Heavy-duty drain pumps solve hair salon’s plumbing challenges without breaking through rental unit’s concrete floors

Case Study | December 2024

When Sam Zimmerman of Sunny Day Homes was tasked with installing plumbing for his daughter’s hair salon, he chose three commercial drain pumps to handle the demanding usage and evacuate wastewater from three different rooms.

Problem

BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA — Sam Zimmerman is the president of Sunny Day Homes, a small family-owned general contracting firm incorporated in 1997. Zimmerman has been involved in building since his father employed him and his brothers as his ‘helpers’ while he remodeled the homes they grew up in.

While working on and off over the years in new-home construction, remodeling, commercial renovation, and all kinds of small home repairs, Zimmerman became a Licensed General Contractor in 1999. With over 25 years of experience as a GC, Zimmerman has overseen his fair share of construction challenges.

One of Zimmerman’s past projects required integrating a hair salon into a rental property. Usually, this type of project would involve significant modifications to the existing infrastructure, particularly the plumbing system. However, in this case, purchasing the property was off the table as the owners were not ready to sell. Moreover, modifying the concrete flooring to install necessary draining would be too invasive and not permitted by the property owners.

In any other situation, Zimmerman would not have pursued such a hassle of a project. However, the project’s many constraints only fueled his motivation, as this salon was for his daughter.

“Giving up or delivering a subpar result was not an option,” states Zimmerman, “So I decided to conduct thorough research to explore the possibility of using a pump system to handle the salon’s water waste.”

Zimmerman required a pump specifically designed for commercial use, capable of handling hot water and robust enough for continuous operation. The pump needed to be installed without altering the property’s concrete floors, satisfying the owners’ requirement to preserve the building’s structural integrity.

Solution

After searching online for the “most heavy-duty, reliable gray water pump,” Zimmerman found Saniflo’s website and a lineup of products that would accommodate the salon’s needs. Specifically, three pumps had to be installed to handle shampoo stations, washing/drying machines, and other sinks used to wash bowls and other tools.

Zimmerman decided to call Saniflo and consult with their support team. They eventually determined that a trio of Sanicom 1 Commercial Gray Water Drain Pumps would provide the best solution.

For each of the three units, careful placement in the hair salon was required to move gray water across the rental building effectively:

Zimmerman hid one unit in a bench in a room directly next to the shampoo room. The objective was to allow easy access to the pump without disturbing the salon’s aesthetic.

The second pump was situated on the other end of the building, serving a room purposed for facials, lashes, and waxing.

For the third unit, Zimmerman and his team anticipated the need for flexibility in the salon’s layout, especially regarding the placement of shampoo stations. Understanding that the exact needs for these stations could evolve with the introduction of new styles or services, he proactively installed a drain line around the entire perimeter of the salon.

When the salon decided to introduce new styles requiring a private room equipped with its own shampoo station, Zimmerman integrated this second unit seamlessly and maintained the salon’s aesthetic appeal by constructing a low wall similar in appearance to a wainscot. This wall, an extra six inches thick and extending up to waist height, was not only an architectural feature but also cleverly concealed the pump system and its plumbing required for the new shampoo station.

The first and second pumps share a similar pathway for transporting gray water. Both push the water upwards by 10 feet vertically from the point of origin at floor level. Effluent is then pumped across the ceiling 30 feet horizontally until connecting with the main sewer line.

The third pump has a slightly more extended route, elevating gray water 10 feet vertically, then 70 feet horizontally across the ceiling to reach the main drainage system. This is due to the implementation of the new private room in the hair salon.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of all? Despite the intricacies of the three pump placements, installation took a fraction of the time and money it would have taken to install any other solution.

Results

The units worked effectively for Canvas Beauty Bar for years until Zimmerman had to replace one. Greatly appreciating the swift feedback from Saniflo’s customer support team, Zimmerman was able to easily replace the unit without any issues.

“These guys pick up the phone to talk to you and know exactly what they’re doing,” Zimmerman praises. “That is very rare in the trades right now and worth a lot. With how difficult manufacturing is, and seeing how there is legitimate support from Saniflo, you only want to continue to stick with them.”

Purchasing from a manufacturer with a North America-based salesforce ensures faster, more efficient customer care. Communicating with SFA Saniflo’s U.S.- or Canada-based customer service agents ensures quicker responses, reliable problem-solving and effective communication.

As mentioned earlier, this was not Zimmerman’s first positive experience with Saniflo’s customer support. Since he installed the first set of Saniflo units in his daughter’s salon, Zimmerman has continued to feel confident in using Saniflo products for other commercial projects, specifically rental properties where, again, the structural integrity of a building was at issue.

“Now I have a solution for those types of projects, and I have enough confidence in Saniflo pumps to handle it,” confirms Zimmerman, “We can run the system through the ceiling and save a lot of time and trouble.”

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ABOUT SANIFLO
SFA SANIFLO NORTH AMERICA – whose France-based parent company, SFA Group, originated macerating plumbing technology — offers a complete line of waste and drainage pumping systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications. SFA Saniflo developed its innovative, “above-floor plumbing” technology 65 years ago and has led its commercialization worldwide. Today, the company markets macerating technology through 27 subsidiaries doing business in more than 70 countries and has sold more than eight million units worldwide since 1958. SFA Saniflo markets through independent sales agents throughout North America, and the product line is currently available at distributor and dealer locations throughout the continent.

For more information, contact SFA Saniflo USA at 1-800-571-8191, or visit the website at Saniflo.com. To contact SFA Saniflo Canada, dial 1-800-363-5874, or visit Saniflo.ca.

For editorial assistance, contact Madelyn Young ([email protected]) c/o GreenHouse Digital + PR: 708-428-6385.

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