Renting a basement unit with a grinder (macerating) toilet

[Greg Parks]

I'm currently considering purchasing a property with a basement unit.  The basement currently has a grinder toilet (macerating toilet) hooked up.   The full bathroom (sink, shower, and toilet--obviously) passes through the grinder apparatus before being discharged/pumped up towards grade and into the city's sanitary sewer line (Baltimore City utility).

Not sure what the additional risk/liability/maintenance costs (etc.) are that I should be taking into account.  I'm assuming because the unit is somewhat loud (and the basement bedroom is a bit undersized), I won't be able to attract full market rent... Are there any other precautions I should be weary of?

The system is currently connected to battery backup.  I'm debating if I should assume a full tear out of the basement bathroom will be necessary - in which case, I'd install a more "belt-and-suspenders" sewage ejection pump (may limit noise generation and risk of sewage back-ups) - and if this is the best path forward, than I'd have to negotiate a pretty substantial price-cut with the Seller.  

Last thing I'd want is for the existing system to fail, a sewage backup to occur, and have to worry about providing temporary housing for a tenant while a costly hazardous waste cleanup goes underway.  

Thanks for any help/advice the BP community can provide! 

[Roy N.]

@Greg Parks

We have a student rental with a macerating toilet in the downstairs/basement bathroom (a 3-level split) ... near as I can guess in our case, it was installed because the prior owners did not want to hammer a trench into the slab and install a traditional toilet.   

While we do plan to replace it in a few years when we perform a "full gut" of the lower level, we have been managing fairly well with it.   The biggest issue we have is educating our "young" student tenants that with the exception of toilet paper "if you did not eat it, do not flush it" ... those idiotic personal wipes are the worst (talk about a "solution" looking to create a problem/need and market).  In the worst case, it takes a service call and an $80+ plumber's bill for them to understand.  We also tell the tenants to avoid using that washroom during a power outage (fortunately there is another in the house).

I also find it uses a lot of water in comparison to the HET flapperless toilet we typically use, but that may be the particular model we have.