Indepth Excavation installs, replaces, and troubleshoots residential grinder pumps across Snohomish, King, and Skagit Counties.
We pull the district permits, dig the pit, set the basin, plumb the discharge line, coordinate the electrical, and put the yard back the way we found it. One crew, one schedule, one number to call
A grinder pump (sometimes called a sewer grinder pump or sewage grinder pump) is a small pump station, usually buried in the yard, that takes all the wastewater leaving your house, grinds it into a slurry, and pushes it through a small-diameter pressure line up to the sewer main. It’s the workaround when gravity alone can’t get your wastewater to the sewer.
Most Snohomish County homes connect to a gravity sewer – the pipe runs downhill, the wastewater flows on its own, no electricity needed. But thousands of homes in the county can’t do that. The sewer main is uphill, the lot sits below grade, the property is too far from the nearest connection, or the local sewer district runs a low-pressure sewer system that requires every home to have a grinder pump at the property line.
You probably need a grinder pump (or a replacement) if any of these apply:
If any of that sounds like your situation, we can walk the property, confirm what’s required, and give you a written estimate.
We also serve King County and Skagit County, including the cities of Seattle, Bellevue, Bothell, Redmond, Kirkland, Burlington, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley.
If you don’t see your city, give us a call – we cover the whole region.
You have options for grinder pump installation in Snohomish County – most are plumbing companies that added pump work as a line item. Here’s what’s different about us:
Every install is a little different – basin size, pump model (E/One, Liberty, Zoeller, Pentair), depth to the sewer connection, soil conditions, distance to the panel, and whether you also need a new side sewer or yard restoration.
But this is the usual process of how we go about installing a grinder pump for our clients:
Yes. Most installs need a side-sewer or grinder-pump permit from your local sewer district (Alderwood, Lake Stevens, Mukilteo, Cross Valley, Silver Lake, or a city), plus an electrical permit. We pull both and coordinate inspection as part of the job.
A straightforward residential install in good soil with reasonable access typically runs $6,500-$12,000 all-in – basin, pump, plumbing, electrical coordination, permits, and restoration.
Replacement-only jobs (where the basin and discharge line are still good) are significantly less. Difficult sites go higher. We give a written estimate after a free site walkthrough.
Most residential installs are completed on-site in a single day. Replacement-only jobs are usually done in half a day. Permits add lead time – typically one to two weeks before work can start, depending on the district.
If you’re coordinating a side sewer or septic decommissioning at the same time, we sequence everything to minimize downtime.
A grinder pump chops solids into a slurry and pushes them through a small-diameter pressure line – ideal when you’re lifting wastewater a long way or up steep grade.
A sewage ejector pump moves whole solids through a larger gravity-style line – typically used for basement bathrooms below the main sewer line, over short runs. Different tool for different problems. We install both.
A handful of Snohomish County sewer districts and lake-community service areas run low-pressure sewer systems – small-diameter mains that depend on each home having its own grinder pump to push wastewater into the main.
If you’re in one of those service areas, the grinder pump isn’t optional. We’ll confirm with your district before we start.
Most residential grinder pumps last 8-15 years. Lifespan depends on use, basin sizing, what’s been flushed, and how often the pump cycles.
Pumps in lake-community service can run shorter; pumps in occasional-use buildings (like a daylight basement) can run longer. We’ll tell you straight whether yours is worth repairing or due for replacement.
We coordinate with a licensed electricians like Melby Electric for the panel run, GFCI, and disconnect, and we set the control panel and audible alarm at the house wall. The electrical permit is pulled separately and inspected by the local AHJ or Washington L&I. You don’t have to chase anyone – we sequence it all.
Yes – restoration is part of every job. We backfill and grade the pit and trench, and we can handle driveway repair, regrading, French drains, and reseeding for any disturbed area.
Most plumbing-first contractors don’t include this. Being an excavation contractor means we can finish the job properly.
If you’re connecting to a low-pressure sewer district, switching from septic, building a daylight basement, or replacing a failed pump – call us. We’ll walk the site, give you a written estimate, pull the permits, and handle everything from the dig to the restored yard.
Indepth Excavation 3220 157th Ave SE, Snohomish, WA 98290 Phone: 425-367-1521 Licensed in Washington · DEPTHDE828N7 · Bonded & Insured
