Working at Pumpmaster since 1999, Stuart Wood, our General Manager, has gained valuable insight and knowledge of the business and Saniflo.
Starting out as a service coordinator, which involved taking customer bookings and entering data, fast-forward 26 years and Stuart is now Pumpmaster General Manager. We caught up with Stuart to ask a few questions on his time working in Saniflo technical support, and to share some Saniflo engineer advice.
Saniflo Engineer Advice – Q&A with Stuart
Q. What was your first impression of Saniflo products?
A. In my first flat I had a Sanitop macerator, which took water from the toilet and basin – it did a great job and I barely knew it was there. It wasn’t until I started at Pumpmaster and knew more about Saniflo products, that I found out that building regulations in the early 2000’s only allow for a macerator to be installed if there is access to a conventional gravity toilet within the dwelling – and in my case there was not. I was fortunate enough to not have experienced any issues with the Sanitop, as it was installed correctly and never misused.
Q. Have you got your hands dirty whilst at Pumpmaster?
A. Oh yes, it would be very difficult to advise on the service and repair of Saniflo products without first-hand knowledge. Over the years, I learnt to strip, service and repair various Saniflo products. Pumpmaster and Saniflo are very invested in training their employees and their service network of approved engineers – I have been to many of Saniflo’s training seminars and have learnt a great deal. In addition to this, I have joined our engineers on site and been in the “thick” of it many times.
“It would be impossible to advise others on Saniflo repairs without first-hand experience.
I’ve been in the thick of it many times.”
Q. But they are full of poo surely?
A. There is an element of human waste, but here at Pumpmaster we take health and safety seriously, we wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), follow safe systems of work and assessing risk. It’s also not just human waste you need to take into consideration when working on a Saniflo, you have to be aware of electrics, sharp blades and water escape. All of these require a no-nonsense approach to health and safety. We have been Safe Contractor accredited for many years and aim to continue in this way.
Q. Being an approved Saniflo engineer, have you identified any common faults?
A. Yes, you don’t spend 26 years on the end of a technical helpline without identifying common faults. Most of which are not product faults, the most common ones are blockages due to user error (“but it says flushable wipes on the packaging”). Just like conventional toilets, you should only be disposing human waste and toilet paper.
We’ve actually put together a Saniflo troubleshooting guide that covers these kinds of issues, including what to check before calling out an engineer. It’s a good first step if you’re unsure what’s gone wrong.
This is exactly the kind of Saniflo engineer advice we’re often asked for on the phones.
I think the second thing I hear most is this:
“I’ve just installed a Saniflo macerator and it’s completely dead. I’ve checked the power and I’m getting a live reading.”
Our reply is always the same:
“Please check the neutral connection. You’ll still get a live reading even if the neutral isn’t connected properly at the unswitched fused spur.”
The usual response?
“I’ve been an installer for 30 years, I know what I’m doing.”
But they go off, check it… and never need to call back.
Q. Is it difficult managing a company?
A. That is a big question. As I’ve been at Pumpmaster for over two and a half decades, there are a lot of things that now come naturally to me. I ensure that we are accredited where necessary, such as being ISO 9001: 2015 certified – this quality management system allows us to follow time served procedures and monitor all our systems.
I also can’t do everything myself, and at Pumpmaster we have a great team – the majority of whom have been with us for many years. A great team aids any enterprise and the people here certainly help me in my role.
I also see a great deal of customer satisfaction, which also shows us things are being done correctly. If we encounter the rarity of an unsatisfied customer, we take this as an opportunity to learn from this, as a way of continual improvement.
Q. Is there anything in the industry you would want to change?
A. I believe there are a number of rogue elements out there, such as people trading off Saniflo’s name. We do encounter a number of customers that have experiences where they have been charged in excess of a £1000 by companies just for a simple Saniflo replacement – this is not right. The only thing I would say is be sure the engineer you call out is Saniflo approved.
“If you’re fitting a macerator, make sure it’s a Saniflo — and make sure it’s installed properly.”
There are also a lot of cheaper products on the market, clearly, they are heavily influenced by the saniflo design but unfortunately, they are not the same or of the same quality, they don’t last, people end up buying twice.
Q. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to do during you time at Pumpmaster.
A. Without question, it was having to close down the business for a period during the Covid 19 pandemic. During this time Government guidance was unclear, and we had worried employee not knowing what was going to happen.
Were we a vital service? As Saniflo products are for extra facilities we went on the side of caution and took the difficult decision to close, at that point not knowing if any of us would be coming back.
Fortunately, all our staff came through this period and were able to return to work, although things were different, keeping our distance, masks, screens, antibacterial hand gel everywhere.
It was great to see everyone back and we were able to keep everyone employed despite going through some very lean times.
Q. What changes have you seen?
A. Many, mostly the size of the Saniflo range. When I started there were only 6 models, the Saniflo, Sanitop, Saniplus, Sanivite, Sanichasse and Sanishower. Now there are in excess of 60 products, including domestic, commercial, lifting stations, sump pumps and also on the horizon we will be seeing clear water pumps added to the range.
Q. And changes in the future?
A. We are always looking for ways to improve Pumpmaster, whether this is environmental, operational or customer-focused. We are currently working on becoming a paperless company, and we are embracing technology to limit the use of paper – having already seen great results. I would think our next major change will be with our vehicles and how they are fuelled.
Q. Any advice for anyone thinking about installing a macerator in their home.
A. That is easy, buy Saniflo, it is the only name to consider when contemplating having a macerator fitted.
If you’re unsure which model is right for your needs, we’ve broken it down in our guide to choosing the right Saniflo. It covers everything from small cloakroom units to high-demand commercial setups. If in doubt, seek professional Saniflo engineer advice before installing or replacing a macerator.
Stuart’s experience shows just how much insight comes from years on the tools and at the helm. Whether you’re dealing with a fault, planning an installation, or just curious about how Saniflo systems work, his Saniflo engineer advice is backed by decades of real-world experience. You won’t find more reliable Saniflo engineer advice than from someone who’s seen it all firsthand.
If you found this helpful, take a look at more tips and insights from our team over on the Pumpmaster blog.