We’re not going to assume that everyone knows what macerating toilets are. So just before we get into the business of the day – reviews – we’re going to take out time to explain what macerating toilets are and how they work.
Macerating toilets are also known as upflush toilets. And from both names, you can figure out two things already about such toilets. One, there’s some maceration going down in the said toilet and there’s also an upward flushing.
So, when the waste is dropped into the tank, the toilet carries the stuff upward to a tank where the poop will be macerated or ground. Yeah, eww! Well, you don’t have to worry about odors since this process is repeated for every time that you flush.
So, there won’t be any leftover waste either in the macerator or in the pump unit either. But then again, you’ve got to be careful not to put in any kind of waste that won’t break down easily in the macerator.
Also, you have to use cleaning products that are not very corrosive else you could damage the blades of the macerator.
So, what’s the bottom line on these toilets? Well, they save you space, are quite easy to install, and most importantly, they help you help our planet. They help you cut down on your water consumption!
Best Upflush Toilet Review
1. Top Pick: Saniflo Sanibest Pro Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Elongated Bowl
The Saniflo Sanibest is a fantastic option for those with their bathroom below the sewer line. It is from an excellent well-known brand in the industry of macerating toilets.
The seat is also great especially if you want your toilet far from your soil stack for as long as 150 feet. Plus you can hardly go wrong with an elongated seat. The seat is really comfy.
Altogether, the toilet comes with quite a number of features which you’ll surely find impressive. A good example is its pump works efficiently and effectively.
Pros:
Generally, macerating toilets are quite easy to install, and the case is no different with the Saniflo Sanibest Pro Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit. In a few quick and easy steps, you should have your toilet up and running in no time.
All you need to do is to connect the pump to the spigot. And then connect the tank to your water supply. Now, once you are able to successfully connect the pump with the discharge pipe (should be smaller in diameter), turn on your power supply. And voila! Your toilet is ready to work!
Now, this flushes with only 1.6 gallons of water which is the standard. Of course, we are impressed with this feature because it means that your toilet will bring down water consumption rate to a bare minimum.
This also means that people living in landlocked areas can also use this toilet conveniently since the lack of water won’t affect the toilet’s duties.
Now, we can’t end this review without mentioning that this toilet comes with one of the most powerful macerator motors we have seen on any macerating toilet. The macerator blades are made of steel which helps the motor work faster and ensures that the macerator remains durable too.
Plus, its impeller and macerator are incorporated into one spindle which makes the toilet sleek and super compact.
Lastly, this comes with a 2 year warranty. It’s good to see that Saniflo stands behind its product. Kinda builds your overall confidence in the toilet.
Cons:
This toilet is a bit noisy and that can be a tad annoying. If only the manufacturers could have brought down the noise level a bit, it would have made for a more enjoyable experience using this toilet.
Plus, you need to ensure that you declassify this unit periodically, else your experience with this toilet could turn ugly.
2. Second Pick: Saniflo SaniPlus Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Standard Bowl
With a stylish design, this easy to install upflush toilet also from Sanibest rides into our review in second place. It’s a very user-friendly unit that comes with a standard bowl, bathroom pump, as well as a toilet tank.
For sure this will last long, it’s Saniflo after all, industry leaders in the manufacture of macerating toilets. And it also makes an ideal choice for homes where water flow isn’t exactly excellent.
Pros:
This toilet is very similar to our number one toilet. The only difference might be that one comes with an elongated bowl while the other is a standard bowl. But be that as it may, here are the main pros of this toilet.
It comes with a fantastic macerator and we are happy to announce that this comes with stainless steel blades. Stainless steel is your best bet when making the blades of a macerator because it means that the macerator will perform both effectively and efficiently too.
Even more, you can be sure that this toilet will last long enough since stainless steel won’t damage so easily.
Also, this toilet does not require so much water. It abides by the guidelines as stated by the US government which is 1.6 gallons. So, it helps you reduce your eco-footprint. And even beyond that, it also means that this toilet will serve for households located in areas where water supply is weak.
We’ve also got to commend the pump used in this toilet. It’s fantastic and the reason this toilet works so well.
Now another highlight of this toilet is that it is quite easy to install. Because it doesn’t weigh so much (just 99.7 pounds), it’s quite easy to install. Any plumber worth their salt should have this installed swiftly without facing any problems. Plus, you won’t even need to tamper with your floor.
Cons:
Of course, there’s always a flaw, and this toilet’s biggest sin is that it comes with a standard bowl rather than an elongated bowl.
Standard bowls (round bowls) are fast getting out of fad and that’s for the simple reason that they are quite uncomfortable. And let’s not forget also that they tend to take up more space than elongated bowls which are narrower in orientation.
3. Third Pick: Liberty Pumps AscentII-ESW Macerating Toilet
If there ever was a time when the term, “last but not the least” was well deserved, it is right now. Last but not the least, we introduce to you, the Liberty Pumps AscentII-ESW Macerating Toilet. It’s a great compromise between style and efficiency.
If you need to have your toilet installed below the sewer line, then make this toilet your choice. Plus, the macerator comes with a Razor Cut technology so you can be sure that the macerator will work and work well.
And now, on to the pros…
Pros:
First, we begin at the RazorCut technology of this toilet. This should already give you an idea of how this toilet will work. The steel blades are designed to be super sharp such that they waste no time in macerating waste properly.
In addition to that, the seat is elongated so it’s super comfy and also saves you some space. It also adds to the overall look of your bathroom too. You know, giving it that modern look that standard bowls can’t give you.
Again, this unit comes in pretty lightweight. So, you, or whoever is installing this, should find this super easy to move around while installing the unit.
