Extending a sewage pipe

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alansb
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Extending a sewage pipe

Post by alansb »

Hi - new to this forum and looking for advice as I don't know much about plumbing.

Moved into a new flat last year. Top floor flat and the main bathroom has a saniflo - toilet, sink and bath all connected. We have an en suite in a different part of the flat (which I think used to be the main bathroom until it was converted) which is connected to the main sewage pipe. Obviously a saniflo is not ideal for a main bathroom - although we have been here a year and haven't had any problems so far...

We found out recently that the flat below us has its main bathroom in exactly the same position as ours (directly below ours) but is connected to a main sewage pipe. There is a restaurant below that, and a toilet in the restaurant that is also connected.

Obviously whoever had the saniflo installed did so for a reason. However, I was surprised to learn that the flat below doesn't need one.

I know its impossible to say without seeing what's there - but in theory, if the sewage pipe doesn't run all the way up to our flat, could we get it extended so that it does? Would this likely involve getting access to the flat below? What sort of cost would we be talking? The bathroom is an internal room (i.e. - no outside walls) so I can't see where the current sewage pipe runs to.

Cheers for any advice!
Rorschach
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Re: Extending a sewage pipe

Post by Rorschach »

Why are you worried about the current situation? Are you worried about clogging the saniflo? Who is using the main bathroom, is it mostly visitors? If so, then it's going to be liquids rather than solids. Do your heavy business in the en suite and don't about the other toilet.
alansb
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Re: Extending a sewage pipe

Post by alansb »

We have children so not practical as they grow older for them to always use the en suite. Plus there is only a shower in the ensuite - the main bathroom takes some pretty heavy usage - bath time etc. As I said, haven't had problems yet - but the bath is slow to drain and I know saniflos are not really ideal for main bathrooms long term.
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Re: Extending a sewage pipe

Post by Rorschach »

Ah fair enough. Well stage one, if you haven't already. Go speak to your neighbours and ask to poke around their bathroom, try and find out where the sewage stack is. In theory it should be easy to find as there should be a vent stack continuing up to the roof.
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Someone-Else
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Re: Extending a sewage pipe

Post by Someone-Else »

As for cost.............that has too many varying factors to give even a vague answer, and if anyone ever does, you still have to get some one to quote to do the job anyway. (And they can see what is involved, we can't)
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Re: Extending a sewage pipe

Post by arco_iris »

alansb wrote:the bath is slow to drain and I know saniflos are not really ideal for main bathrooms long term.
The reason that macerators should not be the main outlet is that if the power fails, you have no toilet. So one in your main bathroom is fine as long as you have the mains one in the en-suite.

Your bath should not be going THROUGH the macerator, but will be connected to the same pipework - so the macerator is not the reason that your bath is slow to drain.
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Re: Extending a sewage pipe

Post by Someone-Else »

I was under the impression that a hand basin or bath CAN go into a macerator since its a "pump with knives" but in the case of a bath or hand basin, it is used solely to pump the water up to the main sewer?
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