Plumbing Question: Water change into Basement Sink or Sewage line?

[EmprrStrksBk]

My family and I just bought a brand new house where I will be building a new 150g tank in my office on the main floor. Our basement is fully finished and lucky for me, beneath my office is the only unfinished part, complete with utility sink rough-ins where I will be putting my saltwater mixing station.

My idea is to have two pipes running straight to my display tank from the basement below: one going up for NSW & RODI water (green line below), and one going down for draining old water in water changes (brown line below). I prefer to do large water changes versus AWC, so the volume of water changes should average around 30-50+ gallons at a time vs. a few gallons a day.

My question is, where should the drain water end up?

• Would I be okay running the dirty saltwater down to the utility sink which is plumbed into the basement ejector pit?
  • This ejector also is tied into a full bathroom in the basement
  • Should I be worried about significant corrosion of the ejector pump?
  
  
• OR Should the drain pipe from the display be tied into the existing sewer line in the floor boards under the tank?
  • Should I be concerned with tapping into a sewer lines and potential gas or back flow?
  • How would I accomplish this? My thought is like the below?
    • 

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Personally I would just let it drain down the sink, with a catch in the drain incase of hitchhikers getting sucked out of the tank. I would also be concerned messing with the sewage lines. risk vs reward, the sewage lines don’t seem worth it. I can’t see why it draining into the sink would be any issue, and if any clogs happen you won’t have to pull apart your sewage line to fix it.

 

[EmprrStrksBk]

One of my concerns is that the sink drain runs to the basement ejector pit, which is similar to a basement sump (except it can handle having a bathroom in the basement).

I have seen that sump pumps can have issues with corrosion from the saltwater and I wondered if that same issue/concern should be had with an ejector pit vs. the sump?

 

[Dburr1014]

My family and I just bought a brand new house where I will be building a new 150g tank in my office on the main floor. Our basement is fully finished and lucky for me, beneath my office is the only unfinished part, complete with utility sink rough-ins where I will be putting my saltwater mixing station.

My idea is to have two pipes running straight to my display tank from the basement below: one going up for NSW & RODI water (green line below), and one going down for draining old water in water changes (brown line below). I prefer to do large water changes versus AWC, so the volume of water changes should average around 30-50+ gallons at a time vs. a few gallons a day.

My question is, where should the drain water end up?

• Would I be okay running the dirty saltwater down to the utility sink which is plumbed into the basement ejector pit?
  • This ejector also is tied into a full bathroom in the basement
  • Should I be worried about significant corrosion of the ejector pump?
  
  
• OR Should the drain pipe from the display be tied into the existing sewer line in the floor boards under the tank?
  • Should I be concerned with tapping into a sewer lines and potential gas or back flow?
  • How would I accomplish this? My thought is like the below?
    • 

Is the sewer tied to a city sewer system? If it's your private sewer you most likely have a cement box. Cement and salt water don't mix and neither do steel pipes and saltwater. But your pipes may be clay if it's a city sewer I'm not sure, can you find out? And I don't know about putting it through a pump that's going to corrode either. You're better off if you can switch that pump out for one that's rated for the salt water.

 

[Jason_MrFrags]

I did exactly what your considering. Drained water changes into bar sink. Even with making sure to flush with fresh water. Garbage disposal eventually rusted and stopped working. So I tied into the main house drain but it was vertical. I see the horizontal as being a bigger headache as you probably will need to remove concrete? And then getting enough play in the pipe to get the fitting in there seems like something to leave to the professionals.

 

[EmprrStrksBk]

Is the sewer tied to a city sewer system? If it's your private sewer you most likely have a cement box. Cement and salt water don't mix and neither do steel pipes and saltwater. But your pipes may be clay if it's a city sewer I'm not sure, can you find out? And I don't know about putting it through a pump that's going to corrode either. You're better off if you can switch that pump out for one that's rated for the salt water.

I am on city sewer, and everything inside the house is PVC (not sure about what's outside underground). Switching out the pump may be a good idea if I can find one!

I did exactly what your considering. Drained water changes into bar sink. Even with making sure to flush with fresh water. Garbage disposal eventually rusted and stopped working. So I tied into the main house drain but it was vertical. I see the horizontal as being a bigger headache as you probably will need to remove concrete? And then getting enough play in the pipe to get the fitting in there seems like something to leave to the professionals.

Since my utility sink won't have a garbage disposal did you see any other effects with your ejector/sump pump in your basement before you changed? That is a bigger concern of mine, because it that fails then it could cause flooding.

