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| Author: Nicholas Phillips |
When Carl Pearson's ailing mother could no longer live alone safely, he and his wife Rita brought her to their home in Dallas so they could care for her. Wanting to preserve his mother's independence and protect the couple's privacy, Pearson converted a billiard room in the remodeled garage into a spacious bedroom suite.
Initially, he thought the arrangement would work well, but soon the walking distance to use the bathroom inside the house became difficult and too risky. 'My mother had dementia,' says Pearson, explaining she could get lost easily, even in a small area.
The billiards room had been plumbed for a sink, but installation of a conventional bathroom was impossible due to plumbing restrictions. Out of concern for his mother's welfare, Pearson put in a portable toilet, assuming it was his only option. 'For four months, I cleaned and emptied a porta-potty two or three times daily,' he recalls.
Then Pearson learned about a Saniflo macerating toilet while doing research on the Internet: 'I knew someone had the solution to our problem.'
Macerating technology is relatively new to the United States, introduced in the late 1990s. But the French parent company of SFA Saniflo actually developed its line of macerating systems in Europe more than 50 years ago. Last year, Saniflo sales in this country jumped by nearly two thirds, to more than 13,600 units, as more and more consumers discover the benefits of this unique technology that is changing the way Americans renovate their homes.
Installs anywhere: Although the Saniflo product looks like a conventional toilet, there is one very big difference: A macerating toilet can be positioned virtually anywhere.
That's because the system is installed directly on top of any finished floor, so there is no need for costly excavation to put in a drain line, even in a basement or a garage. The 'above-floor' technology uses a rotating cutting blade to convert waste and toilet paper into a slurry that is flushed through narrow-diameter piping into the sewer or septic system.
Without the need to dig up floors or tear out walls, a homeowner can add a spare bathroom quickly and cost-effectively: A new bathroom can be up and running in about half a day. With this kind of installation flexibility the choice of location is up to the homeowner, not the plumber.
'It fit the bill perfectly and gave us the ability to put a toilet where we never could have one otherwise,' Pearson says of the Saniflo unit he installed in the garage suite. Placing a bathroom right inside his mother's bedroom greatly improved her safety and quality of life. 'She had her privacy, and we never had any problems with the toilet.' Meanwhile, Pearson's days of emptying the portable toilet by hand were happily behind him.
The simplified installation makes removal a snap too, if desired. After his mother passed away several years later, Pearson decided to restore the bedroom suite to the original billiards getaway, and no longer needed a spare bathroom. He removed the Saniflo toilet and ended up giving it to a neighbor who happened to be looking for a solution to a similar plumbing problem for his own mother's living area. 'It was easy to install and easy to remove,' Pearson adds.
The flexibility to add a spare bathroom virtually anywhere in the house can be more than just a convenience; it can also be a life-saver. For older adults, falls are the leading cause of home-injury death, accounting for more than 68 percent of all unintentional fatal home injuries for people between the ages of 65 and 74.
When a spare bathroom is called for to make the caregiving home environment safer and more comfortable, homeowners want an effective option that is also a good investment. High quality, ease of installation and location flexibility make a macerating toilet system more than just a good alternative to conventional plumbing. It's also a savvy home-improvement choice. |
Author Bio:
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