Choosing an up-flush toilet

Q: We need to install a water closet in a basement, but without gravity flow the fixture will have to pump sewage 8 ft. to 10 ft. up to a trap. What types of water closets can you recommend to do the job?

A: Rex Cauldwell, master electrician/plumber in Copper Hill, Virginia, replies: Several products can solve your problem. Most dump into a holding tank and use a sewage pump with enough head of lift to get to the overhead sewer line. These water closets are usually expensive, require electricity and need a lot of maintenance. However, Mc- Pherson, Inc. (4020 South Ave. West, Box 15133, Tampa, Fla. 33684; 813-876-6392) makes a toilet that is less expensive and doesn’t require a holding tank or electricity. It needs only a 1/2-in. I. D. (inside diameter) input waterline producing 40-lb. minimum water pressure at 4 gal. per minute (gpm), and a 1-1/4-in. I. D. exiting sewage line. It will pump up to 10 ft. in height. The bowl is made of vitreous china; you provide a standard round seat. The incoming water pressure is used to grind the sewage and flush it up and into a 1-1/4 in. minimum I. D. sewer line. No trap or venting is needed.

The unit is easily installed and uses only 2.5 gal. of water per flush. McPherson, Inc., has sold these flush-up toilets for many years. They’re known to be dependable and are very popular around these parts.

Because the toilet needs 40-lb. continuous water pressure to operate, be sure that your waterpressure system is working properly. Most operating problems with the McPherson toilet are traced to insufficient household water pressure, improper operation of the household pump system or rust-clogged waterlines choking off the water supply. If your water-pressure system is powered by a low-pressure pump that cannot develop 40-lb. continuous pressure, McPherson makes a special unit with a two-way push-pull valve that can give 6 ft. of lift at 25-lb. continuous water pressure as long as 4 gpm is available. With either unit, McPherson sends installation instructions and tips.