Questions and Answers for Saniflo SaniAccess3 2-Piece 1.28 GPF Single Flush Elongated Toilet in White

A:  Both Sides. I have a bathroom shower and sink connected to one side and a kitchen sink to the other. It works good.

A:  Yes, you can. If you scroll down the Home Depot you will come to a section entitled Product Details where you will find PDF’s of the product documents. If you open the Installation Guide it has multiple illustrations showing fixtures connected to either side of the macerator.

A:  Both sides

A:  If you scroll down the Home Depot product listing page you will come to a section entitled Product Details. There you will find PDF’s of the product documents. It indicates 15’ as the maximum recommended height of lift which is referred to by plumber as head. However if you want more detail on the pumps performance please open the PDF of the instructions. It contains an image of the pump curve. A pump curve is a graph. On one axis is height of lift and the other flow rate. The curve or graph indicates the pumps performance across its range. You will notice for this pump when pumping 0-3’ up it will move 27 gallons per minute. When pumping 15’ vertically the performance will drop to 17 gallons per minute which is about where you would want to stop. If your application requires greater performance you would want to use a different product. The best practice is to calculate the head and the required flow rate needed at that height. Then select a product where your needs fall in roughly the center of the curve. Don’t under or over size the pump.

A:  I have a condo and it works just fine in the basement

A:  No, this unit is for basement appplications only. Mike

A:  A condominium, or condo, is an individually owned residential unit in a complex or building of like units. There is nothing about the ownership structure of a property that factors into whether or not this product would be appropriate. This product is used in many applications where sewage needs to be lifted to a point where it can enter the gravity drainage system. It is used many applications that do not involve a basement. I cannot give you a definitive answer as to if it is correct for your application. For that you would need to have a qualified local licensed plumber take a look. As to your home being a condo. I have learned that condos sometimes have very detailed rules and covenants against certain things. So it is possible that adding a bath or a pump is in violation of the rules. But here again I cannot give you a definitive answer as to the rules by which your condo association works. For that you would need to speak to a duly appointed authority of the condo association or home owners association.

A:  Yes and No. Yes in that I could see this product being described as an up-flush toilet. But No in that the toilet doesn’t actually flush up and it has no relation to the product called an “Up-Flush Toilet” that was available in the 1950’s. This is a rear out toilet. The rear discharge lines up to the entry spud of a waste pump that mounts behind it. The pump is used to lift the waste. So technically the toilet does not flush up the pump does. But the end result is the combination of the toilet and pump do move the waste upwards so it can be discharged into the gravity waste system.

A:  The toilet flushes to the rear and discharges into the macerating pump unit. The pump discharges out the top of the unit and into your pipe system which can go up several feet before tying into your sewer line. The installation specifications will tell you exactly how to install the pipes. 

A:  Yes. I installed in basement. Included a sink. Both toilet and sink east is pumped up to sewer pipe, about 4 feet up. Works great. Needs electric plug. 

A:  Yes it is. Works great.

A:  Yes you are able to buy separately. As they have upgrade models to match your existing one. Just assure the right pump size when shopping, as different pump may have different dimension. 

A:  Yes, Home Depot offers all the Saniflo brand pumps separately. The pump used in this kit is the model 082. It carries Home Depot SKU 204204411. If you put this number in the search block, on the Home Depot web site it will come up.

A:   No venting is needed for this pump. Just assure the waste line has proper flow and don’t use any 90* elbows, only use 22.5* or 45*. 

A:  The directions state that it must be tied into the main vent stack going thru the roof. What it comes down to more than anything is what your local plumbing code requires. I tied into a secondary stack that was used for old kitchen sink location which worked out great for me.

A:  Venting is critically important for two reasons and all fixtures must be vented according to code. First a vent allows air to come in behind the draining liquid. Without a vent a vacuum would form and the fluid could not move. Second, sewer gas contains potentially lethal odorless gasses that must be vented to the outside. Plumbing code varies state to state and its interpretation varies inspector to inspector. To get a definitive answer you would need to speak to a qualified local licensed plumber in your area. Sometimes they will insist you bring the vent back to the stack. If that is not possible code may allow for other alternatives that are safe.

