Macerator for kitchen, pumping station, or something else?

Hi all, I wondered if anyone can advise the best solution, or has any experience to share that would help us make a decision.

Our kitchen is currently on the upper level of our house, which is a sort of bungalow but with a basement which leads out to the rear garden, so it's more a split level house.

We're wanting to move the kitchen downstairs but the sewer is currently on the upper level. We're thinking of getting a macerator to take the waste (sink, washing machine, dish washer) up to the sewer but also have the option of having a pumping station installed in the back garden to take the waste up.

I'm thinking that the pumping station would be a better option overall and probably better in terms of future saleabilty, but as it'll cost a huge amount more I'm wondering if it's worth it.

What are your thoughts, and do you have any other solutions? Might it be possible to move the sewer down to the garden, assuming the sewer in the street is below that level?

The pumping station in the garden is by far the best option. Macerators in a room are prone to fail, noisy and they over flow onto the floor.

The macerator in the kitchen will have a limited capacity to store liquid when the pump cannot be used ( broken pump, power cut etc ) and the resulting over flow will be into the kitchen. When the macerator needs to be stripped and material removed the kitchen is not the best place to do this work.

With the pumping station in the garden when the pump is out of action you could have several days of storage before the tank over flows onto the garden. The pump and macerator do not need to be compressed into the smallest package so are more easy to service and more reliable.

We had a Mono Pumps Mutrator 8 taking all the household waste ( grey and sewage ) that was trouble free for over 15 years. Hidden under a false but decorative "Wishing Well"

Thanks for that, can you remember how much you paid to have it supplied & installed?

From memory the original in 1980 was about £800 pump, macerator and the tank along with all the control gear, float switch etc. The install was all DIY, The connection to the main sewer cost something but I can't recall how much but I am sure the total cost of the project was less than £ 1000 That was a system with separate macerator and pump, ( two motors ).

About 1995 during a flood the unit became submerged and damaged. Rather than repair we opted for a new unit. This was the Grifter which has one motor with the macerator at one end and the pump at the other end. The insurance claim to replace it was under £1000.

It may seem expensive but for peace of mind and reliable equipment it is worth it.

bernardgreen said:

It may seem expensive but for peace of mind and reliable equipment it is worth it.

Click to expand...

Seems very reasonable to me for a pumping station when an indoor macerator on it's own is usually £300-600!

We were quoted £4500 to have a pumping station installed!

So, you had a macerator in your pump as well? Is that always the case with pumping stations, or just on your install?

Our installation was handling sewage as well as grey water so a macerator was essential to ensure the pump would not be damaged by large objects.

If it is only grey water to be pumped then a macerator might not be necessary but you would then have to have a screen to prevent items such as cloth ( socks from washing machines etc etc ) and other debris reaching the pump. The screen would need to be checked and if necessary cleaned a few times a year.

You will also need a means to ensure the pump cannot run dry as most depend on liquid to lubricate them.

google -- piranah sewage pumps

bernardgreen said:

Our installation was handling sewage as well as grey water so a macerator was essential to ensure the pump would not be damaged by large objects.

If it is only grey water to be pumped then a macerator might not be necessary but you would then have to have a screen to prevent items such as cloth ( socks from washing machines etc etc ) and other debris reaching the pump. The screen would need to be checked and if necessary cleaned a few times a year.

You will also need a means to ensure the pump cannot run dry as most depend on liquid to lubricate them.

Click to expand...

Makes sense to have a macerator built in definitely, as will be used for foul waste also. Many thanks