Macerator

Joined
4 Sep 2010
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Location
Hertfordshire
Country
United Kingdom
I have recently installed a downstairs toilet in the space under the stairs. Due to the position of the toilet and the stink pipe (the waste pipe for the upstairs toilet), i decided the go for a macerator.
On the advice of my local plumbers merchant, I installed a Saniplast2. I explained the length and number of corners of the waste outlet of the macerator and he said it should be ok. The length of waste is approximately 10m with corners, a mix of 90 and 45 degree bends, this goes up, along and then down to the stink pipe in the kitchen. The plumbers merchant suggested I didnt use the sharp bends but to use the ones that are more gradual. The waste pipe is 32mm internal diameter. All pipes are buried in the walls.

I finished the tiling just before christmas and today I installed the toilet and sink which leads to my problem. The macerator works great on both the toilet and the sink (although i havent tried a no.2 yet!). The problem is that about 15mins after the last time the macertor pumps, it will pump again. And again after another 15mins, this has continued all evening.

My guess is that the macerator has enough power to push the waste along the pipe and most goes down the stink pipe (i can hear it going into the stink pipe), but not enough power to clear it all and over time the waste left in the pipe is dribbling through the one way valve and back into the macerator.

Is there a more powerful macerator that will do this job properly?
Have I installed some thing wrong or missed something?
Should the one way valve seal properly or is it expected to weep a little water?

One solution I have thought of is to install an occupancy sensor to turn the macerator on and off. Would this be a viable solution plumbing wise?


The toilet systern in not overflowing into the pan
 
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Hi.
First thing i would check is the cistern ball valve.
A slight overflow into the pan will cause the macerator to discharge.
regards.
 
Im sure there is a non return valve on the waste outlet to prevent backflow, as onecog mentioned, if you have a slight but constant flow from the cistern, the macerator will spin eventually.
 
The cistern wasnt overflowing into the pan. I confirmed this by turning the water to the cistern off and the macerator continued to pump every 15 mins or so.

Having thought about an occupancy sensor to turn the macerator on and off, I decided this would of been a really bad move. If the toilet wasnt used for a period of time and the taps or cistern developed a leak, then the water would just fill the pan and overflow into the room.

I spoke to the plumbers merchant today and he suggested the non return valve is faulty. I had this in the wall behind the toilet. So I cut out some plasterboard and installed an access panel (I should of done this when i installed the macerator toilet etc). I changed the non return valve that came with the macerator for a different type from the plumbers merchant. This seems to have done the trick and the macerator now only fires when the toilet is flushing or the tap is running. The non return valve that came with the macerator is made of rubber, but it seems a bit too stiff to do the job properly

My macerator pumps along a wall, and then above the ceiling, then along again until it meets the stink pipe. I was amazed at how much water is in the pipe (and the pressure), I certainly wouldnt want to have to empty that pipe out after the toilet has been used regularly!!!!!!!
 
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If it does i hope its post a number 1 and not a 2!
 
I had this in the wall behind the toilet. So I cut out some plasterboard and installed an access panel (I should of done this when i installed the macerator toilet etc).
And thus he learns the wisdom of not burying service needing items where they cannot be accessed :rolleyes:
 

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