I have this contraption on my septic ejector system and I have no idea what this is??






Is it some type of relief valve? I am starting to get a septic smell in the area of the unit and I suspect that this device is leaking septic gas??

HELP!

It looks like a stub out for a water softener or dishwasher drain that wasn't used. The water softener drain looks like it has a coupling in the drain line that would be about the distance needed to reach the drain. Maybe it didn't pass inspection so it was plumbed into a back flow preventer somewhere? Usually there's an air gap device that would allow sewage to escape before it entered the freshwater system.



The loop is just to close the "T".

It's a vent that doesn't have to go out the roof..
I do believe ...

quote:

Originally posted by Haveme1or2:
It's a vent that doesn't have to go out the roof..
I do believe ...

There is already a through the roof vent pipe for this circuit.
If you look at the third picture down, one of those pipes is the vent pipe.

Anti-hammer device maybe. Never seen a loop version. Most are sealed straight tube.

Are you on a septic system or a city sewer?

The sewage odor would more likely be coming from the seal on the basin lid, or possibly through a lid penetration - wiring or pipe bushings are not always set gas-tight. Or past a missing lid screw.

The drain is gravity past the elle above the check valve. No hammering, but a good guess.

Does the VTR actually vent thru roof? Or maybe just stub into a floor cavity then stop?

If no septic (adding an enzyme?), I'm guessing it is for future discharge connection(s). And the sewer gas from the missing screws in the basin lid.

Only thing I can figure is an anti hammer device... should not be an extra hook up for any kind of drain where it is located because the waste being pumped would go out through it.... nasty stuff under pressure until it reaches the other main drain.

I don't think it's an anti-hammer device. Because it's on the intake side of the sewage tank, not on the discharge side. The pressure the intake side gets is from gravity. It's the discharge side that has the pressure, and back-flow from that pump is stopped by your combo shut-off/check valve - the device in the intake line with the red handle. It's also held together with shark-bites.

Since you don't have a third pipe coming out of your tank like I do (for venting), I suspect it's a device to keep your pump from becoming air locked. It suspect it's a sealed air admittance device to keep your sewer line flowing and not becoming air locked.

If your tank was outside like mine, it would have a candy-caned shaped vent pipe. Since your's is inside, it needs to have a sealed device to to prevent airlocking so it doesn't stink up your basement.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:

it's on the intake side of the sewage tank, not on the discharge side

the device in the intake line with the red handle

Since you don't have a third pipe coming out of your tank ... (for venting)

There are a few way to pipe residential lift stations. They are not uncommon here, but probably look a little different in different parts of the country. New construction often is piped with the sewer main leaving the home at a convenient chest-high height; eliminates excavation depth outside. So if you want to turn your basement into a conditioned area with bathroom, you require a sewage basin set into the slab.

• The intake ["inlet"] is under slab. Usually a single 4" piece of PVC with one or two wyes on it. Typically not vented, but in theory if the "bend" is longer than x-number of feet with branches off of it, there should be a loop vent.

• The check valve is on the discharge line; the discharge line flows vertically (up) to an elle, then via gravity to a directionally-correct wye on the 4" sewer trunk line. The butterfly valve integral to the check is to keep content above the check from dropping down past the check while you service the pump; the check is to keep the column of head from continually dropping back into the pit past the pump's impeller, a condition which would produce perpetual short cycling.

• This is a typical two-pipe set-up. Discharge and vent. I've sometimes discharged a single fixture, like a lavatory sink, into a tee on the vent. The "third pipe", the inlet, is under slab.

Sorry for the dissertation; that is the short version; you should hear plumbers hammer it out by the garage next to a full fridge of beer.

I am going to say it is an abandoned drain for the water softner. If you want to preform a little test, remove the tee from the pipe and put a sharkbite cap on and see if it makes any difference when the sewage pump evacuates.
I think the tech didn't have a cap when he wanted to cap the line off so he "made one out of a tee"

Clearly it's a pull loop for an emergency shut-off valve... A literal "oh shit" handle.

Towel rack or effective use of "spare" fittings.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Micropterus:

it's on the intake side of the sewage tank, not on the discharge side

• This is a typical two-pipe set-up. Discharge and vent. I've sometimes discharged a single fixture, like a lavatory sink, into a tee on the vent. The "third pipe", the inlet, is under slab.

Sorry for the dissertation; that is the short version; you should hear plumbers hammer it out by the garage next to a full fridge of beer.

Thanks. I have a similar system at my own home, but in my yard. You're right, that combo shut-off/check valve is on the discharge line and connects to the pump's outlet in the tank. The other line is the vent line. The intake on my set up is in the side of the tank. Mine feeds from my house, underground, the the intake. I have a candy cane shaped vent pipe on to that must correspond to OP's tall pipe that turns to the right. I do have two check valves, one on the line from my house to the tank (that prevents backflow into my house) , and one on the discharge line from the tank to the sewer line way out by the street (that prevents backflow into the tank). I probably don't need the check valve on my line from the house to the tank because any backflow into the tank would overflow into my yard before it ever went up the pipe into my house. I can hear the check valve between the tank and the street working on occasion when I hear sewage flow backwards and hammer on the valve. When that check valve goes, which it has twice in 18 years, the pump goes into a perpetual state of pumping out, back flow in, pumping out, back flow in. I invested in a very high end, cast iron, run-dry pump that has dealt with that until I was able to detect it by the overfill alarm.

Thanks for all the responses, opinions and speculations on this contraption. After doing additional research and reviewing the comments here, I have determined that it is nothing but a creative "PLUG". As someone here suggested, maybe it was at one time a drain for the water softener units??
In any event, I removed it, inspected it and the related components and it is a fancy plug....
Thanks again for all the responses.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
Thanks. I have a similar system at my own home, but in my yard.

This sketch by an unidentified plumber (not me) is close to what the OP has.