Domakihub How to Install a Saniflo Macerator in Any Room
Add a toilet or bathroom almost anywhere without breaking concrete or major pipework.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
A Saniflo macerator lets you fit a fully working toilet, basin, or shower in a basement, under-stair cupboard, or outbuilding without ripping up floors or running large-diameter gravity drain pipes. The video above shows the full process on a real installation; the steps below give you a clear sequence to follow in your own home, holiday rental, or hotel room. Done properly, the job takes one to two days and leaves you with a sanitary unit that pushes waste up and away to the nearest existing soil stack.
What Is a Saniflo Macerator and How Does It Work?
A macerator is a sealed pump unit that sits on the floor directly behind the toilet pan. When the toilet is flushed, waste enters the chamber where a rotating blade grinds it into a fine slurry. The pump then pushes that slurry through a narrow 22 mm or 32 mm pipe — under pressure — horizontally or vertically to the nearest soil stack or sewer connection. Most units also accept waste inlet connections from a basin, bath, or shower, making an entire bathroom possible from a single box.
Because the discharge pipe is small and pressurised you can run it horizontally up to 100 m, or vertically up to 5 m on most standard models. That flexibility is exactly why macerators are popular in Greek basements, converted storage rooms, and ground-floor extensions where cutting into a concrete slab is not practical.
Before You Start: Planning and Permissions
In Greece, any work that adds a sanitary fixture — even a macerator — may require a building permit or an engineer's sign-off if the property is a registered hotel or short-term rental. Check with your local planning office (Πολεοδομία) before ordering materials. For private homes the threshold is higher, but you should still inform your building management company if you live in an apartment block, because you will be connecting to shared drainage.
Choose the correct Saniflo model for your application: the Saniaccess 2 suits a toilet-only setup; the Saniaccess 3 accepts toilet, basin, bath, and shower; the Sanicubic range handles larger commercial loads. Always buy from an authorised distributor and keep the CE declaration of conformity on file — it matters for insurance purposes in rental properties.
How to Install a Saniflo Macerator: 5 Steps
- 1
Prepare the Location and Rough-In the Supply Lines
Turn off the water supply to the relevant zone and locate your closest existing soil stack or external drain connection — this determines where your discharge pipe will run. Mark the toilet footprint on the floor, allowing at least 150 mm of clear space behind the pan for the macerator unit. Run the cold-water supply pipe (15 mm copper or push-fit plastic) to the planned cistern position, and chase or surface-run the discharge pipe route to the stack, avoiding dips where solids could settle. Use 22 mm pipe for runs up to 50 m; step up to 32 mm for longer horizontal runs.
- 2
Connect the Discharge Pipe to the Soil Stack
Drill a hole through the wall or floor at the stack connection point and fit a swept boss connector at the correct height — the discharge entry must be above the water seal in the stack trap. Glue the boss in place with solvent cement, allow it to cure for at least 30 minutes, then run your 22 mm or 32 mm MDPE or solvent-weld pipe back to the macerator position. Secure the pipe with clips every 500 mm, maintain a 1 % upward fall away from the unit for the first 500 mm, then the pump pressure handles the rest. Fit a non-return valve directly at the outlet of the macerator to prevent backflow.
- 3
Set the Macerator Unit and Connect the Toilet Pan
Place the macerator unit on the floor against the wall. Connect the rear outlet of the toilet pan to the inlet collar on the macerator using the rubber seal and collar supplied — do not use jointing compound, the rubber seal alone makes the joint watertight. Tighten the collar clamp evenly with a screwdriver until finger-tight plus a quarter turn; over-tightening cracks the plastic. Screw the cistern to the wall, connect the cold-water supply to the fill valve, and connect the flush pipe from the cistern to the pan. Level the pan with plastic packers before drilling the floor fixings.
- 4
Connect Basin, Bath, or Shower Waste Inlets (If Required)
Most macerators have one or more additional inlet ports, typically 32 mm or 40 mm, for basin or bath waste. Cut into your basin waste pipe and connect it to the inlet port using the rubber reducing seal provided. If the basin trap outlet is higher than the macerator inlet, gravity will carry the waste in naturally. If it is lower, you will need a separate Sanivite-type pump for that fixture. Fit a 75 mm deep-seal trap on every connected fixture to prevent foul air from passing back through the unit when it is idle.
- 5
Test, Commission, and Seal
Restore the water supply and check every push-fit or solvent joint for drips before testing the macerator electrically. Plug the unit into a fused spur (3-amp fuse) — a standard Greek Schuko socket is acceptable for most residential models but a dedicated IP44-rated fused connection unit is best practice in a bathroom. Flush the toilet three times in quick succession and listen: the motor should run for two to five seconds after each flush, then stop cleanly. Run the basin tap and confirm the unit activates. Check the discharge pipe along its full run for leaks, then silicone-seal the base of the toilet pan to the floor for hygiene. Register the unit with Saniflo for warranty purposes.
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FAQ
- Can a Saniflo macerator be installed in a basement below the sewer line?
- Yes — that is one of its main advantages. The pump generates enough pressure to push waste vertically up to 5 m and horizontally up to 100 m, so it can lift waste from a basement to a soil stack on the ground floor above. Make sure you fit a non-return valve at the macerator outlet so that if the stack backs up, sewage cannot flow back into the unit.
- How noisy is a Saniflo macerator, and is it suitable for a hotel room?
- Modern Saniflo units run at roughly 45–55 dB during the 3–5 second pumping cycle — comparable to a dishwasher. For hotel rooms or holiday rentals where noise sensitivity is higher, choose a model with an integrated sound-dampening housing and mount the unit on a rubber anti-vibration mat. Positioning the macerator on the opposite wall from the bedroom partition also helps reduce transmitted noise.
- How often does a Saniflo macerator need to be serviced or descaled?
- In Greece's hard-water areas — which include most of the Aegean islands, Attica, and central Greece — descaling every 12 months is strongly recommended. Use Saniflo's own descaler or a branded citric-acid product: pour it into the bowl, wait the specified contact time, then flush. Avoid bleach tablets in the cistern, as chlorine degrades the rubber membrane over time. A full mechanical service — checking the micro-switch, membrane, and blade — is typically needed every 8–10 years under normal residential use.