TequilaMB
Member
Readers Digest version: Is it possible to join a Star Powerflush Optima back outlet toilet with a Saniflo grinder when the Saniflo grinder's intake opening is higher than the backflush toilet's outlet pipe?
The back story:
In early 2020, we installed, with the help of a friend who is a general contractor, a basement bathroom with the Star Powerflush Optima water system, back outlet toilet & tank. The tank and pump also serve a tub and sink in the bathroom, and a small bar sink outside the bathroom. The macerating pump is located outside the wall of the bathroom, in the unfinished part of the basement.
The first tank we had failed after just over a year. Our contractor friend is no longer with us, so we replaced the macerator pump ourselves with a new Star Powerflush macerator which we purchased.
Then, just a year later, THAT pump showed signs of imminent failure. At that time, due to our complaining bitterly, Star sent us another new macerator, which we installed this past summer after macerator #2 totally, and suddenly failed. We've decided not to wait for another failure before taking pre-emptive steps. We're not convinced that another Star system is the way to go, given the track record. But we're not sure if we can simply replace the Star macerating pump with another brand with a better track record, such as Saniflo. We've reached out to Saniflo through several online resources, and have had no satisfactory answer. Of course they tell us that we can purchase both the grinder and their back flush toilet, which is what we're trying to avoid. The main issue is that the Star Macerator's intake opening is lower (less than 4' from the basement floor) than the height of the Saniflo grinder's intake opening.
Can anyone comment or help us understand if it is possible to replace the current macerator with a better grinder WITHOUT having to replace the toilet, too? Replacing the toilet seems not only unnecessary since there's nothing wrong with the fixture, but it would also necessitate cutting a new hole in the bathroom wall to run the pipe out to the new grinder. We would like to avoid this if at all possible.
The back story:
In early 2020, we installed, with the help of a friend who is a general contractor, a basement bathroom with the Star Powerflush Optima water system, back outlet toilet & tank. The tank and pump also serve a tub and sink in the bathroom, and a small bar sink outside the bathroom. The macerating pump is located outside the wall of the bathroom, in the unfinished part of the basement.
The first tank we had failed after just over a year. Our contractor friend is no longer with us, so we replaced the macerator pump ourselves with a new Star Powerflush macerator which we purchased.
Then, just a year later, THAT pump showed signs of imminent failure. At that time, due to our complaining bitterly, Star sent us another new macerator, which we installed this past summer after macerator #2 totally, and suddenly failed. We've decided not to wait for another failure before taking pre-emptive steps. We're not convinced that another Star system is the way to go, given the track record. But we're not sure if we can simply replace the Star macerating pump with another brand with a better track record, such as Saniflo. We've reached out to Saniflo through several online resources, and have had no satisfactory answer. Of course they tell us that we can purchase both the grinder and their back flush toilet, which is what we're trying to avoid. The main issue is that the Star Macerator's intake opening is lower (less than 4' from the basement floor) than the height of the Saniflo grinder's intake opening.
Can anyone comment or help us understand if it is possible to replace the current macerator with a better grinder WITHOUT having to replace the toilet, too? Replacing the toilet seems not only unnecessary since there's nothing wrong with the fixture, but it would also necessitate cutting a new hole in the bathroom wall to run the pipe out to the new grinder. We would like to avoid this if at all possible.
