Saniflo Non Return Valve
Also called the discharge elbow. It sits on top of the macerator where the flexible waste pipe connects and it stops waste water running back down into the pump.
Fits models from 2003 onwards: Saniflo, Sanitop, Sanipro-XR, Sanislim, Saniplus, Sanipack, Saniwall, Saniaccess, Saniflo UP, Sanipro UP, Saniplus UP, Sanipack UP, Sanislim UP, Saniwall Pro UP, Sanitop UP.
Coude blanc complet avec clapet anti retour.
The Fault It Cures
If your machine starts on its own in short bursts with nobody using it, this is the part to look at first. Water sitting in the vertical section of the waste pipe leaks back past a worn valve, the level in the pump rises then the machine kicks in to clear it. Then it happens again.
It only shows up where the waste outlet runs vertically up the wall before heading out to the soil stack. If your pipe runs flat there is nothing for gravity to pull back so the valve is rarely the culprit.
Timing Tells You How Far Gone It Is
This is the quickest diagnosis on the machine and it costs nothing.
- Cycles again within a minute or two – the rubber flap has gone completely or torn away
- Cycles every ten or twenty minutes – the valve is seating but leaking slowly past scale or a distorted flap
- Only cycles now and then – early wear, worth changing before it gets worse
The faster it comes back on, the less valve is left.
Why They Fail
Limescale. The most common by far. In a hard water area a valve that has never been descaled builds a crust on the rubber that stops it seating. Take it out and you can usually see it.
Something caught in it. Wipes, hair or grit hold the flap open. Sometimes it can be cleaned rather than replaced, so look before you order.
Chemical damage. Heavy bleach or toilet cleaner swells the rubber. A distorted flap will not sit flat again no matter how clean it is.
Fitting It
On machines from 2003 onwards it comes off the top of the unit once the jubilee clip is undone. Fifteen minutes with a screwdriver and the machine does not need to come out.
On older units the valve sits inside the body, so the macerator has to be removed to reach it. Longer job but the same part.
Isolate the unit at the socket before you start.
If Changing It Does Not Cure The Cycling
Two other parts cause the same symptom and it is worth knowing before you spend again.
- A shrunken or hardened membrane at £24.99, which stops the switch releasing cleanly
- A sticking microswitch at £11.99
Rule out a dripping tap or a leaking cistern first. Water trickling in sets the machine off exactly the same way and no part will cure that.
If You Have Been Told You Need A Float Switch
Plenty of people call it a float switch and plumbers use the term too. On these machines that is the microswitch at £11.99. There is no float in the machine. The water level is sensed by a rubber membrane which presses the switch.
Because the membrane is what operates the switch, change the membrane at £24.99 at the same time if the machine is a few years old. A stiff membrane will make a brand new switch behave exactly like the old one.
Keeping The New One Working
Use a descaler two or three times a year, more if you are in a hard water area. Scale is what killed the last valve and it will do the same to this one. Bleach will not descale a macerator whatever the bottle says.
Not Sure It Is The Valve
Tell us the model off the plate on the machine plus how long it takes to cycle back on and we will tell you which part to order. We would rather send you the one part you need than three you do not.
