Almost all the toilets rely on gravity to remove the waste and drain it down to the sewers and out of your house. 

But what if you need to arrange the bathroom in a basement, which is below the sewer level? Or, what if you choose a room with no plumbing at all for your hygienic procedures.

In these cases, a macerating toilet will be your choice. It can efficiently move the waste without relying on gravity and keep your home a sanitary place.

So, be sure to check our tips on how to choose the best macerating toilet and browse through some units that we picked for you right below.

Quick Picks

How Does a Macerating Toilet Work?

Before we dig into the upflush toilet reviews, let’s figure out how they actually work. 

So, the upflush toilet looks just like a standard gravity flush commode, except for two differences:

• It has a large drain pipe that goes right into the rear part of the toilet, unlike gravity toilets that sit atop of the floor flange. This pipe is pretty short and connects the toilet with the macerator chamber, which is a visible container behind the toilet bowl.
• Also, the upflush toilet requires electricity to operate the macerator impeller and the pump, so it will have an electrical cord (110-120V) that will go into the macerator chamber as well.

Here’s how the whole system works:

• When you flush the toilet, the water scrubs the waste from the bowl and moves it down the drainpipe into a maceration chamber.
• The maceration chamber has a sensor that detects when the waste enters the bowl. Once it happens, the maceration impeller with the motor-powered steel or ceramic blades is activated. It grinds any solid waste into a slurry (that’s why macerating toilets were also known under the name ‘grind toilets’) for 15 seconds or 1 minute, depending on the model of your toilet.
• When the blades stop, the pump activates and forces the liquefied mixture to the nearest drain line or sewer that uses gravity and disposes of it.

That’s it!

However, as tempting it may be to replace all the commodes in your home for macerating ones, don’t do that.

See, an upflush toilet is not a great solution for a large family or a home with a lot of appliances. Even though some brands use powerful pumps that can withstand up to 50,000 cycles (1), they can easily wear out during active use. If you want to make the most of an upflush toilet, it’s better to install it in the basement, in the half-bathroom, or in a cabin that is off the grid.

Things That Make the Best Upflush Toilet System?

Pump Power

The pump power directly impacts the efficiency of your macerating toilet. It is measured in horsepower or watts. The majority of modern units feature pumps with a ½ or ¾ horsepower motor (2), which is roughly equal to 370-550W. This power is sufficient to discharge the waste 12-15 ft vertically and 150-200 ft horizontally.

Note, though, that the more powerful your pump is, the noisier it will be, so you might want to consider this factor if you plan to arrange the bathroom in a regular room without plumbing, and not in the basement.

Inlets Number

The great advantage of the upflush toilet is that its pump can be connected with other fixtures in the room, so you can drain the gray water from the basin or a shower.

The fixtures connect to the pump via inlets, and you need to arrange the bathroom depending on its number. Typically, the pump features 2 inlets that allow connecting two hand basins or a hand basin and the shower. 

More powerful pumps can feature three inlets for a bathtub connection, but it’s recommended that you install a bathtub in a regular bathroom, since it can overwork the pump very quickly.

Blades Quality

Macerator blades chop up the waste and their quality determines how often you will need to replace them. 

Modern upflush toilets have two steel blades in the maceration chamber and with the proper use, they require little to no maintenance and need to be replaced with the chamber and the pump altogether.

However, if you go for a cheaper unit, you might find out that it has a single blade within the chamber, which means that you might need to replace it at some point.

Water Consumption

Even the best upflush toilet system still must comply with the water conservation standards. The current federal standard allows for no more than 1.6 gallons per flush for single flush toilets, and the 1.0 GPF /1.6 GPF for dual flush toilets.

Choosing a more efficient commode can save you more than $140 per year in water bills and up to $2,900 throughout the toilet lifetime (3), so make sure that you choose compliant toilets.

Backflow Prevention

Backflow happens when the black water from the toilet returns into a water supply line for some reason. Since toilets are used to dispose of human waste, which is a hazardous substance, the backflow can be dangerous because it can contaminate the freshwater pipe.

Upflush toilets are more prone to backflow, especially when the pump starts to fail, so make sure that you choose the unit with a non-return valve that prevents it from happening.