Buying a new Toilet this weekend - Any advice?

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

jrap330 said:
Matt you stated this previously due to your Philly home. My point is something I wish I considered more seriously when I brought my new one three years ago.
Click to expand...
So... as I see it, those low-flo toilets, the faucets and shower heads and water-saving washers, while advertized as "Being better for the environment" and "lowering water bills" isn't always such a good thing.
Perhaps in some instances it may work as planned, but neverthless it's wise to consider actual conditions and is worth investigating to prevent surprises.

My home is located on the peak of a hill, the street angle is downward in both directions, so I'm pretty lucky when it rains because downhill the street is prone to flooding issues, particularly in a heavy storm.
Even my main sewer line (lateral) from the house is angled down to the street main 50+ feet from my home.
In my basement, the older American Standard toilet has a forceful flush action too.

People don't take into account the geometry or potential problems when buying things like a toilet, they see some impressive advertizement, or get wrapped up in that "Home Upgrade" propoganda, only to face issues later on.
That's what resulted for my neighbors.

When I got this home, everything "vintage" here worked fine, still does, I'm not one to "buy into" the upgrade hype - so I'm one of those that say:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
 
DiamondTiara said:
Its really just because I want to, really. It still works but one can notice that the wax wing is likely starting to fail, and the toilet itself occasionally has the small leak here and there. It's also really starting to show its age in some areas, like under the tank there is this black stuff I can't get off no matter how hard I scrub. It's a bit of an eyesore.
Click to expand...
circlew said:
A wall mounted toilet requires a part called a "carrier", that bolts to the floor at the bottom of the inside of the wall, and the wall framing. This item was actually more expensive than the toilet itself. It also requires a thicker wall assembly to accommodate the plumbing. I was doing a major renovation, so it wasn't an issue.

Why do you think your 15 year old fixture needs to be changed out? One of good quality should last many decades. My dad's uncle and aunt built a house in 1936, and the toilets installed were Standard Sanitary "Master" one piece models. They were still in fine condition when we sold the house in 1991 after his death, 55 years later. They had been properly maintained, of course, as was everything.
Click to expand...
I forgot to add that the flush valve toilets require a larger than standard water line -1". I got all new plumbing, both supply lines and drainage, so not an issue.
 
phillymatt53 said:
I've got an older 1970's Kohler that's still going strong.
Remember those 6-7 gallon Full Flush models made before all that "water conservation" crap?

The thing to consider is, I've heard from neighbors that they had to pay a plumber multiple times to clean out their sewage pipes leading out to the street main - an expensive procedure.
Because the toilet paper and crap gets clogged under the house's pipe because not enough water pushes the crap though, it sticks, builds up, then you've got a problem.

So, I'll stick to the old style flush.
At least I know that the "crap" makes it out to the street in one flush. :LOL:
Click to expand...
Charmin tissue is notorious for clogging drains. When I was renting the "hovel", the landlady warned me not to use it, or there would be sewer issues. Eventually it got so bad that any tissue would block it. Water from the upstairs bathroom and sinks would cause the downstairs toilet to overflow. They had to have the old clay tile sewer dug out and replaced, as it had settled and became misaligned.
 
circlew said:
Charmin tissue is notorious for clogging drains. When I was renting the "hovel", the landlady warned me not to use it, or there would be sewer issues. Eventually it got so bad that any tissue would block it. Water from the upstairs bathroom and sinks would cause the downstairs toilet to overflow. They had to have the old clay tile sewer dug out and replaced, as it had settled and became misaligned.
Click to expand...
Nothing nice about an overflowing toilet, for sure!
One house (row home) that I rented in 1987-1988 had horrible plumbing, horrible electric service. - the main electrical box was still using old school glass fuses.
It was of course in a shabby low-class section of Philly (Kensington).
The landlady even offered to sell me the joint! - for only $16,500!
Of course I wasn't interested in such a barn like that.
I have standards, ya know! (Matt puts nose up in the air)

A couple of years ago, I did a Google search for the place out of curiosity...
And guess what?
It's no longer there!
The place burned to the ground some time after I left there. - deemed and electrical fire.
In it's place there is now a three story apartment building.
 