Also the drain lines to the sewer in the house are easily accessible in the water mixing room. Just hesitant to tap into it if I don't need to

 

[Indymann99]

I drain about 20gal WC into my basement sump pit. The pump runs immediately after the WC starts to fill the pit. The pit then refills with clean ground water (to the normal waterline). I have been doing this for 15yrs and only replaced the sump pump 1 time (It didn’t look overly corroded).

 

[oreo54]

I am on city sewer, and everything inside the house is PVC (not sure about what's outside underground). Switching out the pump may be a good idea if I can find one!



Since my utility sink won't have a garbage disposal did you see any other effects with your ejector/sump pump in your basement before you changed? That is a bigger concern of mine, because it that fails then it could cause flooding.

Also the drain lines to the sewer in the house are easily accessible in the water mixing room. Just hesitant to tap into it if I don't need to

My vote is tap the drain line.

Not personally familiar with ejector pits but in all likelihood it doesn't drain completely.
Unlike the sump example above you will not fill w/ fresh water either unless of course you use a basement sink.

Second system should have a check valve so wastewater can't go back to the pit. Composition of it????

Next any sw discharged from it ends up in the same place as it would if you just tapped the sewer line direct.

Next question is where you would access your sewer drain directly.
Preferably downstream of the pit water entering the pipe.

Upstream and you may have the problem w/ the check valve. Don't know.

Of course you need to check the pitch is good. Trust but verify.....

Last thing you want is stuff going backwards.

Anyways probably should ask a plumber or even have one do it.

Outside underground well whole different story. Around me if clay, old and probably failing anyways.
Cast iron... Not usual, see above, after the clay fails ( decades) PVC is usually added.

The rest of the house will dilute it anyways.

 

[Buckeye Hydro]

Consult a plumber familiar with your local plumbing codes. If you're going to tap into the sewer line you're no doubt going to need a P trap to block the sewer gas.

 

[dennis romano]

I have an ejector pit and pump. I will never put salt water though the pump. Engineers at my last job did tests on how salt affects machinery. It is not pretty. If pump dies, so does your bathroom.

 

[twentyleagues]

I ran my old system into my sump. I had a high ground water so even after the pump ran water returned to the sump. I went through about 4 pumps in 8 years. I switch to a stainless steel pump and it held up until I sold the house, but I only had a reef tank for 4 more of the last year's there. But the heavy duty pump and stainless steel innards seemed to hold up.

If at all possible I'd plumb into the sewer line.

 

[mbmax]

I would not drained to the pit , it will destroy your pump very quickly. 1 year or two . It happened to me.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Aren’t you going to be Flushing the Ejection Pit with Reject Water from your RO/DI, right after you do a water change? BTW I Have an Ejection Pit, the Pumps never have Failed due to Rust. It’s always the Rubber Seals, that let water into the Switch and/or the Pump Body.

 

[cilyjr]

If you choose to pump directly into the sink, you will need to run water until you hear the pump activate. Or it will rust. It will slightly rest eventually anyways. They are made with stainless steel but usually it's a cheaper grade.
The easiest thing would be to go directly to the train but above the p-trap you will want to cut in an air gap. Just take a bell reducer and turn it upside down. If your drain line is 2 in I would use a four to two reducer.
Then drop the tailpipe just below the lip of the bell. You're not supposed to do that but I feel like it prevents any backsplash.

 

[cilyjr]

One more thing to consider, you will need to place a backflow preventer somewhere on the line between this new cut in and your pump. Sewage pumps are pretty powerful and will push the water up and potentially into your air gap.

Edit: the more I think about this, I would run separate lines all the way to the exterior tie in. 1 for the pump out 1 for the drain. That would eliminate backflow preventers. Can I see a picture of existing?

 

[n2585722]

My drain pump output is to the drain under the kitchen sink. The drain pump is in the garage and the tank is 35ft away. The 1/4" tubing used is run through the attic in insulated PVC conduit. My fill pump is also in the garage. I have done this for almost 8 years now without an issue. Both pumps are dosing pumps so the flow rate is minor.

 

[EmprrStrksBk]

I ended up getting it plumbed directly in to the 3” house house drain which happens to sit directly below the tank. The couple of hundred dollars it took to get a certified plumber out was worth the peace of mind, and they were able to run my 1” line in between floors for my mixing station! (in the rafters above the pump)

here is the water changing station directly below the tank

and a close up of the trap into the drain

and the pipes running up to the main floor directly behind the tank.
3 holes: 2” drain line, 1” line for NSW and RODI from mixing station, 3rd hole for any potential wiring for automated water changes down the road.