Sanicompact - Anyone ever fitted / used one?

[SkipFeeney]

Hi All,

I have just fitted a new sanicompact 43 (Toilet and macerator in one) including new pipe work to soil stack.

It all seems to be working fine except the motor seems to fire up every ten mins, pump the water out the bowl and then re-fill it again! I have the basin pipe work attached to it but haven't fitted a basin so its not water dripping down into the unit.

I measured the water it was pumping out and it was 400ml, i then measured the amount it fills the pan with and that too was 400ml!

Any ideas?

 

[picasso]

Did you fit the non return valve ? if you have it may be stuck or not fitted properly.

 

[SkipFeeney]

Did you fit the non return valve ? if you have it may be stuck or not fitted properly.

yes its fitted but I have taken it off to test it and it seems to be leaking:

Untitled

• SkipFeeney
• 26 Nov 2014
• 1

Surprised at that as the whole system is brand new?!

Also when i took the pipe off just after the non return valve to check it a fair amount of water came out. I guess this is what is trickling back into the motor. Is it normal for this water to be sitting in the pipework?

 

[Newboy]

If the pipework is rising from the pump then yes this will be full of water (hence the need for the non-return valve).

It may seem a stupid question but is the installation as specified by the manufacturer - specifically does the pipework rise immediately from the unit or is there any horizontal pipework before any vertical?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Would be much more desirable.


And require less work.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Think yourself lucky it hasn't been used yet otherwise it wouldn't just be water in that pipe..... Poxy things are no good when brand new so lord help you after it's had some use. The theory behind them is to pump waste from a WC etc upwards a certain distance, thus allowing sanitary facilities to be provided below the level of the drain, or in a location where a 4" drain is prohibited due to expense.

When (not if) they break down then all the pipework past that NRV is full of waste, (up to the point where gravity takes over anyway), and it all wants to come back the way it went. Taking a faulty unit apart is not for the faint hearted......

Never let a woman anywhere near them either.... Dan's option is much more practical on several fronts.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I love this soo much

http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/humour.html

 

[SkipFeeney]

If the pipework is rising from the pump then yes this will be full of water (hence the need for the non-return valve).

Apologies for the dumb question....I can't see why there would be any water stuck on the other side of the non return valve, surely this should be pumped to the soil stack with no water left to trickle back?

It is installed by the book, My run is only 1m vertical at the toilet and about 2 metres horizontal sloping all with 135 degree fittings for corners. I have not connected it to the soil stack yet so i can monitor the water and it always pushes about half a bucket full out on a full flush, so can't understand why some might not get pushed out unless this is normal.

 

[Newboy]

back to faulty or incorrect install of the non-return then

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

You will still have the 1m vertical section full at all times. These things pump liquid, not air, and once the liquid level inside the unit has dropped to the set point the unit will switch off. It wont keep running 'dry' to empty the outlet run from the unit.

That is part of the reason for the NRV, otherwise that last drop of liquid in the vertical pipework would keep running back into the unit, triggering the float switch and the unit would be constantly pulsing.

This is basically why they are detested so much, it doesn't take much to wreck one of these things, and dismantling them, (bearing in mind that outlet pipe may have to be disconnected, and you know what that is going to be full of ), is a disgusting job....

 

[Dan Robinson]

Quintessentially French.