilet I’ve ever had. In my home I’m in the process of installing a saniflo toilet. This toilet will also pump the shower/sink. There is also another brand called Liberty, but I think the horsepower was bigger in the Saniflo.

Guest User | 3 years and 7 months ago

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Moving the sewer line down is not a huge deal and it might be worth it to gain the extra height of perhaps 6″-12″ . We had something exactly like that in our cellar and demoed the bathroom and plumbing because the check valve was not really working and the storm line backed up into the cellar. When we replaced the sewer line we were able to see how much of a drop there was from that location to the p-trap at the front of the house. There is certainly room to drop it if you need it. Macerator pump will require ongoing maintenance.