Basement grey water pump

It’s time to tackle a few problems and they all lead to a grey water pump in the basement.
1) The kitchen sink and washing machine feed into a massive leaky cast iron pipe which runs the full length of the basement. I’d like to run both pipes down to the basement floor where they can be routed under a future floor and then into a pump unit to pump the water up four feet into the pipe that runs to the mains sewer.
2) I’m using the kitchen sink for everything, which during renovation is far from ideal. I’d like to install a large utility sink in the basement and use the same pump.
3) Humidity is a big problem, I dumped a whole bunch of stuff down there when I was shuttling back and forth from my old house. Nothing’s damaged but there’s quite a bit of mould on some of them. I’d also like to dry clothes on lines in the basement in the winter using the heat generated by the boiler. So I’m also looking at a dehumidifier that would also feed collected water into the same pump.
4) Part of the long term solution in the basement is to collect and moisture / water that comes through the walls in a ring of drainage pipes which would lead to the pump through a filter incase there’s any sand / soil / grit.

The house I was renting had a Liberty pump that handled a shower, two sinks and washing machine, however, it broke twice in the three years I was there, so I don’t have a lot of confidence in them even though they have high ratings. I want some thing reliable that will last decades, is easy to open up for regular maintenance. I’m guessing that’s a tough call as designed obsolescence is normally one month after the warranty expires.

Any thoughts? Any recommended units? Thanks.

I recommend the Zoeller Cast Iron Sump Pumps.

I used to install them, as a plumbing technician who was responsible for warranting my work,  I was taught not to use anything else.
They seem pretty bullet proof.
Sometimes the float switch would fail,  but nothing else seemed to go wrong.
Head height is about 19' and GPM is 42.

I can understand you wanting the convenience of the dehumidifier to self-empty, but it is essentially pure H2O and since we've got hard water from a deep well, we save all our dehumidifier water to add to the washing machine for the wash cycle. It would be too awkward to try and use it for the rinse cycle unless we happen to be standing there when it starts to fill, but with the soft dehumidifier water, we can use much less soap as well.

Some questions:
- why not replace the leaking cast iron with modern pipes and leave it gravity drained?
- if the basement is damp will clothes dry?
- why not have a pump for only the basement washing?
- use a veranda outside to dry clothes.
- If the damp in the basement is not from the leaking pipe, is it coming through the walls?

William Bronson wrote:I recommend the Zoeller Cast Iron Sump Pumps.

I used to install them, as a plumbing technician who was responsible for warranting my work,  I was taught not to use anything else.
They seem pretty bullet proof.
Sometimes the float switch would fail,  but nothing else seemed to go wrong.
Head height is about 19' and GPM is 42.

Thank you William - really good to get a recommendation from someone with your experience. Just the ticket . . .

Jay Angler wrote:I can understand you wanting the convenience of the dehumidifier to self-empty, but it is essentially pure H2O and since we've got hard water from a deep well, we save all our dehumidifier water to add to the washing machine for the wash cycle. It would be too awkward to try and use it for the rinse cycle unless we happen to be standing there when it starts to fill, but with the soft dehumidifier water, we can use much less soap as well.

That’s good to know. I was thinking about grey water itself being a useful permie resource, but my yard isn’t much bigger than my roof area, so harvesting rain water will more than cover my watering needs.

John C Daley wrote:Some questions:

Excellent questions John - thank you.

- why not replace the leaking cast iron with modern pipes and leave it gravity drained?

The cast iron pipe is a 4 inch sewer pipe which is total overkill for the sink and washing machine. It runs the full length of the basement through doorways! It’s close to 30m long, so the cost of replacing with a modern 4 inch pipe would be high and unnecessary. A two inch pipe taking a more direct but hidden route would be significantly cheaper even with the cost of the pump factored in, and I could put doors back in in the door frames.

- if the basement is damp will clothes dry?
- use a veranda outside to dry clothes.

When it’s not cold or wet, I have a excellent line outside. We have a large porch / veranda but it’s on the front of the house, which is faces north and the main street that runs through our town. Hanging clothes outside in the US unfortunately has a few stigma’s attached to it. People will believe you are too poor to buy / run a drier or your drier is broken. Line drying is perceived to be an indication of a poor neighbourhood and brings property value down. This attitude is changing in some places. I have no problem what other people think, however I’m new to here, speak with a funny accent and for now, not interested in rocking too many boats. I successfully dried clothes when we had the heating on - the boiler and steam pipes generate enough heat. However that moisture has to go somewhere and with the existing damp, a dehumidifier will be a big help. It’s energy consumption is dramatically lower than an electric drier.

- why not have a pump for only the basement washing?

If I’m installing a pump I may as well use it to fix the other problems on my list. Even the smallest units can handle what I’m proposing.

- If the damp in the basement is not from the leaking pipe, is it coming through the walls?

The walls are made of what they call field stone here, the stuff the found in the ground when they dug the basement. It’s a sedimentary rock with lots of bedding planes and much of the old mortar has washed out. Small trees and bushes have been grown next to the house and in place roots can be seen coming through the walls. The walls are roughly 8ft high, half above ground, half below. The windowsills are at ground level. They would have had a small ‘well’ dug out side but they’re all filled in. The frames are in poor shape. So when we get big rain, water comes in around the windows and in some places, runs down the walls. (I appreciate you already know about my walls from this thread - https://permies.com/t/181630/permaculture-projects/solution-basement-fieldstone-wall, so more for the benefit of others.

Maybe the old cast iron pipe is something you could sell or use as veranda posts.
I am aware of dehumidifiers, but its something not normally used where I have lived.
I take it they are very effective. Do they work better elevated on a wall or based on floor level?

Those windows must be a challenge, is there a way to improve the design, or is it just a matter of only 24hrs in the day?