Brett Wantzing Mechanical utilizes Saniflo to relocate a non-profit pet rescue

Brett Wantzing Mechanical utilizes Saniflo's above-floor plumbing solutions to relocate a local, non-profit pet rescue successfully

Equipped with the Sanicom 2, Sanibest Pro, Saniswift Pro, and Sanicondens, Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter's relocation is a success despite logistical challenges and a tight deadline.

Problem

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA — As Manitoba's first registered not-for-profit, no-kill animal shelter, Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter devotes its efforts to providing interim care and sanctuary for animals that need a forever home. A donation-based facility, the shelter relies on the generosity of givers to operate.

As luck would have it, when the opportunity presented itself to move to a new location in the Courts of St. James, Wantzing Plumbing and Heating stepped up to the plate to help transform a former restaurant into a fully functioning animal shelter. The caveat? The new location is situated directly above an underground parking garage, making plumbing drainage a problem.

After consulting with a concrete scanning company, owner Brett Wantzing and her business partner and husband Kevin, a journeyman plumber, faced a significant challenge in following the conventional plumbing route.

"The entrance and structural slab of this parking garage has so much structural support and conduits that it's nearly impossible to find somewhere where you're not going through steel or conduit," explains Wantzing. "There are virtually no — or, at best, minimal — places where we could run our plumbing or drainage lines."

With the shelter's layout already established, redesigning was not an option. Coincidentally, the Parade of Products, a yearly vendor trade show, as well as the melding of minds with local Saniflo sales representative Travis Jones of Jones Goodridge, uncovered innovative solutions to install Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter's new plumbing system efficiently and effectively without breaking through all that concrete (and breaking the bank).

Solution

The Saniflo solution involved multiple products: The Sanicom 2 and Saniswift Pro drain pumps, Sanibest Pro grinder toilet system and, finally, the Sanicondens condensate pump. However, the installer not only faced the logistical hurdles of this particular application, but was also new to Saniflo products while up against a pressing deadline.

"The timeline to complete the entire project was short," explains Wantzing. "The shelter had to be out of their existing space, so the stress of completing the installation was high."

Luckily, the local Saniflo representative had a few sample units available for Wantzing's team to review and rough-in before the actual products arrived at the new location. Although the instructions for each unit were available and relatively easy to follow, Wantzing and her team found seeing and working with the sample units very helpful to their preparations. They hit the ground running.

The heavy-duty, duplex drain pump Sanicom 2 is a commercial, high-temperature unit that can support a laundry room. With its smart-pump technology, the unit allows two powerful, 2-horsepower motor pumps to work simultaneously when necessary, based on the incoming rate of gray water. It can discharge waste up to 32 feet vertically and 390 feet horizontally, while handling hot water up to 194° Fahrenheit.

Typically used to install a complete bathroom (toilet, sink, tub/shower) in heavily used public spaces, the Sanibest Pro contains a 1-HP pump grinder system, which is ideal for handling sanitary products that may be flushed down the toilet. A pressure chamber starts and stops the unit, while the motor drives the stainless-steel cutting blade and pump, quickly reducing any waste to a slurry. The impeller beneath the motor then discharges the waste up to 25 feet below the sewer line and up to 150 feet to the soil stack.

The powerful Saniswift Pro is used to pump gray water away from a variety of both residential and commercial applications, such as a laundry sink, a shower, or even a urinal. It has a compact design with low inlets for easier installation in hard-to-reach spaces. Activated as water enters the unit, a pressure switch starts the pump motor, moving gray water up to 14 feet vertically and 140 feet horizontally.

The Sanicondens is designed to pump condensate from one or more condensing boilers or water heaters, discharging effluent up to 15 feet vertically and 150 horizontally to the soil stack. A float mechanism starts and stops the pump motor inside the Sanicondens, which can be floor- or wall-mounted.

Here is the breakdown of the installation:

●      The Sanicom 2 discharges wastewater from two sets of washers in the laundry room, kitchen sink, and condensate for the HRV using a 1.5-inch discharge pipe running 11-feet vertically and 36-feet horizontally to connect to the building's existing sewage line.

●      The Sanibest Pro was installed in the office bathroom to discharge gray water from a sink and a toilet, again using a 1.5-inch discharge pipe. The sink was connected via a 2-inch inlet on the side of the Sanibest. The discharge pipe coming from the unit runs 11-feet vertically and 48-feet horizontally before connecting to an existing wastewater line.

●      The Saniswift Pro was installed for a hand-washing sink/station to allow potential adoptees to sanitize before touching the animals. A 1.5-inch discharge pipe, running 11-feet vertically and 20-feet horizontally, connects to the existing wastewater line.

●      The Sanicom 2, Sanibest Pro, and Saniswift Pro utilize 1.5-inch vent pipes from the top of the units that are tied into an existing vent pipe, requiring only one roof penetration.

●      Removing condensate from a 60-gallon electric water heater, the Sanicondens was installed in the electrical-mechanical room above the parking garage door, making it impossible to install a drain. A 3/8-inch discharge pipe runs 9-feet vertically and 15-feet horizontally before connecting to the existing wastewater line.

Results

All four units were installed within a day and a half without any hiccups regarding the products and with no negative feedback from the relocated and fully operational shelter.

This being Wantzing Plumbing and Heating first experience with Saniflo, the positive experience likely assures the contractor’s use of their products in future projects and comes with high recommendations to others considering them.

"Not only are the products available within a week for those in the Winnipeg area, but the installations are also easy," says Wantzing. "To boot, the support we received was top-notch, making the whole process easier and seamless."

Brett Wantzing Mechanical utilizes Saniflo's above-floor plumbing solutions to relocate a local, non-profit pet rescue successfully

ABOUT SFA SANIFLO®
SANIFLO CANADA – whose parent company originated macerating plumbing technology – offers a complete line of macerating and grinding upflush toilet systems and drain-water pumping systems for residential and commercial applications. SANIFLO developed its innovative, “above-floor plumbing” technology more than a half-century ago and has led its commercialization worldwide. Today, the company markets macerating technology through 22 subsidiaries in 50 countries and has sold more than six million units worldwide since 1958. SANIFLO products are available through independent sales agents throughout North America, and the product line is currently available at most major plumbing wholesalers and hardware retailers. For more information or installation videos, please visit saniflo.ca or call SANIFLO Canada at 1-800-363-5874.

• For more information, contact Saniflo Canada at 1-800-363-5874. Or visit the Saniflo Canada website at saniflo.ca.
• For editorial assistance, contact John O’Reilly ([email protected]) or Payton Meyers ([email protected]) c/o GreenHouse Digital + PR: 708.428.6385.