Best Up-Flush Toilet Reviews: Macerating Fixtures That Really Work

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 you flush, the waste leaves the bowl through a rear outlet into a macerator unit behind the toilet. There, spinning blades grind it into a slurry, and a pump pushes it up and out to your drain line. Yeah, eww! The unit runs this cycle every time you flush, which helps keep odors down.

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, or you could damage the seals and parts inside the macerator.

So, what’s the bottom line on these toilets? Well, they let you add a bathroom where a gravity drain won’t work, usually without breaking up a concrete floor. Most systems pair with a standard 1.6 or 1.28 gallon-per-flush toilet, so they use about as much water as a regular modern toilet.

Best Upflush Toilet Review

1. Top Pick: Saniflo Sanibest Pro Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Elongated Bowl

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The Saniflo Sanibest Pro is a fantastic option for those with their bathroom below the sewer line. It is from Saniflo, the company that created the macerating toilet. Technically, it is a heavy-duty grinder system rather than a basic macerator.

Saniflo rates the Sanibest Pro grinder pump to pump up to 25 feet vertically and/or up to 150 feet horizontally from the soil stack. Plus you can hardly go wrong with an elongated bowl. 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 1 HP motor, which Saniflo designed to handle items that sometimes get flushed by mistake, like floss or sanitary products.

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.

In broad strokes, the pump connects to the rear outlet of the bowl, the tank connects to your water supply, and the pump connects to a small discharge pipe (3/4 or 1 inch) that runs to your drain. Saniflo also requires a proper two-way vent (not an air admittance valve) and highly recommends a GFCI-protected circuit. Check your local code, and have a plumber and electrician handle anything you’re unsure about.

Now, this flushes with no more than the federal standard of 1.6 gallons of water. That keeps water use in line with any other modern toilet.

Now, we can’t end this review without mentioning that this toilet comes with one of the more powerful motors in Saniflo’s residential lineup. The cutting blade is stainless steel, and the motor is sealed in an oil-filled enclosure.

Plus, its impeller and macerator are incorporated into one spindle which makes the toilet sleek and super compact.

Lastly, Saniflo currently lists a 4-year limited warranty on the Sanibest Pro unit. Warranty terms can change, so confirm them with the seller before you buy. It’s good to see that Saniflo stands behind its product.

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 descale and service this unit periodically (especially in hard-water areas), or your experience with this toilet could turn ugly.

2. Second Pick: Saniflo SaniPlus Macerating Upflush Toilet Kit – Standard Bowl

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With a stylish design, this easy to install upflush toilet, also from Saniflo, rides into our review in second place. It’s a very user-friendly unit that comes with a standard (round) bowl, macerating pump, as well as a toilet tank.

It’s Saniflo after all, the leading name in macerating toilets. It’s a lighter-duty unit than the Sanibest Pro, so it suits a guest bath or basement half bath better than a heavily used bathroom.

Pros:

This toilet is similar to our number one toilet, but it is not identical. Besides the round bowl, the SaniPlus uses a lighter-duty macerator than the Sanibest Pro’s grinder, with a lower vertical lift. Check the spec sheet against your own vertical and horizontal run. 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, stainless steel resists corrosion, which helps the toilet will last long enough with regular maintenance.

Also, this toilet does not require more water than a regular toilet. It meets the federal limit of 1.6 gallons per flush.

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. 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.

Many adults find standard (round) bowls less comfortable than elongated ones. On the plus side, round bowls are shorter, so they take up less floor space than elongated bowls.

3. Third Pick: Liberty Pumps AscentII-ESW Macerating Toilet

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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 this toilet is a strong choice. Liberty says the Ascent II system can pump up to 25 feet vertically and 150 feet horizontally through a 1-inch discharge pipe. Plus, the macerator uses Liberty’s RazorCut technology to break down waste.

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 cutting system is designed to macerate waste quickly, and a removable service panel gives access to the cutter area.

In addition to that, Liberty sells the toilet with either a round-front or an elongated bowl. The elongated version is the comfier pick, while the round one saves a little space.

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 of our three picks. Liberty’s toilets carry the EPA WaterSense mark, which means they use 1.28 gallons per flush or less, 20 percent below the federal limit of 1.6 gallons.

If saving water matters to you, this is the one to look at.

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 practical units. They let you put a toilet where there’s no gravity drain, which is super important if you’re adding a bathroom to a basement or garage.

Also, a macerating toilet is usually easier to install than running a new gravity drain, since you don’t have to break up the floor. A pro can often finish a simple installation in a day or less. 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 sits below the main sewer line. In cases like that, macerating toilets are your best bet.

Even more, many models can also take gray water from other fixtures like your sink, shower, or even a urinal. This is plus the waste that you flush through your toilet, of course. Check which fixtures your specific unit allows.

Last, these toilets don’t use more water than a regular toilet. Pick a model paired with a 1.28 gallon-per-flush WaterSense toilet if you want to cut water use further.

Now, we’ll leave this section with a quick tip we picked up while researching.

Many plumbers prefer a gravity toilet for the main bathroom when one is possible. The reason for this is that macerating toilets come with a lot of mechanical components, and they stop working in a power outage. So, the risk of failure is higher here than with a normal toilet.

If you use a macerating toilet all day every day, choose a heavy-duty unit and keep up with maintenance, since the pump does most of the work. Thankfully, replacement parts are widely available.

• 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 sewer line sits above the floor where you want the toilet (common in basements), you need to be especially careful when choosing an upflush toilet. If you want your toilet to function excellently, then it has to be able to upflush efficiently and smoothly.

And for this to happen, you need to ensure that your chosen toilet’s vertical lift rating covers your setup with room to spare. Common ratings are around 15 feet for lighter units and 25 feet for heavy-duty ones like the Sanibest Pro and Ascent II.

Keep in mind that vertical lift and horizontal distance trade off against each other. Each foot you pump upward reduces how far the unit can push waste horizontally, so check the manufacturer’s chart for your exact run.

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 if your vertical lift is covered, the horizontal distance between the toilet and the soil stack might be more than the unit can handle.

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. Saniflo, for example, seals the Sanibest Pro motor in an oil-filled enclosure. 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 stainless steel macerator blades. Stainless steel resists corrosion and holds up well in a wet, harsh environment. 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, its 1 HP grinder pump can push waste up to 25 feet vertically or 150 feet horizontally. 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!

Sources

• Sanibest Pro grinder toilet, SFA Saniflo USA
• Ascent II macerating toilet system, Liberty Pumps
• Residential Toilets, US EPA WaterSense