If you are struggling for space and need more rooms and bathrooms, it could be tempting to move to a bigger property. But the solution may rest within your home, it just takes a little imagination to uncover its untapped potential.
Need a second WC downstairs? What about the space under the stairs that has become a dumping ground for coats? Coveting a master suite that can give you a sanctuary to retreat to? The dusty attic could be put to better use than storage by being converted into a bedroom and en suite. Or why not convert the dark and chilly garage that’s filled with everything but the car, so you can create your dream kitchen with a separate utility and shower room?
Adding an extra toilet as part of these improvements – whether it’s downstairs for guests to use, in the utility or upstairs so parents have their own separate bathroom – will add convenience and value to your home; experts estimate it will increase its worth by about five per cent.
However, fitting one, especially in a space where it was never planned for a bathroom to be, can provide challenges with all the plumbing that is needed to service it. If you are installing a WC under the stairs or in an en suite as part of a loft conversion, and it isn’t above or below an existing bathroom, it is unlikely that it will be close to mains drainage or a soil and vent pipe.
Fitting a macerator toilet could solve this problem as it doesn’t need a drainage extension pipe, so you can fit it anywhere – in a loft, basement or garage – or into the most compact of spaces, such as under the stairs or in a room created by taking a small area off the hallway or landing.
How do macerators work?
Traditional plumbing systems need gravity to work to wash away waste and fluids from one point to another. But, there are times when a toilet needs to be fitted in a space where it can’t rely on gravity to do this.
A macerator in a toilet is a built-in sewage pump that uses a high-speed rotating blade to liquidise waste so it can be flushed away in any direction. A water and electricity connection is all that is required for it to work. The waste is discharged through small bore pipework and feeds into the mains drainage system.
They are a hygienic and safe way to dispose of waste as the macerators, pumps and discharge pipes create compact units that are very clean. And because the units are watertight and external to the toilet bowl, they are unlikely to leak or cause the toilet to flood.
Creating dream spaces anywhere
If you don’t have mains drainage in a room that you are planning to convert, it doesn’t have to stop you transforming it into an en suite, bathroom, shower room or even a mud room for rinsing off your pets after a rainy walk.
Specially designed shower pumps can be fitted where floor drainage is required but where space underneath is very limited, such as in wet rooms or bathrooms with a low entry shower tray.
If it’s a new utility or kitchen with an island you want, and mains drainage isn’t nearby, rather than costly plumbing work, adding a compact pump under the sink could be the answer.
Saniflo
Saniflo is the market leader in macerators, having invented the concept back in 1958. It now has more than 30 products to help customers find solutions to complete their perfect project – including macerators, pumps and lifting stations. Its technical team can advise customers on the best product for the space they are looking to transform. A network of Saniflo engineers throughout the UK ensures that installation and aftercare is available from trained professionals. For more details, go to saniflo.co.uk