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A Better Basement Bath
I
fs a common basement renovation
scenario: You want a new bathroom
and your plumber recommends a sew-
age ejection system. That requires digging
through the concrete: a messy and time-con-
suming job with a high price tag.
Mike Sikorski says that scenario was
turning off his customers. Today, the East
Taunton, Mass., plumber happily recom-
mends above-floor plumbing instead.
"The last sewage ejector I put in was about
three years ago," he says. "I recommend
Saniflo aboveground plumbing for all my
basement baths now It's less invasive, ifs a
cut-and-dry' installation, and there are no
surprises:'
Sikorski customers"get more bang for
their buck" with the system. "If you can save
people money, that's a plus."
Saniflo's modern toilet systems use above-
floor, or "macerating," technology. There's no
need to dig. Instead of routing flush water
through underground drainage lines to a
sewage ejector, waste is moved to a pump.
The pump liquefies waste and paper, and
releases it under pressure through small-
diameter piping to the sewer or septic tank.
It requires no special maintenance, and the
pump (which can be hidden behind the
wall) is sealed for life.
Tom Proudler is a Santa Rosa, Calif.,
building contractor who traveled to
Raynham, Mass., to help his daughter ren-
ovate her basement. He had never heard
of above-floor plumbing before Sikorski
recommended it.
"It's the neatest thine Proudler says.
"It's not as noisy as an ejector, and it saved
us a ton of money."
Sikorski agrees. "With a sewage ejec-
tor — just as you would for conventional
plumbing — you've got to jackhammer
and dig up the floor, not knowing what's
beneath. Then you have to re-cement it.
Frankly, digging is unpredictable."
There are several hazards, he explains.
"To start with, I don't know how thick the
floor is, or if there are unforeseen rocks
or pipes. And if I run into a ledge, the
customer has to reconfigure the layout for
the bathroom. Plus, any time you disturb
the concrete floor, there's a chance of water
seeping through."
Saniflo systems can handle the toilet
and all the bathroom fixtures, and work
up to 15 feet below and as far as 150 feet
away from a septic tank or sewer line.
Plus, there is no need for a storage tank to
hold accumulating waste.
Sewage ejectors require concrete excava-
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Above-floor plumbing permits the cre-
Macerating tank box without toilet, but
ation of a full bathroom. The macerating
unit, seen here behind the toilet, can
including drainage piping leading to sink
and tub/shower. All components may be
also be located out of view inside the
wall.
concealed behind the wall for a more fin-
ished installation.
tion to install drain lines and a storage tank.
"There's really nothing to be gained by using
sewage ejection': says Rob Weed, a manu-
facturers' representative with Studnicky
Associates. "You still have to trench through
the concrete just as you would have to with
conventional plumbing."
"With a sewage ejector, you're limited
to an area with enough space for the sew-
age tank and a way to access it," Sikorski
explains. Typically, these storage tanks
(30 by 30 inches) accumulate waste over
numerous flushes before the ejector
moves it up into the main drain. "When
not installed properly, the tank cover can
leak water if the pump fails and also cause
gases to come into the house he says.
You don't have that problem with above-
floor plumbing, which pumps the system
clear of waste with every flush.
The possibility for a storage-tank leak
kept homeowner Frank Hunt from choos-
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