DiamondTiara said:
Out into a leech field that spreads it out throughout the ground. It has been that way for the past 13 years and no issues so far.
Click to expand...
A leech field is another name for a drain field. It seems like it would need a second tank as well? Phosphates aren't great for the water in the ground either.
 
william8 said:
I could understand low flow plugging a 50' or longer line to the street. But how would it plug a septic field?
Click to expand...
Lack of water can indirectly cause a drain field to clog by making the soil hard and compacted, and by preventing the necessary bacteria from functioning properly.
 
william8 said:
A leech field is another name for a drain field. It seems like it would need a second tank as well? Phosphates aren't great for the water in the ground either.
Click to expand...
I only seem to recall that the septic has a tank. It was 13 years ago when it was installed, so it could be possible that the drain field for the gray water has a separate tank. I just don't remember there being a second tank for gray water alone. Weird.

Again, only the toilets in the house, and the adjacent bathroom sinks drain into the septic. Nothing else does.
 
qsd-dan said:
Lack of water can indirectly cause a drain field to clog by making the soil hard and compacted, and by preventing the necessary bacteria from functioning properly.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you know how a septic system works. Really, the less water going into the drain field, the better.
Less water allows more time for solids to break down in the tank, and less saturation of the drain field.
Low flow toilets may be bad for drain pipes, but they are better for drain fields. Same with washers that use less waiter.

The bacteria breaks down the solids in the tank, not the drain field.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/water...Terry Gibb<gibb@msu.,That's 350 gallons a day.
 
I'm curious in what areas/jurisdictions ... states, counties ... have aerobic septic systems become common vs. conventional anaerobic systems.
 
I learned at our previous house that the flappers that come with the American Standard toilet model I installed in 2010 wouldn't give a proper flush. I replaced the flapper with a Korky brand and got a full flush. I immediately installed Korky flappers on both AS toilets in the current house and seven+ years on, they continue to provide a thorough flush. Another way to get a full flush is to use a flapper assembly that has a cup on it, which keeps the flapper in the open position until the water drains from the cup. This method allows all but a couple of inches' worth to water to drain from the tank.
 
rp2813 said:
I learned at our previous house that the flappers that come with the American Standard toilet model I installed in 2010 wouldn't give a proper flush. I replaced the flapper with a Korky brand and got a full flush. I immediately installed Korky flappers on both AS toilets in the current house and seven+ years on, they continue to provide a thorough flush. Another way to get a full flush is to use a flapper assembly that has a cup on it, which keeps the flapper in the open position until the water drains from the cup. This method allows all but a couple of inches' worth to water to drain from the tank.
Click to expand...
Indeed, I installed a Korky flapper on my Kohler that has adjustable settings on it and it's been great.
 
Not sure if this was mentioned in the discussion, be sure to go to a plumbing supply showroom in your area. There you will see toilets not available at the big box stores. High end stuff if that's your style. I have a dream that one day I will replace my white toilet with something in royal blue, you can get that at a very high cost :-) My experience with Toto isn't good, I can't recommend it. Not a good flusher, requires a special plunger, and very difficult to keep clean. Toto makes a higher end model with a claimed special ceramic coating that makes cleaning almost unnecessary, everything just slides off the bowl :-) I prefer Kohler products, always have. The one-piece units are attractive, the tank parts and sometimes the seat are non-standard and difficult to obtain. Costco sometimes sells toilets in the warehouse, and you don't have to buy 2 of them :-)
 
vacerator said:
For city sewers, all household water drains into them. Wouldn't this be enough to keep the flow going?
Click to expand...
If you're talking about the typical residential home's own sewage system that leads to the city's main, consider that the "flow" that you're asking about isn't constant.
You send the kids off to school, the parents go off to work, so during that time, there is nothing providing a "flow" for hours.
 
rp2813 said:
Re: the square bowl rimless toilet pictured above, that's not the style I was referring to. The type I mentioned looks the same as a regular toilet. The only difference is that it shoots a jet of water all the way around the rim rather than downward from a series of small holes, and that seems to provide a more quiet flushing action along with equal or better flushing action.

