Converting saniflo to conventional plumbing

[lisad108]

Hi all,

We have just made an offer on a house which has a saniflo unit fitted to the toilet, am unsure about the bath/basin. Is it possible to convert this to 'normal' plumbing and how much does this cost?

I think there was possibly a bathroom downstairs and it was moved upstairs. Opinions on this would be very helpful.

Many thanks

[The Builder]

Sorry Lisa, but I think you're asking a bit too much - no one could give you an idea of the cost without looking at the situation. It all depends on how far the WC is from a soil pipe (drain connection)........and whatever is in between :o(

[lisad108]

Thanks for your reply. The bathroom is directly above a downstairs wc, so am assuming the soil pipe must be somewhere nearby, we are pretty sure this wc was previously part of the downstairs bathroom.

I understand nobody can give us a price without seeing it, but was more interested in finding out if it can actually be done before we purchase property.

[buildersmate]

To convert to conventional soil waste, a 110mm diameter pipe must be run near-horizontally, then vertically down into an existing drain. There will be one somewhere close to the downstairs WC, however it may not be straightforward. Believe me, Saniflo systems are far more expensive in materials than conventional pipes and bends, so the required route must have challenging or the plumber is unlikely to have installed a Saniflo.
If your donstairs loo runs out near-horizontal into a vertial stack it may be technically possible to extend that stack upwards into your bathroom - then think for yourself where the upstairs loo would have to be situated to make that drainable.
If the existing downstairs loo pipework disappears vertically into the floor, you are going to have to install another branch from the sewer below ground level by digging up the whole area around the loo floor and back to the sewer run (which probably runs close to the outside wall of the loo. This would be major piece of work and cost many hundreds of pounds.
My guess is the latter situation applies.

[The Builder]

Lisa.........just to add to Buildersmate's helpful comments..............wait until you decide to change the whole bathroom suite...........that'll be the time to go over to 110mm soil...........if you want to :o)

[lisad108]

Thanks for all the comments on this. We are just very unsure about this saniflo system as we have never come across it before. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[lisad108]

Sorry, one other thing....if these is a saniflo system for the bath, can you fit a power shower over? Thanks