Basement sewage pump- issues with shabbos

[Sport]

I'm looking for creative advice.
 I have a bathroom in my basement that uses a pump to get rid of the waste water. Every time the toilet is flushed it activates the pump causing an issue of psik resha on shabbos.  It will cost me north of $2,000 to replace the system with a Shabbos friendly one, so for the time being that option is off the table. Anybody have a similar issue, I'd like to hear how did you work around it? Or if anyone has a creative solution that will work with in the framework of halacha.   

[am7734]

How small is the pit that it is pumping out with each flush? Usually the pit is large enough to hold a few flushes. It could be that the float switch can be adjusted to trigger at a higher water level.

Not sure if it helps with respect to halacha...

[ckmk47]

How small is the pit that it is pumping out with each flush? Usually the pit is large enough to hold a few flushes. It could be that the float switch can be adjusted to trigger at a higher water level.

Not sure if it helps with respect to halacha...

Mine holds enough that it is not triggered with one flush.  My frum plumber told me it's OK for Shabbos.

[Sport]

How small is the pit that it is pumping out with each flush? Usually the pit is large enough to hold a few flushes. It could be that the float switch can be adjusted to trigger at a higher water level.

Not sure if it helps with respect to halacha...

Its definitely large enough to hold more than 1 flush. I unplugged the pump and got about 3 flushes before it started backing up into the toilet. Wheres the float switch located?

[am7734]

In the pit..
Try some YouTube videos they should be illuminating.

[aygart]

Mine holds enough that it is not triggered with one flush.  My frum plumber told me it's OK for Shabbos.

AYLOP

[Sport]

AYLOP

[aygart]

I don't know about the specific case, but typically that would be more like 

[Sport]

I don't know about the specific case, but typically that would be more like 

True. What do you think of this specific case? Assumimg the tank can hold more than 1 flush, and each flush won't automatically trigger the pump.

[Sport]

Mine holds enough that it is not triggered with one flush.  My frum plumber told me it's OK for Shabbos.

What about the 2nd or 3rd flush? At some point it's for sure going to trigger the pump, no?

[elit]

Mine holds enough that it is not triggered with one flush.  My frum plumber told me it's OK for Shabbos.

if it will be triggered once every 2 or 3 flushes. does that help? safek Psik reisha?

[Crazy tools]

I once wired something up with a single pole double throw timer.
Basically pump and red light were in one circuit and a green light was on the other. The timer was a half hour wheel set to have green light on for 5 min and red for one min- or something like that.
Lights were placed in bathroom and when red was on it means no flush...
There was also a bypass switch for weekday.
I can try to post something more clearly if I have the time.
Obviously you couldn't do more than 3 flushes on every green light.

[aygart]

True. What do you think of this specific case? Assumimg the tank can hold more than 1 flush, and each flush won't automatically trigger the pump.

safek Psik reisha?

Correct, but the floats are not perfectly accurate and will trigger at different levels each time based on numerous factors. Each LOR will deal with it differently. I have seen eitzas to use random timers in addition so that it can only go when the timer allows it.

[Sport]

I once wired something up with a single pole double throw timer.
Basically pump and red light were in one circuit and a green light was on the other. The timer was a half hour wheel set to have green light on for 5 min and red for one min- or something like that.
Lights were placed in bathroom and when red was on it means no flush...
There was also a bypass switch for weekday.
I can try to post something more clearly if I have the time.
Obviously you couldn't do more than 3 flushes on every green light.

Cool, thats along the lines of the solution I was thinking of. I was going to set timer to turn on pump every hr on the hour for 5 mins.

[Sport]

Correct, but the floats are not perfectly accurate and will trigger at different levels each time based on numerous factors. Each LOR will deal with it differently. I have seen eitzas to use random timers in addition so that it can only go when the timer allows it.

Interesting, but without the timer, theres still a point where you can be certain it'll trigger the pump. Lets say its 4 flushes. So then you would only be allowed to flush 3 times, correct?

[Crazy tools]

Cool, thats along the lines of the solution I was thinking of. I was going to set timer to turn on pump every hr on the hour for 5 mins.

Pump doesn't need five min to run and should probably go on more than once an hour. Especially with a pump reaching three flushes a sitting isn't to hard to accomplish! You don't want your bathroom occupied for and hour just so the occupant can wait to flush!
This solution was actually done for a major well known posek. I believe he held it's not a problem but for himself he tried to be machmir - the whole idea and exactly how to wire it was the poseks idea.

[Sport]

My bathroom is not in a heavy use area, its in the guest suite in the  basement. so very unlikely that there will ever be a need for more than 3 flushes an hour.
But I like your Mehalich better anyways.

[hachover]

Leave the sink tap open a little so that the pump is activated every 15 minutes or so. Then you should be able to flush whenever the pump is already running. Does that work?

[Crazy tools]

Leave the sink tap open a little so that the pump is activated every 15 minutes or so. Then you should be able to flush whenever the pump is already running. Does that work?

Pump only turns on for a second to eject whatever is in there.

[Sport]

I once wired something up with a single pole double throw timer.
Basically pump and red light were in one circuit and a green light was on the other. The timer was a half hour wheel set to have green light on for 5 min and red for one min- or something like that.
Lights were placed in bathroom and when red was on it means no flush...
There was also a bypass switch for weekday.
I can try to post something more clearly if I have the time.
Obviously you couldn't do more than 3 flushes on every green light.

Do you have more info on how I  can set something like this up?