I have a fairly interesting setup for the washing machine drain. We have a pvc pipe going from the first floor washing machine down to a bucket in the basement. In the bucket there is a sump pump which pumps the water back up through a pvc pipe to the underside of the joists and then drains into the existing drain system for the house. From the bucket there is also a pvc pipe which goes up through the roof as a vent.

I had a problem the other night when I went into the basement and there was water all over the floor and the sump pump had not worked for a few washer loads. The bucket, which can probably hold 5 gallons, was full. I emptied the bucket and cleaned off the sump pump and pluged it back it and it seemed to work just fine.

Is this type of set up normal? Is there a reason why the piping goes down into a sump pump rather than directly into the drain piping? Would there be any reason why I coudln't cut the two pipes and connect them together, of course making sure that I keep positive drainage and slope to all the lines.

Thanks for any help,
Greg