Changing a macerator toilet to normal toilet

janer65

Hello


We are in the process of buying a house that we have just found out has a macerator toilet in the loft conversion, not sure of the make or model. When the surveyor was present he thought it was not working, could not hear the motor and water level remained high.
The owners said it was blocked by toilet paper which they say you can't use in that toilet.
They also said the macerator had been replaced a year ago and no-one has used the top floor for about a year.
If you can't put toilet paper down the toilet we think it is a useless toilet.
FYI there is also a bath and sink in that bathroom and it is at the front of the house.

We are trying to find out how expensive it would be to fit a normal toilet and probably a new sewer pipe.

There is a bathroom on the first floor at the back of the house and a ground floor toilet in the middle of the house which are both normal toilets.


Many Thanks

silvercar

It depends how easy it would be to have the waste pipe positioned so it leads into the sewer pipes. I would guess they went for the cheaper option because the costs were prohibitive.

eddddy

Presumably, a macerator was installed because it's not feasible (or prohibitively expensive) to install a normal gravity type toilet.

I can't believe that anyone makes macerators that can't deal with toilet paper - I suspect that's nonsense.

Probably your best bet is to budget for replacing the broken macerator with a new (better quality) one.

janer65

Yes Silvercar that is our assumption, what we don't know is would the costs be prohibitive or worthwhile to get rid of the macerator toilet?
Is it actually always possible to have a normal toilet or are there some situations where it is not possible at all however much you are willing to pay?

davidmcn

janer65 wrote: »

The owners said it was blocked by toilet paper which they say you can't use in that toilet.

Possibly they mean "blocked by a type (or amount) of toilet paper which you can't use in that toilet". They should (generally) cope with toilet paper.

If you want an idea of costs you'll need to get people round to give you a quote, I doubt anybody here can give guidance without seeing the possible routes for pipes etc. But it was probably a macerator for a reason.

janer65

Eddddy yes that would be the alternative to replace with a better/best quality one but I've read they can often be a problem so a normal toilet would be our first choice.

Linton

janer65 wrote: »

Hello


We are in the process of buying a house that we have just found out has a macerator toilet in the loft conversion, not sure of the make or model. When the surveyor was present he thought it was not working, could not hear the motor and water level remained high.
The owners said it was blocked by toilet paper which they say you can't use in that toilet.
They also said the macerator had been replaced a year ago and no-one has used the top floor for about a year.
If you can't put toilet paper down the toilet we think it is a useless toilet.

You should be able to put toilet paper down a macerator toilet. But not 3-ply padded paper and especially not wet wipes or similar. Use the 2-ply economy stuff.

FYI there is also a bath and sink in that bathroom and it is at the front of the house.

We are trying to find out how expensive it would be to fit a normal toilet and probably a new sewer pipe.

There is a bathroom on the first floor at the back of the house and a ground floor toilet in the middle of the house which are both normal toilets.

The problem would be the waste pipe. A macerator waste pipe would be much smaller than one for a normal toilet. Is there an easy route for a large pipe?

janer65

Hello Linton, it is a terraced house so I presume only through the inside of the house to the existing sewer pipe or having a new one added towards the front of the house...sorry I don't know how much space there is between floors etc. How big is a large pipe?

davidmcn

janer65 wrote: »

How big is a large pipe?

Like a waste pipe coming out of a normal toilet.

Linton

Macerator toilets use a lot less water than a standard one and discharge by pumping through a normal sink waste sized pipe. Which is why people use them where access and space is a problem.

xylophone

I wouldn't buy before I'd had a plumber inspect and quote for replacement/standard installation.