North Shore Lodge in Grand Lake, Colo., is a charming nine-unit rental property located on the shores of Lake Granby. Jason Weddingfeld, an experienced property manager, has managed the lodge since early 2023. Upon taking over, Weddingfeld and his staff initiated a project to complete the unfinished basement to increase the property’s value and profitability.

The project was multifaceted. One of the primary goals was to create a manager’s apartment; the other was to add a conference room to host small corporate events and meetings. Adding these spaces would make the property more versatile and appealing, boosting its profitability.

The property currently functions as a short-term rental for overnight lodging, and each unit has multiple bedrooms and kitchens, distinguishing it from conventional hotels or motels. As the property has only one level with a walk-out basement, Weddingfeld aimed to finish a large portion of the basement to give it a more complete look.

The project wasn’t without challenges. The main obstacle: The basement grade sat below the existing sewer line. As a result, Weddingfeld had to find a plumbing solution that would allow him to pump the wastewater from new base-ment fixtures up to an existing sewer line on the primary floor. 

Six Fixture Drain Lines

Weddingfeld, upon the recommendation of his contractor, contacted SFA Saniflo, a manufacturer of above-floor plumbing solutions. After thorough research, Weddingfeld and his contractor opted to install the Sanicubic 1, a pre-assembled, one-pump grinder system designed to pump wastewater from multiple fixtures in a building structure.

In the North Shore Lodge basement project, drain lines from six fixtures tie into the grinder: two toilets, two bathroom sinks, a shower enclosure and a kitchen sink.

The new basement includes a kitchenette with a sink on one side of the room. Adjacent to the kitchenette is a three-quarter bathroom with a toilet and shower enclosure. Connected to this bathroom is another room separated by a partial wall. The installer dug a pit through the concrete floor for the grinder pump. A half-bathroom is next to the three-quarter bathroom, creating a north-to-south setup.

The installer configured the basement plumbing so that the wastewater from the six fixtures feeds into the grinder pump unit via a new drain line (two 3-inch pipes connected to a 4-inch pipe) installed below a new subfloor.

The grinder pump is situated between the two bathrooms and the kitchenette. A motor inside the pump has a high-performance grinding system and a fast-rotating cutting blade to reduce solids in the wastewater stream from the toilets, showers and sinks. 

The wastewater is pumped from the grinder via a 1 1/2-inch discharge pipe connected to its top. The discharge pipe runs 5 feet vertically and 3 feet horizontally, eventually connecting to the existing sewer line, which exits the building and links to the mainline. 

A venting pipe runs vertically from the top of the grinder pump to the outside of the building, adhering to building requirements. Since the pump is inside a pit, the Saniflo pump was the perfect solution since all main components, such as the motor and pressure chamber, are easily accessible from the top of the pump. 

Stressless Fixtures 

After opening the concrete for the unit installation, there were no further complications once the grinder pump was in place. “It was very easy,” Weddingfeld noted. “There was no problem connecting the unit to our newly installed plumbing system.” 

Since the installation, the grinder pump has undergone extensive stress testing with all the fixtures. There is complete confidence that the fixtures alongside the grinder pump can handle whatever happens to be put into them.

About the Sanicubic 1 Simplex Grinder 

The Sanicubic 1 is a heavy-duty simplex (one-pump) grinder system with a 1 horsepower motor. It is specifically designed to pump away wastewater from multiple bathrooms and fixtures in an entire building structure. 

This system can discharge waste up to 36 feet vertically or 328 feet horizontally. It is equipped with a heavy-duty grinder system, making it suitable for uncontrolled environments in both residential and commercial applications, such as rental units, offices and warehouses where the plumbing system will likely receive rough treatment.

For example, the Sanicubic 1 is specially designed to handle larger sanitary products that may have been inadvertently or mistakenly flushed down the toilet: condoms, sanitary napkins, Q-tips, dental floss and similar items.

Michael Cerna, assistant technical manager at SFA Saniflo, has worked for the company for more than 10 years.