Saniflo ideas

[EBennett]

Hi guys, just joined up, always end up reading on here when i google search problems i have but this one didnt come up. Im planning on fitting a Saniplus Saniflo system in my loft conversion to add in another bathroom. I dont have access to a soil pipe so using the Saniflo to pump it to the one on the other side of the house. Problem is the saniflo instructions say it must sit on the floor, behind the toilet, or less than 6 inches away at the same level meaning i would have to raise the shower approx 150mm off the ground to get a run into the side of the unit from the show but with it being a loft conversion, i only have 2m headroom as it is.

I tried to phone saniflo but the guy was less than helpful when i asked why it is that i couldnt lower the saniflo 2 inches below the floor level and run the toilet waste down into it behind the wall the toilets on, meaning i wouldnt have to build the shower up but he didnt answer me and was just cheeky saying because my warrantys void and its in the instructions. Whats the mechanical reason behind it? Only other thought was to run the shower waste into the gutter downpipe at the back, and only pump the sink and toilet waste across to the stack at the other side?

Sorry for the long post but im a joiner to trade, so its all fairly new to me. Cheers, Euan

 

[muggles]

Provided the Saniflo can be accessed and removed for maintenance / replacement, I see no reason why you shouldn't sink it 2 inches into the floor provided it is adequately supported and doing so does not affect the structural integrity of the building (IE you don't notch the joists).

You may not, in general, run a shower waste into a gutter, most properties have separate systems for removing rainwater and waste water, and these should not be mixed.

 

[dextrous]

Only thing I can think of is access for maintenance needs to be available. Other than that, I can see no reason why the macerator shouldn't go pretty much where you want - after all, it comes on when it senses something going into it, and whether you have it attached to a pan or 20 feet away from it with a connecting pipe shouldn't make any difference to what it's designed to do.

As for shower height - in reality you rarely need to have the shower head above 180cm or so, so having the tray raised is feasable and not uncommon.

Finally, running the shower waste into a gutter isn't likely to pass building regs anyway (norm is to take it into a soil pipe nowadays)

 

[EBennett]

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

Yeah that was my thinking that surely if i was to poistion it between to joists on a dwng / dwangs to take the weight etc it should matter. It wouldnt be a huge drop. The problem with the shower being the tray and door come to 1950 which means i cant raise it 150mm.

I realise the waste water should be put seperately into a waste pipe and not the gutter but was just thinking it may be an option. At the end of the day the gutter waste goes into the same pipe as the toilet waste where it meets the ground so was just thinking of it as a last resort kind of thing.

Only fear is that running the pipe at an angle into the saniflo is going to damage it somehow? Thanks again for the replys.

 

[Agile]

There are very good reasons to follow their instructions!

1 The warrantee!

2 If you place the unit BELOW floor level, if the unit does not pump because its turned off or power failure then if your toilet bowl backs up the nasty stuff will flow back into the shower tray!

3 The level of nasty stuff in the toilet bowl will be higher than the macerator is designed to withstand and can damage unit.

It always amuses me that people will flush a toilet when the bowl is already full.

Tony

 

[EBennett]

Surely though whether it is 2 inches down or not if it was going to back up into the shower, it would do it whether it was 2 inches down or not. Im sure the machine will be designed so that this cant happen, otherwise you would smell the toilet wate in the shower surely?

Is there any other options then if i dont have the celing height to raise the shower? Lowering the Saniflo is the only real way unless i run the shower waste into the gutter.

 

[muggles]

There are very good reasons to follow their instructions!

1 The warranty!
I think Saniflo would have a hard time making a case for the unit having broken because it was two inches below the toilet, if you chose to take them to task over it

2 If you place the unit BELOW floor level, if the unit does not pump because its turned off or power failure then if your toilet bowl backs up the nasty stuff will flow back into the shower tray!
It would anyway, as the spillover level of the WC would still be higher than the shower tray if it was installed with the Saniflo on the floor rather than slightly lower down

3 The level of nasty stuff in the toilet bowl will be higher than the macerator is designed to withstand and can damage unit.
Rubbish. The extra drop is two inches, or about 50mm, meaning the difference in water pressure entering the macerator when the toilet is flushed is 5 mBar, or next to b*gger-all, it's hardly enough to do any damage, and in any case the pressure from the basin waste will be higher, albeit at a lower flow rate

Tony

EBennett, I still say go for it and lower the Saniflo, you must not run the shower waste to the gutter, this is not generally allowed

 

[dextrous]

I suppose that if Agile's answer does worry you, then there's always the possibility of installing 2 sani products - one for the sole use of the WC and the other for handling the shower and sink.

May cost a couple of hundred more, but at least you'll be pretty sure of not having any unfortunate backflow into the shower tray. You will also have the advantage that if one of the units packs up, the shower room itself will still have a degree of functionality.

Edit - a quick search found this site http://www.saniflo-pumpshop.co.uk/ which may not be the cheapest, but even here, the difference in price to buy 2 pumps would be about £120.