Universal Pump Vaults (PVU)
Universal Biotube® Pump Vaults can house one or two Orenco® high-head effluent pumps. Effluent from septic tanks or dosing tanks enters through inlet holes around the perimeter of the vault and flows through the Biotube effluent filter cartridge to the external flow inducers. The filter cartridge can be removed without pulling the pump or the vault. The Biotube cartridge filters out up to two-thirds of suspended solids from wastewater effluent in onsite wastewater systems and liquid-only (effluent) sewers.1
Vaults are suspended in a tank by two Schedule 80 support pipes. “Earless” vaults that rest on the bottom of a tank are also available.
- Durable, one-piece molded polyethylene vault
- Schedule 80 PVC support pipes
- Ball valve for easy draining and vault removal
- Removable effluent filter cartridge
- Capable of accepting one or two pumps
- 57-inch, 68-inch, 72-inch, 84-inch, or 95-inch standard vault height (1448-mm, 1727-mm, 1829-mm, 2134-mm, and 2413-mm)
- Custom heights from 42 inches to 135 inches available in 6-inch increments (1067 mm to 3429 mm in 152-mm increments)
- 17.3-inch (439-mm) vault width at widest point
- 13-inch, 19-inch, or 25-inch standard inlet hole height (330-mm, 483-mm, or 635-mm)
- 18-inch, 24-inch, or 36-inch standard cartridge height (457-mm, 610-mm, or 914-mm)
- 1/8-inch (3-mm) or 1⁄16-inch (1.5-mm) filter mesh available
- 24-inch (610-mm) standard support pipe length
- Longer support pipes available for 30-inch (750-mm) access risers
- Float switch assembly and float switches available
- Internal or external splice box available
- Demand-dose, analog timed-dose, or digital timed-dose control panel available
- Standard, drainback, or cold weather discharge assemblies available
- 5-year warranty
How to Select a PVU
The tank depth and float settings must be known in order to select the appropriate PVU for the system. Once float settings are determined, select a pump vault that will satisfy the required float settings and also position the pump vault inlet holes at their optimum elevation.
Step 1: Determine tank depth (TD). Tank depth is measured from the inside bottom of the tank to the outside top of the tank.
Step 2: Determine cartridge height (CH).
- Residential application: 18-inch min. cartridge height
- Residential recirculating application: 24-inch min. cartridge height
- Commercial application: 24-inch min. cartridge height
Step 3: Determine float setting elevations for the system. Float settings are measured down from the outside top of the tank (bottom of pump vault support pipes) to the center of the float collar.
Step 4: Select the proper vault height (VH) by selecting the proper tank depth range on the chart below with the matching cartridge height (CH). Verify that the off point (OP) you calculated in Step 3 falls within the range listed in the “off point range” column.
Step 5: Verify that the off point is above the minimum liquid level of the pump (MLLp) using the following equation: TD-OP > MLLp + G.


Ronald Crites and George Tchobanoglous. Small and Decentralized Wastewater Management Systems. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998.