Sanivite 3 Parts and Replacement Advice
The Sanivite 3 is Saniflo’s grey water pump. It takes waste from a kitchen sink, washing machine, dishwasher, basin, bath or shower, but not from a toilet – there is no macerator blade inside it, which is why it is a different unit to a Saniflo or Saniplus.
We supply the spare parts for these units. If yours has stopped working, this page is the short version of what usually goes wrong and what it costs to put right yourself.
Is it worth repairing a Sanivite 3?
Almost always, yes. Three parts cause the overwhelming majority of Sanivite faults, and all three are inexpensive and straightforward to fit. A new unit costs several times what the parts cost.
The exception is the motor. If the motor has failed, the unit is scrap – that part cannot be replaced. In our experience that tends to happen on units past eight years old or so, and it is far less common than people expect. Most faults come down to one of the four parts below.
If you are not sure which it is, the troubleshooting guide below will tell you in a few minutes.
The parts that fail on a Sanivite 3
A rubber diaphragm that tells the pump when to start and stop. When it perishes or shrinks the pump runs continuously, or will not activate at all. This is the single most common failure on any Saniflo unit.
Works with the membrane to control the pump. A stuck microswitch causes the same start/stop symptoms as a failed membrane, which is why we recommend replacing both together when you have start/stop problems – they are the only two parts that control the machine, and doing one without the other often means opening the unit up twice.
If the pump hums or buzzes but does not turn, this is usually the culprit. The Sanivite takes an 8uF capacitor, not the 10uF used on most macerator units – fitting the wrong value will not work properly.
Stops waste water running back down into the unit after it has pumped. A failed valve means the pump keeps re-triggering, or you get smells coming back through.
All four fit the following units:
- Sanivite
- Sanivite 3
- Sanivite Plus
Sanivite 3 replacement cost against the cost of parts
Parts come to well under £60 even if you replace the membrane, microswitch and capacitor together, and most jobs need only one of them. Set against the price of a new Sanivite 3, changing a part is worth trying first in almost every case.
The work is well within reach of a competent DIYer. The unit comes apart with a screwdriver, and the parts that fail are the ones designed to be replaced. If you are working on the electrics, isolate the unit at the socket first, and if you are not confident around mains voltage get a competent person to do that part.
Top tip: if you have some outside space, test the unit with a hosepipe after fitting parts and let it run for three to five minutes before you plumb it back in. It is far easier to spot a problem then than after it is back under the sink.
What the Sanivite 3 connects to
The Sanivite takes hot, soapy waste water, which is what separates it from a macerator unit. It has four inlets and will handle:
- Kitchen sink
- Washing machine (indirect connection)
- Dishwasher
- Basin
- Bath
- Shower
- Bidet
- Glass washer
It will not take waste from a toilet. If you need to pump toilet waste you need a macerator unit such as a Saniflo, Saniplus or Sanipro instead.
Working out what is wrong with yours
Our Sanivite troubleshooting guide runs through each symptom – not activating, humming or buzzing, running continuously, vibrating – and tells you which part to suspect in each case. It is worth ten minutes before you order anything.
If you are still unsure after reading it, get in touch and describe what the unit is doing. We would rather point you at the right £11.99 part than sell you three you do not need.
