Here at Flat Chat we are used to being in the poo over one thing or another but never quite so literally as with this recent inquiry.
QUESTION: Are there any rules governing the installation of a macerator. I have a two storey home unit. The only toilet is upstairs. Downstairs in the laundry there is enough room for an internal toilet and it would save me going upstairs as I get older. Must I inform the owners corporation if it’s all internally installed or has some pipes protruding out of the unit? – PG, Sutherland.
ANSWER: Most probably yes, you must tell the Owners Corporation because you will almost certainly be affecting common property, even if is just to put a pipe through a wall or floor or connect to the main sewage pipes.
For those readers who, like me, didn’t know what a macerator was (and please stop now if you are reading this over breakfast) it is a machine that converts solid human waste into a liquid form and pumps it to a convenient sewerage outlet.
Since many neighbours might be spooked at the thought of this thing in a unit, you’d be advised to give your executive committee as much information as possible, including even a thumbs-up from your local council, to reassure them that these devices are appropriate for domestic use.
Having said that, I’m no plumber but I would have thought it would probably be easier just to plumb in a regular toilet and tap into the mains. Either way, you really can’t avoid getting your neighbours permission.
Whether or not you need a macerator, your neighbours may be more easily persuaded than you imagine. After all, a refusal to allow you a little leeway could come back to bite them on the bum when they want to install a guest toilet or renovate their bathroom.
Be open, informative and honest; if they refuse permission for no good reason, you can take them to Fair Trading.
Finally, the Owners Corporation Network are holding another seminar, “Defeating the Pitfalls of Strata Living” next Saturday morning (<ay 2nd) at the Kirribilli Club in Lavender Bay. Pre-registration is essential so log on to www.ocn.org.au asap for more details.