Coffee shop owner overcomes “nightmare” application with Sanicom1 Drain Pumps

CONCORD, NH — Revelstoke Coffee is a classic contemporary coffee shop in downtown Concord, New Hampshire.

The unusual name represents the founders’ inspiration for the shop: a road trip through Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, which found him in the tiny town of Revelstoke. Revel means to enjoy oneself. Stoke means to consume for energy.

Owner Alex Stoyle liked the way those concepts fit together and came very close to having everything he needed to make his modern-style coffee shop come to life. He had the inspiration, the name, and an old space to renovate, but faced one major, unavoidable problem: plumbing.

Leasing in an almost two-hundred-year-old building, Stoyle knew it would be challenging to install a conventional, below-floor pipe line for the drainage of his equipment. He soon realized that going the conventional route would require breaking through the floor — which wasn’t really an option, given the building’s age and the fact that there is a unit below them.

“For us to run conventional plumbing, we would’ve had to ruin the unit below us and drill through the walls of the building,” he explains. “It would’ve been an absolute nightmare.”

So Stoyle had to find an alternative solution that would allow for the drainage of all his equipment, which includes two espresso machines, a dishwasher, an ice machine, a three-base sink, two prep sinks, and a reverse osmosis water filter.

Stoyle opted to call a local plumbing contractor, hoping to find a solution.

Solution

Luckily, the plumber recommended above-floor, drain pump technology without hesitation. Stoyle trusted the plumber’s expertise and his recommendation to install Sanicom 1 drain pumps made by Saniflo.

Designed for commercial and residential applications, the Sanicom 1 can discharge gray water away from a variety of fixtures up to 25 feet vertically and/or 250 feet horizontally. Small enough to fit inside a kitchen cabinet, the unit was designed to meet the toughest applications.

The Sanicom 1 can handle up to 194°F water, making it perfect for commercial kitchen applications where dishwashers must operate at exceptionally high temperatures to meet health and sanitation standards. That capability was a critical selling point for Stoyle whose dishwasher runs water as hot as 190°F. In addition, the Sanicom 1 is specially designed to withstand liquids with highly acidic properties, such as wastewater from processing applications.

The wastewater enters the Sanicom 1 via a pair of 2-inch low inlets, located on either side of the pump housing. The discharge elbow on top of the Sanicom1 can be rotated 360°, depending on the needs of the discharge line. A non-return valve, provided with the system, prevents backflow into the unit, which also has a vent connection on top. (All plumbing codes require a connection to a vent system.)

Here’s how the coffee shop’s plumbing is set up:

Three Sanicom 1 units were installed to discharge the gray water from eight kitchen fixtures.

A 1-inch PVC drain line is connected to a three-bay sink and the dishwasher situated to the right of the pump trio. This drain line first runs into a grease trap before connecting to one of the Sanicom 1 units.

The prep sink and reverse osmosis water filter drains into the second Sancom 1 unit.

An ice maker, drip tray, espresso machine and a small sink drains into the third Sanicom 1 unit.

Each Sanicom 1 is connected to the 1-inch PVC discharge pipe, which runs 3-feet vertically and 50-feet horizontally before linking to a joint in the drain line connected to the toilet in the back of the space.

The discharge line ultimately connects to the building’s commercial sewage ejector pump in the basement, located 125 feet away.

Each Sanicom 1 unit connects to a vent pipe running up the wall and through the roof to the outdoors. This vent is hidden behind a stainless steel backsplash on the wall behind the sinks.

According to Stoyle, the most significant installation challenge was running the discharge pipe to the basement and drilling through the brick walls to vent through the ceiling.

“None of our challenges pertained to the actual pumps. Once we ran the pipes, we basically just plugged the pumps in,” says Stoyle.

“It’s hard to put a dollar value on it, but without these pumps, our business wouldn’t be operational,” says Stoyle. “Saniflo made the business possible, and the Sanicom 1 units have saved us a lot of time, money and headaches.”

The entire installation took approximately three days, says Stoyle. “But most of it didn’t have anything to do with the pumps. The pump-related work took one day.

“That’s impressive compared to how long it would’ve taken if we were to install conventional plumbing — assuming it were even possible!”

Results

According to Stoyle, “Other plumbers coming through the coffee shop would say: ‘Wow, this is a great setup — I don’t know if I would’ve even come up with this, but it’s pretty cool.’”

After resolving some minor plumbing issues shortly after the installation was completed, Stoyle reports that the system has performed well. “The thing I’m most impressed by is how quiet the pumps are,” he says enthusiastically. “They run in the background, but they don’t interrupt conversation.

“And, to tell you the truth, I really like the way they look, because I love that kind of mechanical look,” he adds.

Would Stoyle recommend Saniflo to other entrepreneurs who find themselves facing a similar application challenge?

“Definitely. The Sanicom 1 units are an excellent solution for commercial-kitchen applications where conventional plumbing just isn’t possible.”

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ABOUT SANIFLO

SFA SANIFLO U.S.A. – whose parent company originated macerating plumbing technology — offers a complete line of waste and drainage pumping systems for residential and commercial applications. Saniflo developed its innovative, “above-floor plumbing” technology more than a half-century ago and has led its commercialization worldwide. Today, the company markets macerating technology through 24 subsidiaries in 50 countries and has sold more than seven million units worldwide since 1958. Saniflo markets through independent sales agents throughout North America, and the product line is currently available at distributor and dealer locations throughout the United States and Canada.

For more information, contact Saniflo at 1-800-571-8191. Or visit the Saniflo website at saniflo.com.

For editorial assistance, including photography, contact John O’Reilly c/o GreenHouse Digital + PR: 815-469-9100 or [email protected].

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