A sewage pump which is ideal for most residential applications will only need to pump up to 20 feet of lift to a gravity sewer. A typical sewage pump installation is when there is a bathroom located in a basement that gets pumped to a gravity line which is connected to the gravity sewer or septic system. Sewage ejector pumps cost less than true grinder pumps.
Grinder Pumps
True grinder pumps will actually shred the sewage and then pump it through the pipe. The main benefit of using a sewage ejector grinder pump is that paper and other debris that get flushed down the toilet are grinded down to help flow through the sewage system more efficiently and not cause clogs in the pipes. These are powerful pumps, and until recently most sewage grinder pumps have only been available for commercial and residential usage. Grinder pumps are usually installed where the sewer is a long distance from the home, or there is a high vertical lift of more than 20 feet or so.