Sanibest Heavy-Duty Grinder System Saves Renovated

SanibestHeavy-Duty Grinder System Saves Addiction Recovery Home Cost and Labor

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Sanibest Heavy-Duty Grinder System Saves Renovated

Addiction Recovery Home Installation Cost and Labor

SFA Saniflo donates above-floor plumbing system to solve drainage dilemma for
local non-profit Oxford House

Newton, KAN. (May 1, 2012)—Two months ago, retired manufacturing engineer Thomas Tittel purchased a five-bedroom, three-bath home here to support an innovative addiction recovery program. Unbeknownst to Tittel, the 3,245-square-foot ranch home lacked proper plumbing for a basement bathroom necessary to accommodate the 10 planned renters from Oxford House, a transitional housing program for recovering alcoholics and addicts.

“Although a basement bathroom was roughed in, it would have cost upwards of $2,500 to install the necessary sewage ejector pit and pump to make the water flow properly,” recalls Tittel, who learned of an affordable, alternative solution from plumbing representative Brett Bartlik, who is affiliated with one of 18 Oxford Houses in neighboring Witchita.

A 20-year plumbing industry veteran, Bartlik knew immediately the ideal solution for Tittel’s plumbing problem and recommended the Saniflo Sanibestheavy-duty grinding system.

“When you offer people an economical and straightforward alternative to digging up a concrete floor, it’s no contest between above-floor and conventional plumbing,” laughs Bartlik, a sales representative with Neenan Company, Kansas City, Mo.-based plumbing wholesaler with 10 locations in Missouri and Kansas.

Above-floor grinding and macerating systems, such as those made by SFA Saniflo, enable homeowners to easily and cost-effectively install a bathroom virtually anywhere without breaking through the floors—a special advantage when those floors are made of concrete.Instead of routing waste and water down through a conventional floor drain, Saniflo macerating and grinder systems pump the effluent up through a through a 3/4-inchor one-inch discharge line, made of PVC or CPVC, to a soil stack or septic tank.

By using a Sanibestheavy-dutygrinder system, Tittel was able to create a full basement bathroom, and route all waste water from not only the toilet, but also the tub/shower and lavatory sink, through the unit situated behind the toilet. Constructed from hardened steel, the unit’s grinder blade rotates against a stationary, perforated base plate, so that waste is quickly and easily dispersed through the base plate’s holes before being pumped into the discharge line.

“I think the Sanibest system is simply the best on the market,” says Bartlik. “Unlike standard macerating systems, the Sanibest can easily handle the accidental flushing of sanitary articles, such as feminine products, baby wipes, dental floss, etc. In fact, I won’t sell a pump without a grinder blade. In our business you have to plan for the worst-case scenario.”

Innovative Pumping Solution:The most powerful of Saniflo’s products, the Sanibestcutting blade operates at 3,600 revolutions per minute,using a 0.8-horsepower pump to send the effluent to the sewer or septic system. Although Tittel’s system needs to pump waste and water just nine vertical feetand 10 horizontal feet to tie into the home’s sewer line, the Sanibestcan move effluent up to 150 horizontal feet and 18 vertical feet. This extra pumping power, which uses 1.28 gpf(gallons per flush), provides home and building owners with greater flexibility in locating a new bathroom.

The up-flush grinder system took contractor Darence Munsell a little over three hours to install. “I’ve worked with up-flush technology for several years now and think it’s a great solution for certain applications,” says Munsell, owner of Newton, Kan.-based Master Plumbing, Inc. “The installation was very straightforward and a real time-saver. I would use it again.”

Plumbing philanthropy:Upon learning of the Oxford House project from Bartlik, Micah Moseley of Cornerstone Sales Agency, Saniflo’s Tulsa, Okla.-based sales agent in Kansas, arranged for the Sanibest system – roughly $1,000 – to be donated free of charge to the non-profit organization.

“The home’s original plumber misread the location of the sewer line, so they would have had to re-plumb the entire project without this innovative solution,” explains Moseley, who admits he had not heard of Oxford House prior to learning of the program from Bartlik. “Everyone needs a second chance to succeed, and we appreciate the opportunity to lend a helping hand.”

Property owner and Russell, Kas, resident Thomas Tittel views the project as a group success. “This was one way that I could give something back to a community,” he says. “It turned out to be such a positive experience, I’m thinking of doing it again if it would benefit more neighbors in other cities.”

Oxford House, Inc.is a worldwide network of self-run, self-supported recovery houses for individuals in recovery from addiction to alcohol and or other drugs. Since Oxford House began in 1975, this publicly supported, non-profit 501(c)3 corporation has established more than 1,600 Oxford Houses throughout the United States.

SFA saniflo U.S.A.—whose parent company originated macerating plumbing technology — offers a complete line of up flush toilets and gray water pumping systems for residential and commercial applications. Saniflo developed its innovative, “above-floor plumbing” technology more than a half-century ago and has led its commercialization worldwide. Today, the company markets macerating technology through 14 subsidiaries in 50 countries and has sold more than six million units worldwide since 1958. Saniflo markets through independent sales agents throughout North America, and the product line is currently available at distributor and dealer locations throughout the United States and Canada.

For more information, contact Saniflo at 1-800-571-8191. Or visit the Saniflo website at

For editorial assistance, including photography, contact John O’Reilly c/o O’Reilly/DePalma: 815-469-9100 or

To download images (hi-res .tif files) to accompany this article, use this link:

PROJECT CONTACTS:

Homeowner

Thomas Tittel

620-421-4222 cel

Manufacturer’s Representative

Mr. Micah Moseley, Owner

Cornerstone Sales Agency, Inc.

12530 E. 37th Street
Tulsa, OK 74146
918-280-1200

Plumbing Wholesaler

Mr. Brett Bartlik

Neenan Company

4425 W Harry St

Wichita, KS 67209

316-942-9524

Plumber

Mr. Darence Munsell, Owner

Master Plumbing Inc.

425 East Broadway Street
Newton, KS 67114-2738

316-282-7473