Zoeller Sewage Pump - Replace, refurbish or...?

[JulieMor]

The cover to the ejector pit had rusted away and needed replacement. We have a Zoeller 1/2HP sewage pump that was installed during the house build in 1986. During that time it has worked perfectly with the exception of the float ball which lost its buoyancy. We removed the ball and installed an aftermarket float. That's been the only problem.

The pump is installed in an ejector pit in the basement. Attached to that is a toilet, shower, bathroom sink, slop sink and a floor drain. The bathroom toilet and sink are used maybe once a week on average. The shower maybe once a year. The slop sink is used a few times a week. The floor drain gets most of its use when the dehumidifier is running.

When we removed the old cover we saw a pretty old looking pump. It was then we wondered if we should replace the pump too. A new Zoeller replacement is about $400-$500. Home Depot has a Floatec 3/4HP for around $300. They also have a 1/2HP Floatec for $200 but it looks cheap.

I've heard of Zoeller pumps lasting 33 years. I can't find anything on the durability and performance of the Floatec. We can have a new Zoeller pump in hand on Monday but it would cost about another $100 over buying it online, plus tax. If we buy online, it might be a week or two. The Floatec we can get today.

The old pump is out of the pit. We will be having guests this week and I'd like to have that pit closed and the basement plumbing working. Right now the 2" vent and drain pipes are hanging over the open pit. There has been no backup from the upstairs waste.

So we were wondering what the pros would do? Would you clean up the old pump and put it back in? Buy the Floatec today? Or just close up the basement plumbing and wait for the Zoeller?

[DFBonnett]

I've looked at the Flotecs also and was not particularly impressed. I've had a Myers for about 25 years and it gets used daily in a basement bath. It's built well and, like yours, the only trouble was the float. You might look for one of those if you can find a plumbing supply open today.
FWIW
YMMV

[plumbus]

Looks like you've answered your own question. The pump is out of the pit and you need it up and running by the weekend. $100 is not a lot of money when you're on a deadline.

[JulieMor]

We did a lot more research and the Flotec pumps had so-so reviews, some great, some very poor. The one thing I couldn't find was any reviews that talked about long time service. It seemed every reviewer had no more than five years experience with Flotec.

With Zoeller, I found one reviewer who had his for 33 years before it died. Ours is 26 years and still running strong. I just don't know how many years, or days, it has. And if it dies and the pit is full of sewage...YUCK!

So we bit the bullet. I found Amazon had the M267 for around $350. I added a Zoeller cast iron check valve for another $40. Amazon had a promotional shipping offer so the items will be here Monday. Total cost is just under $400.

If we picked it up locally, we couldn't get it until Monday anyway. Grainger is about a mile from our house (the only place I could find Zoeller pumps) and lists the M267 for $526.50 which, if you added in the check valve, would have cost us around $630 after tax.

At least now we know once it's all installed and closed up we won't be opening the ejector pit up any time soon. Plumbers are underpaid!

[havasu]

Originally Posted by JulieMor

Plumbers are underpaid!

Sometimes worth repeating!

[plumbus]

If it were my pump, I would have purchased it from the licensed plumber who I chose to make the installation. I deal with Zoeller a lot. Though they have a good product, things can go wrong. If your pump fails during the warranty period (one year), you will be on the hook for both material and labor. Plus, I wouldn't want to deal with an online vendor over a warranty, would you?