Saniflo broke again - plumbers advice..?

moonrakerz

topsales wrote: »

Used to have one of these - seemed to block if one as much as looked at it the wrong way. And cost a fortune to fix...would NEVER have one again.

Funny, both myself and my neighbour have had absolutely NO bother with ours - mind you, we have no kids in the houses !

I am convinced that most of the problems are caused by incorrect use. There was a thread on here from someone who was cursing their Saniflo having replaced the motor several times. After some questioning it turned out that he had a washing machine emptying into it - there is a special heat/detergent resistant model for this purpose. A "standard" Saniflo soon has all the grease washed out of the motor bearings - and it dies !
His plumber said nothing about this - I suppose he was paying his mortgage off on all the bills from this recurring job..........

Little_Bandit

In searching for yet again another plumber to fix our SaniPack, for the second time, I came across this interesting string of problems. I would like to point out that my husband and I have no children and thought we were intelligent engineers (aerospace, unfortunately) and religiously followed the saniflo dos and don'ts. So why is it after only one year and ten months since it was last completely replaced has the darn thing now started to wait a very long time before the pumps kicks in? The shower drains overflows, and only then does the pump FINALLY kick! Feels like the pressure switch is not working but of course the very little guide that came with the pump does not provide a legible labeled diagram to show what is what. Forcing one to use only Saniflo engineers who charge the earth.

iankw

Little_Bandit wrote: »

In searching for yet again another plumber to fix our SaniPack, for the second time, I came across this interesting string of problems. I would like to point out that my husband and I have no children and thought we were intelligent engineers (aerospace, unfortunately) and religiously followed the saniflo dos and don'ts. So why is it after only one year and ten months since it was last completely replaced has the darn thing now started to wait a very long time before the pumps kicks in? The shower drains overflows, and only then does the pump FINALLY kick! Feels like the pressure switch is not working but of course the very little guide that came with the pump does not provide a legible labeled diagram to show what is what. Forcing one to use only Saniflo engineers who charge the earth.

I had a similar problem and after investigation it proved to be the black rubber membrane which is underneath the switch housing had become hard and was not flexing correctly when water entered the unit to press the micro switch to switch the pump on. It was relatively easy to diagnose if you are used to dealing with this sort of product but probably hard if you are more used to dealing with jet engines! There are a couple of points to remember when installing, using and repairing macerators. Follow the installation instructions and do not think that you can change those instructions yourself and expect it to work. The units are for disposing of human waste and toilet tissue. The manufacturer states very clearly that other items such as (or should I say especially) sanitary towels, condoms, cotton buds, disposable nappies etc will cause the unit to malfunction. Usually the macerator has a small sticker supplied to illustrate just that. However, these do not look very attractive and are sometimes removed. This is not a problem for the owner or main user but more of a problem for occasional guests or visitors. We have a printed A4 sheet stuck on ours as guests have caused problems. You can call the service engineers but most problems are within the scope of a reasonable diy'er. If the motor hums but does not pump it is probably a sanitry towel or similar which is jamming the motor. If there is a delay in pumping suspect the oval black membrane at the bottom of the switch housing. If it has had lots of use possible the switch itself. If replacing the membrane seal make sure it's a tight fit or supplement the seal between membrane and switch housing with a suitable thick grease or silicone sealant. If you decide to have a go yourself do not forget to switch the unit off and isolate the supply properly. I have seen loads of people moaning about macerators but most problems are either incorrect installation or incorrect use. The cost of the unit is usually a fraction of digging up floors and laying drains even where this is possible.

kleinboet

Reading your comments with interest.
I look after a lady who is wheelchair bound with MS and I want to put a "en suite" for her use.
I will only need a shower and washbasin (with the toilet being optional) Should I use Saniflo, or should I spend a lot more money and have an on suite bathroom properly fitted and plumbed in?

keystone

kleinboet wrote: »

I will only need a shower and washbasin (with the toilet being optional) Should I use Saniflo, or should I spend a lot more money and have an on suite bathroom properly fitted and plumbed in?

If you are only fitting a shower and a WHB why would you need a dreaded Saniflow?

Cheers