# Small ejector pump for water softener



## Shantellees (Oct 5, 2009)

Hey guys, gals. My girlfriends dad passed a few years ago and left her with a fixer upper. There are countless code violations to say it nicely. The well and softener are together in a separate room (dirt floor:whistling2 from the mechanical room on the other side of the house. There's no floor drain so he dug a small hole and placed a mini basket and sump pump in it for the softener drain. I have access to an above horizontal kitchen/laundry drain and a vent and am wondering if they make a small ejector pump for this type of situation. Installing a floor drain is out of the question because the basements finished and the nearest drain is 25' away. Any product recommendations? 

Also on a side note, this house has the worst well water I have ever come across. Everything it touches turns dark orange quick, it smells horrible, and washing your hair or cloths with it is no good. She just wants to get it to code and sell it quick! I've seen a couple self cleaning full house filters for around $399 but am doubting their ability to remove iron. She (we) don't have a whole lot of money so a $2000 iron removal system is out, plus who wants to maintain one of those? 

Any thought from your guy's experiences will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Pete


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Most water softeners can push the backwash and rinse water up 6'-8' and horizontally 30'-40' with no problem. Is there a drain at the same elevation but on the other side of the house that you can run it up and over to? I've run 1/2" or 3/4" pvc or pex numerous times for a water softener "drain" into an attic and then back down to a laundry room. As long as it terminates with an acceptable air gap, you should be good. What brand w/s does she have?





Paul


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## Shantellees (Oct 5, 2009)

Thanks for the response. Well, were in minnesooooota so the attics out. Plus there's no floor drain in the mechanical room either. Another job I'll be doing after an inspector goes through. There's a bar 20' away, I could bust up the floor behind it and add a floor drain there. I just roughed in an upstairs laundry (above the dirt floor softener/well room) and ran the 2" to it so I know I could snake a softener drain through. This sucks. Oh the softener is an over sized whirlpool digital type. Nice unit.

Options:

1. Bust two rows of bar tile, cut out and re seam 5' of carpet, bust concrete, add floor drain?

2. Bust tile and a small amount of concrete behind bar, snake drain lines to that?

3. Put in some kind of ejector, drop vent from directly above, tie into horizontal Kit/laundry directly above?

4. Burn house down cause you should see the rest of the plumbing, electrical, trim work, drywall...........


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

You can probably get the info on-line as far as the units limits for pushing the drain water. Each unit has it's own limits but they all can get to the lower few feet of the floor above with little trouble. No matter how you end up doing it, it needs to have an air gap so a floor sink is preffered to a floor drain. They do discharge at .5 gpm or so and can make a mess if not aimed at/in a drain line. Idealy, you would be able to run a line to the washing machine drain.





Paul


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## nhmaster3015 (Aug 5, 2008)

There is nothing that will remove large amounts of iron that is cheap.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

put a laundry tray next to the water softner. They make a pump that screws onto the bottom of the laundry tray that pumps the water out. Here is one that I found on google. 
http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBsQrQQwAA


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## Shantellees (Oct 5, 2009)

Thanks a lot for the input guys. Now for my dumb question of the day: Rocksteady, are you saying I can run the drain hose up and dump it into the laundry standpipe directly above? I thought of that but figured no way that's code. It would be perfect.

Bollinger Plumber, are you saying with that pump the line could just be tied in directly to the waste line above? Otherwise the softener can handle the pumping on it's own???? I've never thought of this cause I haven't had to before but how strict are they on the salt over flow drain? 

Thanks again for your guy's ideas. I really appreciate it! I feel a bit stupid over this, I just don't want to go over board doing it right if there's an easy way

Pete


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

Shantellees said:


> Thanks a lot for the input guys. Now for my dumb question of the day: Rocksteady, are you saying I can run the drain hose up and dump it into the laundry standpipe directly above? I thought of that but figured no way that's code. It would be perfect.
> 
> Bollinger Plumber, are you saying with that pump the line could just be tied in directly to the waste line above? Otherwise the softener can handle the pumping on it's own???? I've never thought of this cause I haven't had to before but how strict are they on the salt over flow drain?
> 
> ...


I don't know the code in your area but I could do that here. If your softner can pump like rocksteady says then I would go that route rather than buy a tray and pump.


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

Shantellees said:


> Thanks a lot for the input guys. Now for my dumb question of the day: Rocksteady, are you saying I can run the drain hose up and dump it into the laundry standpipe directly above? I thought of that but figured no way that's code. It would be perfect.
> 
> 
> Pete


 
Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. It's completely legal here, so long as there's an acceptable air gap at the stand pipe. You can use one of these right on the stand pipe.










It's all going to depend on how much vertical capacity the softener has. They don't backwash/rinse via a pump so this is very dependent on the incoming water pressure. If you find that it can make the 10 vertical feet, I'd do that.






Paul


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## Shantellees (Oct 5, 2009)

That is the coolest fitting! Called the VA4 Air Gap. I had no idea they made those. Next time I'm over there I'll look into the softener specs. THANK YOU SO MUCH

Pete


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Good luck with the smell in the water.... You are going to have to shock the well. That is chlorine ( pool shock ). This may not solve the problem. But may reduce it. The cause of the rotten egg smell is hydrogen sulfide from sulfide bacteria in the well water. This type of bacteria loves a high Iron content. The bacteria is covered in a jelly and it is extremely hard for the chlorine to break down this lining. In the most extreme cases lye can be used as it is more corrosive and will eat through the jell killing the bacteria. Also on a further note I have heard that silver could also be used to kill the bacteria in a well.


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## Shantellees (Oct 5, 2009)

Great info Oldschool thanks. I've heard all those remedies before but a long time ago and I'd forgotten them. Probate will be rapped up soon and she'll have a nice chunk of money. I think what we are going to do is re-drill. She's only about 80' and needs to be around 200'. Her neighbors have decent water at around that depth. Good thing she has a really cheap plumber, says she's going to fly me somewhere when it's all finished and behind us. Works for me.:thumbup:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

How the water table where you are at? You could drive a point and would have a lot better water than a drilled well.


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## Shantellees (Oct 5, 2009)

That does not sound like a good time. :no: The good stuff is down around 180'


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