Help me with this PCV union for effluent pumps

I have a pair of effluent pumps I need to get aboveground, but I'm a little stumped by the PVC union(s) I have to work with. Part of the problem is that all this stuff is a couple of feet below the top of the access riser, so I can't get good leverage with just any tool.

Here's a good overview of my leach field lift station:





Sorry the following close-up isn't a little sharper, but I'm wary of spending too much time with my iPhone suspended over an open tank. In any event, note that I've labeled the valve and unions:



(A) is the shut-off valve to the leach field. (B) and (C) both appear to be unions screwed onto the same threaded piece of pipe. (B) has a hexagonal drive cross-section, whereas (C) has the studded drive cross-section you might prefer for hand-tightening unions (only there's no way I can reach both arms down in there to get anything like good torque on this thing – it's too far).

At the moment, I have on 18" pipe wrench. It's long enough to give me some leverage, but so far wrenching on (B) and (C) has done nothing but mangle the drive profiles a bit and leave me unsure how I should proceed. I definitely don't want to damage anything that isn't easy to replace.

Now, I almost bought Harbor Freight's 2-pack of strap wrenches ($5!), but the handles are fairly short. I'd probably have to use both to get good leverage, and I might not be able to reach far enough down there with both arms.

I could also buy another pipe wrench, if I was sure the union would come apart before I did any serious damage.

So, first of all, does anybody have any suggestions?

Secondly, just to be excruciatingly clear – unions (B) and (C) appear to screw onto the same threaded piece, so I assume that they tighten towards one another and loosen away from one another. That is, to loosen I should torque each fitting counterclockwise as seen looking from outside on its side. Does that make sense? Is it correct?

your unions are not unions. you have been screwed

i would cut the pipe where i have marked it, pull evry thing out of the pit and replumb it

with unions ck valve and full port ball valve

Well, that setup would obviously be a huge improvement over the existing mess. So I'm sold.

But if there aren't any unions in all of that, then what is going on? It's not all PVC cement, clearly.

Any reason not to use a reciprocating saw for the cutoff?

Also, do I need to use full 2" solids-passing sewage check valves going to the leach fields?

marshaul said:

Well, that setup would obviously be a huge improvement over the existing mess. So I'm sold.

But if there aren't any unions in all of that, then what is going on? It's not all PVC cement, clearly.

Any reason not to use a reciprocating saw for the cutoff?

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Your unions are on the vertical going down. The compression check valves also act as unions. Not great for a pressurized system. It does bother me though that it does not look as if this tank has been pumped out. Are you on a demand dose or timed?

There's only a thin layer of water on the floor. How does that not look pumped out? The pump truck was just here.

It looks like there are, in fact, unions on the vertical. I can't reach them, nor do I see how the existing nylon ropes will possibly help me lift the pumps out (each rope is tied around the horizontal section). Still a mess.

marshaul said:

Also, do I need to use full 2" solids-passing sewage check valves going to the leach fields?

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Yes you need that 2" flow for volume as effluent water is being pumped out. If these are truly effluent pumps, you will not get any 2" solids going through it any how. May I ask why you are pulling them up?

marshaul said:

There's only a thin layer of water on the floor. How does that not look pumped out?

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Just the reflection of the water I guess. Can't know depth in a picture.

SHEPLMBR said:

Yes you need that 2" flow for volume as effluent water is being pumped out. If these are truly effluent pumps, you will not get any 2" solids going through it any how. May I ask why you are pulling them up?

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Both pumps have failed. When I pulled the cables out of the junction box, they were brittle and corroded and basically the whole mess broke off from the twist-on connectors, either from pulling or trying to untwist the connectors. Someone had failed to ensure the gasket around the cover plate was installed correctly (the bottom was squished out and left an open slot).

So, I'm fairly sure that's my point of failure, and I'm going to replace the cables as needed this week. However, I was initially thinking it would be nice to have the pumps on the bench for cleaning, inspection, testing. Not sure if it's worth the effort at this point, assuming the connectors were in fact at fault.

marshaul said:

Both pumps have failed. When I pulled the cables out of the junction box, they were brittle and corroded and basically the whole mess broke off from the twist-on connectors, either from pulling or trying to untwist the connectors. Someone had failed to ensure the gasket around the cover plate was installed correctly (the bottom was squished out and left an open slot).

So, I'm fairly sure that's my point of failure, and I'm going to replace the cables as needed this week. However, I was initially thinking it would be nice to have the pumps on the bench for cleaning, inspection, testing. Not sure if it's worth the effort at this point, assuming the connectors were in fact at fault.

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Could be faulty floats, control box. Which is more likely if both failed at the same time. Could be contactor located in control box. I would also recommend where the two are going into that t, where it comes out of the center, use a camlock or sch80 union. That way you can always have a quick disconnect. Like I said, your two checkvalves are on your two verticals. Nothing wrong with that. Seen that a lot out here in my neck of the woods.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really have no idea whether both pumps failed at the same time. I only just started taking care of this property, and the pumps were already failed. The system has clearly been unmaintained for some time.

I will tell you from my electrical experience that the odds of either pump working with the amount of corrosion I saw on the connectors are about zero. I will keep your thoughts in mind as I troubleshoot, however.