Toilet Recommendation

[dkerfoot]

I have two toilets - downstairs, I am not sure of the brand anymore but it is the standard new low flush design. Very pretty and works fine as a urinal.

Upstairs, I have the original 90 year old toilet. It is an ugly, industrial affair and probably uses 30 gallons a flush - but whatever is flushed stays flushed.

California and AZ people relax - here in Michigan (the Great Lakes State) we have water like you have sunshine - of course, we also have sunshine like you have water. So, you start conserving sunshine and I'll start worrying about my water consumption.

[Bruce Cohen]

Doug,

I used to sell toilets when I was with Home Depot (boo, hiss) and here's what I think you should look for.

Most brands these days are fairly similar, with price being the one exception.

All toilets sold today have the "low usage (1.6) gal. per flush, so you can't purchase any thing with a higher flow rate (although you can find some that use even less per flush).

First you need to determine the "rough-out" for the toilet. You get that by measuring from the wall to the bolts that hold the bowl to the floor. This is important as there are a few different sizes and the wrong one won't fit.

Then there is the choice of either a round bowl, or an extended one, with most guys liking the extended style. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Some brands offer a different style of internal routing of the waste, this works well to offset the lower volume of water per flush. Some offer a vacuum type of flush, action, these are usually demonstrated by flushing golf balls to prove how powerful the flushing action is. BTW, this feature is great and doesn't raise the cost by much.

There are both one and two part toilets, I favor the two piece versions, more styles and the only real differences are the one piece usually is more modern in the exterior design, weigh more and won't leak at the tank/bowl connection. I have yet to see a leak at this juncture, although if you slam into the tank enough, you could unseart the connecting gasket.

Other than the above, the rest boils down to style, and color. Neither affect how well the toilet works.

I found Home Depot or Lowes prices are the most competitive as the mark-up for bathroom fixtures are 300-500%. and In HD if they have what you want in stock, the price is even less than ordering one, which HD will do.

Good luck and let me know if you need any further assistance. BTW I found Kohler to be excellent but a bit more money than the other companies. Check out the web sites, there's more info there than you want to know.

One last thing, Toilets come in two heights, regular and "right size" which is about two inches highter. Originally they were made to comply with the ADA guidelines, but a lot of people fint the higher bowl is more comfortable, no matter what you age, with the onlly down side is for families with small kids.

Bruce

[Hoover]

Here in western Washington, our water district told us we have to change from a 5 gallon flush toilet to a 1.6 gallon model, in order to conserve water. Strange as it may sound in good old rain 360 days a year Washington, there is a shortage of drinkable water. Many of the larger casinos and other public places are urged to clean, filter, and recycle water for the bathrooms. Also the housing boom has put a strain on many water systems.

[dkerfoot]

Here in western Washington, our water district told us we have to change from a 5 gallon flush toilet to a 1.6 gallon model, in order to conserve water. Strange as it may sound in good old rain 360 days a year Washington, there is a shortage of drinkable water. Many of the larger casinos and other public places are urged to clean, filter, and recycle water for the bathrooms. Also the housing boom has put a strain on many water systems.

Hey Hoover,

I used to live in that area. I rode Tridents for a few years. I actually lived in Suquamish - well before the casinos. Few folks realize that the actual rainfall in inches isn't that high there - for instance, New York gets 47 inches per year, but Seattle just gets 36. It is just that in the winter it is pretty much always misting.

Absolutely beautiful area though. I loved it and hated to leave. I have lived all over the country and there aren't too many places I would consider moving to. I like where I am at, but if I had to move, the Puget Sound would be at the top of the list.

[Tamarack]

New toilet report

Based on the discussion here, I purchased a new American Standard Cadet 3. We bought this house when I moved here after I retired-great location, 1200 sq ft cinder block shop building, and a big garden area. The bad part is the older house was built with the least cost approach on everything (especially the toilet!). I had to replace all of the plumbing pipes including the drain pipes. Even with new lines that got rid of some restrictive bends, still had to use a plunger on the toilet 4-5 times a week. Replaced most of the windows with good Pella's last October and put in the new comfort-height toilet at the same time. We haven't had to use the plunger even once since then, and this is definitely a water-saver unit. It works right the first time every time, a blessing in these times when so many products do not perform as advertised! I highly recommend this model for anyone thinking of replacing an older one or for new construction, and the comfort height ADA approved version for anyone with mobility issues either now or in the future.

Paul

[Ed62]

We have a Crane and one of those "I don't know's". Both work well.

Ed