We commend the water consumption of this unit as well. In fact, this is the lowest we have seen so far. While other toilet makers stick to the US government’s benchmark of 1.6 gallons, Liberty takes the liberty of setting a new standard by making this with a flushing capacity of 1.28 gallons.
This already puts this toilet in the lead for recommended toilets for those with poor water supply.
Finally, we love that this comes in a very sleek and easy-to-clean design. You shouldn’t have any problem remodeling your bathroom with this since you don’t have to touch your floor at all.
Cons:
Now, there’s a small flaw with the installation of this unit and that lies in the fact that this tends to make some noise after installation. No one likes a noisy toilet but if that’s what we have to put up with to own this amazing unit, then so be it.
Why You Should Get A Macerating Toilet
If you’re still wondering whether you should get a macerating toilet, then maybe we should quickly reiterate a few things we mentioned in the introduction.
Macerating toilets are very efficient units. They help you to save space in your toilet which is super important if you’re tight on space and are scared of trying a wall-hung toilet.
Also, a macerating toilet is relatively easy to install. According to the experts, if you get a pro, you should have your toilet installed in about half a day. So, you can see it’s quite the convenient unit.
Now, the way macerating toilets work, they convert your solid into sludge by macerating the waste in the macerator. So, this way, moving the waste through the drainage becomes a lot easier.
In fact, even if your bathroom isn’t situated in a favorable location, macerating toilets still work. What do we mean by an unfavorable location, though? Well, maybe your bathroom isn’t close to the soil stack, or maybe it’s above the main sewer. In cases like that, macerating toilets are your best bet.
Even more, they can help you to dispose of grey water coming from other sanitary units like your sink, shower, or even your urinal. This is plus the waste that you flush through your toilet, of course.
Last and most importantly to us, this toilet is fantastic at saving water. It does not require so much water to flush. So, ultimately you’ll be reducing your eco-footprint with macerating or upflush toilets.
Now, we’ll leave this section with a quick tip we picked up while researching.
Experts do not recommend macerating toilets as primary toilets. The reason for this is that macerating toilets come with a lot of mechanical components. So, the risk of failure is a lot higher here than with a normal toilet.
If you use a macerating toilet all day every day, you significantly increase the chances of a break down, especially of the pump. Thankfully, though there are always replacement parts.
- Saniflo Sanibest Pro Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Elongated Bowl).
- Saniflo SaniPlus Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Standard Bowl.
- Liberty Pumps AscentII-ESW Macerating Toilet.
Buying Guide
Things To Consider When Getting A Macerating Toilet
We understand that the multiple choices here might make things a little confusing for the buyer. And that’s why we are including a buying guide here to help make choosing a bit easier.
So, to choose the best macerating toilet, ensure that you carefully consider the following factors:
Maximum Depth
The maximum depth that your macerating toilet can support is the primary feature that you must look out for before settling for any brand. In fact, it should be a deal breaker for you.
Now, if your home is an old one, that is, sewer lines are elevated, you need to be especially careful when choosing an upflush toilet. If you want your toilet to function excellently, then it has to able to upflush efficiently and smoothly.
And for this to happen, you need to ensure that your chosen toilet can support a maximum depth. Think of depths that are 15 feet at least.
However, if you want to remain on the safe side, then go for a toilet that can support up to 18 feet in depth. This way, everything from depth to distance will be catered for by the 18 feet.
Supported Distance
Yeah, in case you asked, dimensions are super important when selecting macerating toilets. We’ve looked at depth and now it’s time to check out the distance.
You need to know the distance that your macerating toilet can support before deciding on it. It’s a very important factor, right after the maximum depth supported.
So, even though your toilet is 15 feet in depth, the distance between the ground level and the soil stack might be more than that.
Now, remember that you’re not just upflushing, the sludge will also need to move smoothly along the drainage before it gets to the sewage. This is the distance we are talking about.
If your toilet isn’t built to support the distance it takes to get the waste to the sewage line, you’re going to be in trouble. You’ll have a clogged line and that would render your pump and macerator inefficient.
Motor Should Be Fully Sealed
Again, you need to ensure that the motor in the toilet unit comes fully sealed. Usually, the motor is sealed using oil. Now, if your motor is not fully or properly sealed, then you’re going to have to go through the annoying and frustrating process of repair and maintenance every now and then.
Now since this is a macerating toilet, there are quite a number of moving parts. So, sooner or later, they would need replacement. However, you can extend their lifespans a bit by ensuring that they are properly sealed.
Insist On Steel Macerator Blades
Make sure that you insist on steel macerator blades only. Steel blades last longer than other kinds of blades and also work more efficiently. You won’t have to put up with the frequent interrupted use that some other lower quality blades might give you.
The kind of blades the macerator uses is very important especially considering the kind of waste the macerator will be handling. Plus, they must be able to work in sync with the impeller if waste movement is going to be efficient.
This is why we recommend steel blades for macerating toilets.
Conclusion
And there you have it, a rundown of our three best macerating toilets plus a buying guide to help you choose.
We made the Saniflo Sanibest Pro Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Elongated Bowl our number one macerating toilet for all the benefits it offers.
What especially grew on us was how the impeller and macerator came in one spindle, giving the toilet a compact and sleek appearance. And then there’s the comfy elongated seat which also makes your bathroom look great and saves you space as well.
But most importantly, this came with about the most powerful macerator we’ve seen. And this was what sealed the deal for us.
PS: If you still need the hottest reviews on the best toilet and bathroom-related products in the market, then you should totally check out our best toilet reviews. Toodles!
