Toilet shredder: find out on the Climamarket blog how it works, what it is used for, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this small system.
How the toilet macerator works
A small service bathroom can represent for many an added value to their home. However, not everyone is willing to invest a large amount of capital - and a good chunk of time - to create one in a workmanlike manner. In fact, it is no mystery that it is not easy and not too cheap to embark on complex masonry work to allow the sewer pipes to reach the environment that interests us. Fortunately, bathroom furniture is a constantly evolving sector, which has also thought about this particular need, responding with an innovative and very practical idea. We refer to the so-called toilet shredder, able to solve the problem of having the sewer system far from the room where we want to insert a toilet or create, for example, a drain for a shower or sink.
In fact, it is an indispensable object when you want to place a cup in a point where the location of the drain column is not favorable, i.e. when you want to take a bathroom without a drain because it is not present in the area.
Toilet shredder: what is it for
A toilet macerator, also often called a toilet macerator, is a device capable of macerating feces and toilet paper that inevitably end up in the toilet. This object is ideal for easily reducing to pulp and being able to expel these substances, preventing the pipes from clogging. The system is particularly suitable for small pipes or systems that clog easily, such as septic tanks and wells. All this from the point of view of a bathroom without drain: traditionally the bowl must be located near the drain column and possibly with a good slope to allow the force of gravity to convey the waste where it should; otherwise, the solution is represented by the shredder for the toilet.
Currently on the market there are two different types of sanitary shredders, of course both not suitable for solid and bulky waste - which could damage the device:
built-in shredder, which with a low cost adapts perfectly to an existing classic toilet. It is usually installed behind or next to the toilet bowl, and must be plugged into a power outlet to work;
macerator integrated in the toilet bowl, slightly more expensive but completely independent. The drain mechanism is consequently replaced by a solenoid valve, for a decidedly more discreet and completely invisible solution.
How the toilet macerator works
As the name suggests, a toilet shredder allows you to easily dispose of the waste thrown into the cup. In practice, the device is characterized by a tank that has a blade inside it, which reduces the waste to a pulp, preventing the pipes from becoming clogged in any way. The shredder is activated by pressing a special button, very similar to the one that starts the traditional unloading cycle. At that precise moment - or when the maximum load capacity is reached -, the machinery mechanically moves all the contents of the cup towards the pipeline where everything is shredded, to then pump it towards the pipes. Not only that, the return of bad smells is avoided thanks to the immediate and total filling of the water through an electronic valve, for a system that also works for pipes whose diameter is around 32 millimeters - compared to 90 of a traditional drain. For the correct functioning of the shredder, an electric socket, a water supply and a drain connection are therefore essential.
Advantages and disadvantages of a toilet shredder
A toilet shredder is indispensable in situations at risk of clogging, allowing great design freedom from the construction-hydraulic point of view, in order to create a second bathroom or a main bathroom in environments where it was not originally intended.
The biggest advantage of these devices is that they can be installed virtually anywhere in the house, and in the case of a freestanding toilet shredder, they also have a portable nature to be moved to another toilet or near the dishwasher, sink or other services. However, a real problem is that of noise during its operation. In addition, considering that the toilet macerator is electric, you will understand for yourself that, if there is a power failure, the toilet cannot be used. For this reason it is good practice to install it in any service bathroom and not in the main one.
