If you’re converting the attic of a four-square or creating an entertainment space in the basement of a bungalow, you already know that installing a kitchen or bath with conventional plumbing can be costly, and digging up the floor to make drainage connections can be a real mess.

Here’s something you may not know: Regardless of the type of home you’re renovating, above-floor plumbing (macerating technology), gives you the flexibility to be fully creative with project design and installations.

Pipes can be hidden from view if needed.

With macerating technology, excavation isn’t necessary, even in the basement, because the above-floor plumbing is installed directly on top of the finished floor. The options are endless: Renovate a loft, convert an attic, or refurbish the basement. SFA Saniflo Inc. offers a complete line of macerating systems that make bath, kitchen, and utility room plumbing a snap. Although still relatively novel in the Northwest, the technology is not new — more than 350,000 units were sold worldwide last year.

Avoiding excavation isn’t the only advan-tage. With Saniflo systems, you can also maximize tight spaces like dormers and the area beneath stairways, helping you transform older homes that only had space for one bath into a spacious and more efficient home.

How It Works
A Saniflo toilet looks very much like a conventional toilet and takes up roughly the same amount of floor space. Instead of routing the flush water through a drain in the floor, the macerating system moves it to a special pump that uses a fast-rotating blade to liquefy waste and toilet paper in the flush water. The waste is released under pressure through small-diameter piping to the sewer or septic tank. No special maintenance is needed and the pump is sealed for life.

The Sanicompact is a self-contained toilet that is perfect for limited-space installations such as closets and dormer areas. You can install a full-size bath anywhere you want with the Saniplus or the even more powerful Sanibest, both of which can accommodate all bath fixtures.

Sanipack and Sanistar can be wall-hung, and their designs make it easy to conceal the macerating pump, which is housed inside the Sanistar and usually located behind the wall with the Sanipack. Both can accommodate a washbasin as well as the toilet, while the Sanipack can also handle a shower.

The new Sanigrind system is ideal for homeowners looking to create a customized bathroom design. This system can be used with any conventional toilet that has a standard bottom outlet.

Just looking to install a shower or washbasin? The Sanishower is a gray water pump that simplifies these installations anywhere in the house or even outdoors, and can be used in a gazebo or pool house.

Saniflo technology isn’t just for bathrooms. With the Sanivite gray water pump, you can also install a fully functional kitchen anywhere — again, without digging up the floor. The pump can also handle wet bars or utility sinks and clothes washers, and it’s small enough to be concealed inside a vanity or cabinet.

Versatile Technology
This simple and cost-effective alternative to conventional plumbing is ideal for all types of renovations, from basement to attic to garage. Properly sized, the systems can handle all the plumbing fixtures in a bathroom, kitchen, or utility room — even on a septic system. What’s more, these fixtures will work up to 18’ below and as far as 150’ away from a septic tank or sewer line. (Actual distances depend on the individual system.) And Saniflo macerating systems are environmentally friendly. All of the toilet systems are low-consumption, using less water than conventional plumbing. The systems are available at hardware stores for do-it-yourselfers. Trade professionals can purchase them through plumbing wholesalers and contractors.

For more information about above-floor plumbing systems, contact Saniflo at 800-363-5874 or visit www.saniflo.com. Saniflo systems can be ordered at Winks Hardware, 200 SE Stark St., Portland, OR 97228 or call 503-227-5536.