Is Saniflo system problematic for terrace house?

917700

Hi all

Our offer was accepted on a property this week. However, one of my friends flagged a issue with the property. 

This house is a 1900s Victorian mid terrace. The current owner refurbished the house and installed a en-suite on loft floor in 2016. The en-suite is located on the front side of the house. 

My friend suggested the saniflo system could be noisy and problematic. Is this true? In our first viewing, I did see some minor crack on the floor tiles in the bathroom and roof edges of the loft room.

Does anyone have similar experience? Would this effect the house price? If the en-suite start to have problems, do we need to spend a lot money to get this resolved? 

Many thanks 

hazyjo

There are previous threads with about them so definitely worth a search.

It's generally considered okay if they're used as an occasional toilet. Do you know how old the system is? I'm pretty sure they've improved a lot over the years, but you still have to be ever so careful with what goes down them.

[Deleted User]

917700 said:

Hi all

Our offer was accepted on a property this week. However, one of my friends flagged a issue with the property. 

This house is a 1900s Victorian mid terrace. The current owner refurbished the house and installed a en-suite on loft floor in 2016. The en-suite is located on the front side of the house. 

My friend suggested the saniflo system could be noisy and problematic. Is this true? In our first viewing, I did see some minor crack on the floor tiles in the bathroom and roof edges of the loft room.

Does anyone have similar experience? Would this effect the house price? If the en-suite start to have problems, do we need to spend a lot money to get this resolved? 

Many thanks 

Saniflo and other macerator toilets are fine for number ones. You can flush toilet paper but don’t go wrapping your hand like a mummy and expect the macerator to deal with it and don’t buy the quilted stuff. 

Doozergirl

Saniflos are also fine for number twos.  

A regular waste very rarely has any problems because you can mistreat them, to a certain degree as they have a 4 inch hole and no mechanical parts.   An saniflo will reject the things that you shouldn't actually be putting put in any loo.  The saniflo will need servicing every year and lasts five years on average, I think, so it comes with some additional cost BUT it provides you with a perfectly usable additional facility that you simply couldn't have otherwise.  

It's better as an additional loo because if guests aren't using it, it's easier to control what goes in there.  It makes a noise, but it's not much noisier than the water running to the shower or the loo flushing and it only makes noise when those things are happening.  

It doesn't devalue the house.  If the choice is ensuite or no ensuite - ensuite wins every time.  

We had a saniflo for nine years.  It blocked once when a 3 year old put a jay cloth in it, for whatever reason 3 year olds do stuff like that. That was a case of fishing it out. 

 The pipe outside also once froze when it was -10 outside so we had to turn it off and wait for it to defrost before being able to use it.   We subsequently changed a bit of the pipe so it remained indoors for all but about 10cm.  

It's not ideal, but it isn't a problem.  

Rural_Puppy

Why not go back for s second viewing and ask to use the toilet?
We have a saniflo. Yes it is audible, but not really noisy. Just have to take care to only use moderate amounts of toilet paper for each flush.
Possibly not a bad idea anyway if there turn out to be lockdown related loo roll shortages again!!

[Deleted User]

Rural_Puppy said:

Why not go back for s second viewing and ask to use the toilet?
We have a saniflo. Yes it is audible, but not really noisy. Just have to take care to only use moderate amounts of toilet paper for each flush.
Possibly not a bad idea anyway if there turn out to be lockdown related loo roll shortages again!!

That reminds me of the Alan Partridge episode when he claims to have tested the toilet on a holiday barge.

“This chemical toilet is a Saniflow 33, now this little babe can cope with anything, and I mean anything. Earlier on I put in a pound of mashed up Dundee cake, let’s take a look…not a trace! Peace of mind I’m sure, especially if you have elderly relatives on board.”

AdrianC

This goes back to the days of Usenet.
It is as valid now as it ever was.
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/humour.html#saniflo

Just pause and ask yourself why a Saniflo is needed...
Because the pipes away from this toilet are too small diameter for toilet waste...? Why didn't they simply install proper diameter pipework?
Or is it because there's too many, too tight bends?

Does mincing everything that goes down that loo sound like an optimal solution to you?

The other usual installation situation is because the toilet is below sewer level. And we all know what does not roll uphill.

Doozergirl

AdrianC said:

This goes back to the days of Usenet.
It is as valid now as it ever was.
http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/humour.html#saniflo

Just pause and ask yourself why a Saniflo is needed...
Because the pipes away from this toilet are too small diameter for toilet waste...? Why didn't they simply install proper diameter pipework?
Or is it because there's too many, too tight bends?

Does mincing everything that goes down that loo sound like an optimal solution to you?

The other usual installation situation is because the toilet is below sewer level. And we all know what does not roll uphill.

A saniflo is a great deal more expensive and involves a lot more labour than installing proper diameter pipework.  Nobody would install one as a bodge.  

If the only suitable place for an extra loo is a long way from the drains and a fall can't be accommodated through the house layout (or the joists run at an angle to the required route) then a macerator is the appropriate solution. 

AdrianC

Doozergirl said:

If the only suitable place for an extra loo is a long way from the drains and a fall can't be accommodated through the house layout (or the joists run at an angle to the required route) then a macerator is the appropriate solution. 

Or accepting that's a lousy place for an extra bog, and putting it in a more sensible place.

Doozergirl

AdrianC said:

Doozergirl said:

If the only suitable place for an extra loo is a long way from the drains and a fall can't be accommodated through the house layout (or the joists run at an angle to the required route) then a macerator is the appropriate solution. 

Or accepting that's a lousy place for an extra bog, and putting it in a more sensible place.

Given that I had one for 9 years and we put it in ourselves, where it went was the best place.  I've never come up with a better solution and I've tinkered with that house a lot!  A small former box room next to the biggest and best proportioned bedroom in the house, but in the middle at the front - downhill from the drains at the rear, so we couldn't dig.  There was no other option.  

Yes, a 4 inch pipe was ideal, but that ensuite has been invaluable with 5 people living in the house and on a daily basis the saniflo simply isn't noticed, it's just the ensuite. 

I've never had to put one in a client's house, so it's a rare thing.  Being rare is probably also why people are so wary of them. 

macman

A lot of plumbers will install them, but, when they block or malfunction, they won'y be queueing up to fix them. Understandably so.