saniflo discharge

[trooper64]

hi can some help ? my girlfriends nan lives in a downtairs flat the saniflo unit keeps pumping on and off (have now turned off the isolator) have had a look at it and it seems that the waste is going up the discharge pipe and then returning down so it keeps filling up and making the pump kick in . i have no knowledge off macerators .could there be a blockage further up (3 stories) cant find soil stack internal..drains outside all ok all .all other flats are also ok .or have i missed something on the actual macerator ?? the pipe runs are all of the allowance so i know its not that .any help please

 

[bobpape]

Full marks for your analyses of the problem,
The discharge pipe is probably blocked,
Generally they pump the soil up to the gravity drainage, (not 3 stories)
they could be connected to a soil pipe or directly into a manhole,
If the discharge pipe is 22mm you are going to have trouble clearing it
sometimes it is more economical to replace the run with new pipe.

 

[NickH]

I have also noticed that on some installations with an initial vertical discharge pipe the waste will pump away until the level drops below the float switch, then the pump stops and some waste will drop back into the unit and switch the pump on again, it may cycle like this a couple of times before it stops.
On newer units i've fitted the discharge pipework incorperates a non return valve (basically a rubber flap) which stops this happening.

 

[heinz57]

I installed a saniflow saniplus system recently and decided against copper pipe as
its very expensive and 22mm seems a bit small. I went with 32mm abs pipe and
incorporated a couple of rodding eyes just in case it got blocked at a later date.
If i were you id put an eye or two in and rod away, just remember to wrap a towel
or cloth around the eye or you could get splatted, good luck!

 

[migoplumber]

heinz, 22mm is small, but the system is designed for small bore tube. the smaller the bore, the quicker the flow, if you increase the tube size the fluid inside will flow slower and seperate into liquids and solids, the liquids will drain but the solids will reach a point and stop. if the pipe is then unused for a while the solids will dry out and stick to the pipe creating resistance. the next time the pipe is used the solids will hit the dry blockage and enlarge the plug. big circle.
when you deviate from the manufactures instructions, bad things normally happen.. at least you put roddings eyes in, however wouldnt of been needed if the instalation was in 22mm pipe.

good luck
shaun

 

[heinz57]

Hello migoplumber, thanks for the feedback, any info from you guys is good. However the system that i put in was a Saniflow Saniplus and on their info pages they state that with this particular model you can use 22mm or 32mm discharge pipe from the unit. And for the final leg even 40mm pipe. I would never knowingly deviate from the
manufactures instructions unless advised to do so from someone better in the know. Thanks.

 

[Winston]

I had a similar problem at a customers where the pipe had been litterally laid on the floor so as soon as it hit the lowest point it started to block. What upset me was that the installer had done this and new of the problem as the customer called him out 4-5 times a year to clear the blockage.

Now I can rest as a rodding access has been put in and the pipework altered just a little to help with the flow.

 

[mark6266]

is there water trickling in the pan , because the ball valve is letting bye and the w/c cistern has an internal overflow ??