I don't know if this is an American Standard exclusive, but here's a link to what I've tried to describe:
https://www.americanstandard-us.com...x-g-80A18PpqWHtWcLdn4V5CFpD3A9ILYM_o501sarL_z
Click to expand...

You can get vortex flush in the UK.

https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk...J6inV9t4kaYkNMptpSOtzRNJLiKsYJcRoCwaAQAvD_BwE

4694c001-3.webp



And the power rim in the US would be categorised as rimless here.

 
vacerator said:
I saw a hotel room in China with a similar looking square toilet. Heated seat, bidet, wall touch pads for flushing and all functions. The lid was even automatic.
Click to expand...
I saw a video of that kind of toilet.
Wifi, music, lighting effects, powered seats, motion sensors all sorts of rediculous gadgets.....

If you honestly think about it, it's a bunch of bullshit designed to impress or brag about.
All I want to do is take a friggin' crap, I don't need to hear Patsy Cline singing from the bowl, or stage lighting to shine on my junk. 😮
 
phillymatt53 said:
I saw a video of that kind of toilet.
Wifi, music, lighting effects, powered seats, motion sensors all sorts of rediculous gadgets.....

If you honestly think about it, it's a bunch of bullshit designed to impress or brag about.
All I want to do is take a friggin' crap, I don't need to hear Patsy Cline singing from the bowl, or stage lighting to shine on my junk. 😮
Click to expand...
I'd love to have a japanese bidet toilet seat. It would save on bog roll too.

But, I'd forgo the fax and computer terminal et-al though!
 
Last edited:
I would definitely avoid "Mansfield" brand at any costs.
They are terrible flow, and are very prone to clogging.

This video might be of some good help:
(and it's entertaining!)

 
In 1995 I completely redid this place and put in a 1.6 Elger that was getting to the point that you needed to flush twice. Replaced it with a cheap Aquasource from Lowes that flushes with a big woosh. My problem is the well water is very high iron content that stains easily. I tried everything to clean it and then was told to try a pumice stone, worked perfect. And only my toilet goes into the septic, all other drains go into an old fashioned French drain and everything grows great around it.
 
Tim,
I grew up in the country and we had a well. The water was loaded with iron and stained to toilets terribly. Mom went to the Hardware Store in Guerneville and the guy recommended Whink Rust Remover and it worked like a charm. No scrubbing, just squirt it on around the rim of the bowl and voila, no more rust! Much easier than using a pumice stone.

Eddie

https://thewhink.com/
 
In 2010 the city of Cotati replaced both of our old 3.5 gal per flush toilets with new Mansfield 1.3 gpf toilets for FREE and they have been excellent.

They flush better than the old 3.5 gpf toilets ever did and we’ve had zero problems with them, nor has our sewer line ever clogged up from the use of these low water usage toilets.

The secret to using these low flow toilets is to hold the handle down when flushing solid waste and then the entire tank empties into the bowl to facilitate a complete flush.

Eddie
 

Similar threads

KyletheApplianceGuy
Young guy - New from MI
Replies
11
Views
865
KyletheApplianceGuy
KyletheApplianceGuy
N
Whirlpool Direct Drive WTW5700SW0 -- Bearing Kit Replacement 285203
Replies
0
Views
627
npolite
N
neptunebob
Do I save Walter or let him go?
Replies
2
Views
355
neptunebob
neptunebob
countryford
1953 Hotpoint
Replies
6
Views
527
Unimatic1140
Unimatic1140
E
GE GFW450 SSm1WW Front loader-stinky clothes complaint
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
elksk
E

Latest posts

Back
Top