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Sanicompact and Saniwalls provide benefits to English Shepherd Huts
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Taking cues from British countryside heritage, Norfolk-based manufacturer of rustic shepherd huts, the English Shepherd Hut Co, prides itself on its range of traditional huts; designed with modern convenience in mind.
Shepherd huts were traditionally used for shepherds to shelter in remote areas whilst tending to their flocks. The portable units were built from wood or corrugated iron and featured a stove for warmth and a window for keeping an eye on the sheep. Modern agricultural machinery has all but eliminated the needs for such huts, but nostalgia for tradition and heritage has led to a new demand for portable accommodation for weddings, festivals, campsites – and even as offices, garden rooms and playrooms.
Huts, such as the company’s Poachers Hut, feature all mod cons including bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and seating space thanks to ingenious interior design that maximises every inch of available space.
Unlike a lot of portable accommodation the flushing toilet is not a chemical loo. The company specified the Sanicompact with integrated macerator from Saniflo. The ideal WC for compact spaces where mains drainage is unavailable, it was recommended by local plumbing contractor, R Weston Plumbing from Langham, Norfolk, who now install the units as standard in a number of the company’s huts.
The Sanicompact has an automatic push-button flush connected directly to a water supply and needs no cistern. It also features a wash basin inlet so grey waste water can also be processed through the macerator if required. Waste is discharged via 32mm pipework either to a storage tank or to the nearest mains.
Product innovation is the cornerstone of the English Shepherd Hut’s ethos and new products are launched regularly to meet the dynamic needs of the leisure sector. Recently the Aquarius – a posh, portable toilet block for weddings and events – was launched as part of the Shepherds Rest range. It provides upmarket showering and WC facilities and is available for hire or sale. Wanting the latest in contemporary fittings, the company used Saniflo’s Saniwall so that modern, wall hung sanitaryware could be specified. The Saniwall is a built-in frame system with an integrated dual flush cistern and macerator pump. With two extra side inlets it can take waste from wash basin and a shower as well as the WC.
Craig Nield owns and operates the business from his manufacturing plant in Norfolk;
“Saniflo products have enabled us to develop huts that do away with the need for chemical loos. Customers are happy to pay a bit extra for nice, clean-smelling bathroom facilities whether it is one of our accommodation huts or our bathroom blocks. They not only look nice, but are easy to use and offer home from home comfort. Our next range, The Neptune, will be launched in the very near future and is an upmarket loo block for events featuring Saniflo macerators. We’ve worked out the optimum size waste storage tank to ensure our products overcome the ever-present problem of over-flowing toilet facilities at festivals and events. We’re grateful to our plumber, Sam Weston, for his expertise which has enabled us to develop a great range of Shepherds Huts.”
