For homeowners who wish to install a new toilet in their home, a Saniflo unit may be appealing because you can install one almost anywhere in a building, and they’re more energy and water-efficient than traditional toilets. However, those unfamiliar with the technology might wonder where the waste goes.
Saniflo waste goes into a sewer pipe that feeds into a city sewer, a septic tank, or a soil stack. This is possible because of the macerator technology that turns solid waste into liquid.
In the rest of this article, I’ll explain how a Saniflo toilet works and where the waste goes. I’ll also discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of this type of toilet, so you can get a better idea of whether or not Saniflo is right for you.
How Do Saniflo Toilets Get Rid of Waste?
Saniflo toilets use macerator technology to turn all solid waste into liquid. This liquid is discharged through pipes into a sewer pipe, septic tank, or soil stack. Eventually, the waste will go through your local sewage system to a wastewater treatment facility.
The key feature of Saniflo toilets is the macerator technology. This technology breaks solid material down into smaller pieces until it becomes liquid. Here’s how it works:
After you flush, everything in the toilet (urine, feces, and toilet paper) goes through the bowl into the Saniflo unit, where a blade spins up to 3,600 rpm to churn all the solid material into a liquid.
The liquid waste is sent into a soil stack. The soil stack is the part of the system that connects to pipes leading to the outside sewage system.
The macerator technology turns off and the toilet bowl refills with water.
The liquid rises higher and higher in the soil stack every time you flush the toilet.
Once the liquid rises to a certain point, the float switch activates the microswitch.
The microswitch triggers the impeller.
The impeller pumps the liquid into a discharge pipe leading to the drainage pipe, which feeds into the city drainage system.
From this point, the waste’s journey is the same as if you were to use a traditional toilet. The liquid waste will go through your community’s sewer system to a wastewater treatment facility, where it will be treated through various processes and released again into local waterways.
Saniflo Toilet Pros and Cons
Now that you know where the waste goes when you use a Saniflo toilet, you might be wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of this type of toilet. Let’s take a look, starting with the pros:
You can install a Saniflo toilet almost anywhere. Adding a traditional toilet to a home can be extremely challenging depending on the plumbing setup. Conversely, you can install a Saniflo toilet almost anywhere because it is an upflush system.
Saniflo toilets are more environmentally friendly than traditional toilets. Saniflo toilets use less water and energy than traditional toilets, and we should all do what we can to reduce our environmental impact. Saniflo toilets can use as much as 70% less water than traditional toilets.
Installation doesn’t require a lot of impact on your home. If you want to install a new toilet with as little disruption as possible, a Saniflo is the way to go. You don’t need to dig up your floor with a Saniflo toilet, and most units are even portable.
While there are many benefits to having a Saniflo toilet, it isn’t a perfect system. Here are some important disadvantages to consider:
Saniflo toilets are loud. The macerator technology that breaks down the solid waste into a liquid can be loud, so if the toilet is in an area with poor insulation, the toilet flushing could be extremely disruptive.
Saniflo toilets are more expensive than traditional toilets. Purchasing and installing a Saniflo toilet will cost more than purchasing and installing a traditional toilet. You won’t be able to buy and install a Saniflo toilet for less than $1,000.
Saniflo toilets require frequent flushing. If you’re consistently using the toilet, this shouldn’t be a problem, but if you are going on an extended trip or want to install a Saniflo toilet in a seasonal home, you might run into some problems.
They clog easily. Saniflo toilets clog more frequently than traditional toilets, especially if you flush too much toilet paper or other items, such as tampons or baby wipes.
Saniflo toilets might be the right fit for some households and not for others. Before you decide on installing one in your home, it’s important to research and determine if it will work for you.
Saniflo toilets use different technology than traditional toilets, so understandably, there are many questions about how the system works, especially where the waste goes. A Saniflo toilet uses macerator technology to churn solid waste into a liquid pumped through pipes into a sewer, which will go through the local sewage system to a treatment facility.
