Overview of the Sewage Pumps Sewage pumps, as their name implies, are used to transfer sewage, effluent and septic tank water to and around a treatment location. When sewage waste must be moved uphill or across a long distance, sewage transfer pumps are generally used over gravity systems because of the pressure they can provide. Sewage effluent pumps can be found in both domestic and industrial applications including homes, caravan sites and factories as well as at treatment plants.
Sewage pumps do just what you'd think they do - they pump sewage waste from a toilet into the sewer or septic line. This type of pump is generally used whenever you're installing a toilet in an area lower than the level of the sewer or septic lines, such as in a basement or if your home sits into a hill and the lower level is partially underground. Sewage pumps typically can handle waste solids up to 2" in diameter. However, they are NOT designed to accommodate anything other than human waste and at least partially broken-down toilet paper. So even if you have a sewage pump, it is still not a good idea to flush feminine products, toys, soap, hair, or anything that is NOT human waste or toilet paper. Some basement or below ground toilet installations use what is called a "macerating" system. These are essentially toilets with a sewage pump attached - usually located in a sealed housing installed right behind the toilet or right behind the wall where the toilet is installed. Sometimes this can be a good option as you won't need to break up your concrete flooring, but be careful to note how high the pump can lift the waste as these pumps are sometimes smaller than the average sewage pump. Most macerating toilet systems use a type of sewage pump called a "grinder" pump since it literally helps to grind up sewage into smaller particles, similar to the way a garbage disposal works. Grinder pumps can be used in complete macerating systems or on their own in place of a regular sewage pump.