The media could not be loaded. Update 12/15/19: We've had the unit for several months now and it's worked out great for us. Well worth the time/effort for the install. If you are hesitating, just do your research and select the right model for your level of anticipated usage in your home! I know it's a "first world issue" but if you can provide the "luxury" of a second commode in a one washroom house, why not? As far as "care" for the unit, I use the same products that we use in the regular toilet to clean the bowl--baking soda. Works great. -------------------------------------------------- The reason for the 4 stars is because the install instructions for this really suck, at this price point Saniflo needs to REALLY provide some more user-friendly instructions WITH WORDS as well as pics. Living in a house with one commode is a pain, have been wanting to add at least a 1/2 bath but the cost is prohibitive until I came across this little pal. I considered doing a composting unit, but once I read about the Saniflo I decided to give this a whirl. I converted a laundry closet that about the size of a walk-in closet, since I could make use of the existing water lines, the GFCI outlet, and the drain as it backs right up to the existing bathroom plumbing. I initially viewed the install guide on the Saniflo website and realized it's not the most user-friendly thing in the world, mostly all pics...so I went hunting for videos and found a few on youtube that provided a bit more detail on the install. Also found a couple of forums that were mostly UK based, but they helped a bit on just providing more real world info. THE INSTALL: DIY OR NOT?? I will state that if you are looking for a plumber experienced in installing one of these--Good luck with that, Saniflo has an alleged listed of "preferred" installers on their website by geographic location. Out of curiosity, I contacted four of them to see what they would charge to install the unit for me, out of the four only one was even interested in doing it and he wanted $2500. I then contacted around 5 plumbers in my local area, even tried the big box orange home improvement store, the guy showed up to give an estimate and even though that store sells these as well, he ran like a scared rabbit as he had zero experience, didn't even know such a thing existed. LOL. The most expensive estimate I received was $4200. HA! In any case, this install can really be a DIY if you know your way around some basic tools and do a little research. If Saniflo would provide a REALLY good installation guide WITH WORDS AND PICS that would make it even better. Anywho, the unit is now installed and it works. Tapped into the water supply line for the sink from the other bathroom and the discharge pipe. Would also recommend installing a ball valve cutoff for the discharge line from the toilet, in case your unit ever has to be disconnected you can isolate the discharge line and avoid any potential messes, we did it and it's no big deal. Additionally, leave yourself some space behind the unit in case you need to get back there for some reason, if you put it too close against the wall you will NOT be able to reach that pump or the lines if the need arises. USAGE INFO: For us, this unit is a "light duty" usage, there are no small children who might things down it, or anyone in the house dumb enough to put anything in it other than bodily waste. If you have a situation where you have small children or a lot of folks in the home, you might want to consider one of their other models with the external pump. For this unit, the pump is not that loud (have uploaded a video of it flushing), not sure why people have stated that, it's no louder than the washer or dishwasher. Will be prettying up the space with storage, paint, etc. and hiding the lines with some shelving units. We use 1-ply paper, has good pressure to handle #2 flushes. I've left a panel of sheet-rock open and will probably make a panel that we can easily remove if this needs any servicing in the future. Overall, it appears to meet our needs and we like it so far, it's not super expensive and it has a 3 yr warranty if you register it with Saniflo. The biggest challenge is to find someone willing to install water lines and tap into the drain system to install it for you, if you do not DIY it, plumbers want you to break concrete, or charge you 2-3 X the cost of the unit to install it. In my case, we got some help from a handy-man which worked out just fine as there is no huge amount of plumbing to do with this unit. I will try to update this review after we've had it in service for awhile. We did install a sink as well, but did not run it into the back of the Sanicompact, I just felt that was bit much to ask of it for this house.