A:  Hi David, you can vent it outside the wall, that will work. Doesn’t need to go to the roof. HTH

A:  Yes, the system just grids up the solid waist. 

A:  The waste stream does not normally go to the septic tank directly. It should go to your sewer pipe which empties into the tank. The small volume from the pump will not be enough to fill and build pressure in the system, including the tank.

A:  Interesting question. Let me start with the second point. A macerator is a style of pump design. Others would include, sewage, effluent, grinder, and trash. I won't get into the specifics of each but lets just agree that they are all pumps. They create a pressure drop that is used to fight gravity. So when they they lift the water they do create a slight pressure. One PSI is needed for every 2.3 feet of vertical lift. However this has nothing to do with the typical septic system , leaching field or drain lines. They are part of the gravity system. Those parts of the system are not pressurized. Both the drain system in your home and the septic system are vented to the atmosphere. That is why the main stack pipe goes up through the roof of the house. This is called the vent and is where potentially lethal sewer gas escapes to the atmosphere and where air can enter behind the water so it can flow. To put it another way, the systems are open so there is no way to pressurize them to any extent. As to the first half of the question. Obviously I don't know how your specific septic system was designed. But here again that concern typically would hold water, no pun intended. Typically a septic thank holds hundreds and in most cases thousands of gallons. There are also typically multiple chambers. Therefore sewage spends time in the tank. During that time solids drop to the bottom where they become part of the organic compost that is taking place. Only water should pass through to the next chamber and ultimately out to the "D box" and leaching field. Oil and grease are the things that will really kill a leaching field and even those should be skimmed off by baffles in the tank. Finally well engineered systems will have filters to act as protection of last resort. I moved in to an older home that did not have these so for a small amount of money I had them added the first time my tank was pumped. Again I don't know your home and how it was plumbed. I guess theoretically there could be something a plumber knows about your home that could pose a problem. But I can not imagine what that would be.

A:  It’s being pumped to the main waste pipe then gravity and water take over.  I have had this in my basement since 4/21. This has saved us!  Best investment ever for a normal 2 bedroom and 1 bath home. I had this professionally installed but some one who is handy could install it. 

A:  Yes. We used a back flow valve and a p trap. To keep it safe.

A:  Yes. I have a sink And shower hooked up. It works great.

A:  Yes this product is often installed in conjunction with shower. If you scroll down the Home Depot product listing page you will find a section entitled "Info and Guides" There you will find a PDF of the instructions. If you open this document it gives specifics on its capability for handling a shower.

A:  Yes, we hooked up a shower and sink. 

A:  Yes you can. There are two inlets on the macerator so you can do a toilet and a shower. 

A:  We installed in basement and it works great, should be able to install anywhere you need an up flush 

A:  The case of the macerator is pvc type plastic, the toilet is porcelain and must not be allowed to freeze. It is a great unit to use in a basement bath room along with a shower and sink. I did the entire install myself. It took double the time I thought because of hooking to existing pipes above. We are very pleased with the way it operates and it is quiet. I would buy it again.

A:  It has been my experience that these units are often used when converting a garage into living space. So I would characterize that as a common use. However, as plumbing and zoning codes vary state to state, community to community and there interpretation often varies inspector to inspector, I can not confirm that it is right for your particular application. For a definitive answer I would speak to a qualified licensed plumber or the municipal plumbing inspector in your town.

A:  You need to have water/sewage  and electricity.

A:  The answer lies in your waste water. How far can this be pumped to. I had on of these installed in my basement. It pumps the waste up to my waste water pipe. I have used as a second toilet for a almost 2 years and no issues. I didn’t want to tear up the cement in my basement. 

A:  Please scroll down the Home Depot product listing page to the section with the header "Info and Guides" There you will find a PDF labeled "Instructions". If you open that document it contains an illustration that calls out suggested sizes. It indicates that the pump discharge pipe should be either 3/4" or 1". I called someone I know who works in the Saniflo tech department. I asked if in his experience one size was better over the other. He indicated that both would work but that he always used 1" and felt it worked best with the provided connectors.