Tired of plungering

[Cybrvanr]

Okay, I'm sick of this stupid builder-grade toilet that the previous owners installed in this house! It was one of the first generation 1.6 gallon toilets. One square of TP, and this thing is clogged! It's time to replace it with something that works!

I've been doing some research on which one to get. I've heard all sorts of people say what the best one to use. It's come down to American Standard's Cadet, and Toto from what I've heard. Do any of you have any experience with the "Flushmate" pressure assist units? They are used in the American Standard ones.

I'm looking for one that will perform as good as the old 7 gallon toilets like the houses around here were originally built with!...one I don't need to keep a plunger beside!!! Any recommendations?

 

[toggleswitch]

Aren't the pressure assisted ones REALLY loud?

I have had two TOTO's, (funny in Spanish) one in this place and one in the prior. It is decent and basic, never thought it to be "the best".

 

[launderess]

Do what many other people do; look around for an older home that is being demolished/refurbed and nab the toilet. Or, search out used plumbing/junk yards for one.

Had no idea there was such a lively trade in "older" commodes, until read about it in the NYT. Apparently you are not alone in your detesting "newer" toilets, and many people simply wait until their new home has passed final inspections to swap out current code required commode for an older unit.

L.

 

[hoover1060]

Kohler...

I just last fall replaced a 30+ year old toilet with a Kohler, I wish I could remember the model, but I got it at Home Depot and it was about $150 or so.
No problems, one flush emptys it, and it does not clog.
I had people tell me I'd wish I had the other one back, but so far that has not been the case.

 

[luxflairguy]

For my money and my house, I used the American Standard Cedets--2 of them--but with one variation. I went with the new ADA (American Disabilities Act) height. They are 4 inches taller than older toilets and so much easier on the knees! Work great and wish our Seattle home had them! Have a Toto in Seattle and it won't flush anything unless you do it twice.
I was on TV the otherday that there are now low flushers out that have 2 buttons 1 for #1, and 2, for #2. The later runs the water longer for a better flush!
But the ADA height is for me and they are available in all styles and flushes!
Greg in Seattle

 

[pumper]

the last two cheapo toilets i bought from home depot worked fine. get one that has the hole at the bottom of the bowl to push everything down and not just the swirl type

 

[petek]

You could always take a drive up here to Canada and get a real toilet

 

[knitwits1975]

Yeah a lot of people around here sneak up to BC to buy a commode.

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: My House:

Still has the original Toilet in it. The house was built between 1953 and 1954 and my Parent's were the 2nd Owner's of the house in 1957, when I was 7-years old. It does once in a while get Stopped-Up, but I believe that it is more from the Tree Roots in my Front Yard, which is where the Sewer Line goes out to the Street Lines. It is an American Standard Brand. It has had the Insides replaced more times than none through the years however.

Good Luck with your purchase decision, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[brettsomers]

Antique

this is an extensive site, dealing with reproductions and originals. the variety is amazing!

http://www.deabath.com/index.html

 

[polkanut]

Steve, I can do one better. My home was originally built in 1925, and the indoor plumbing was installed in approx. 1935. The original tub, and toilet are both in the house. I did have to put new guts in the toilet though. To save water, I put a brick in the tank and it does help. I wouldn't trade it for a 1.6 gallon POS at all.

 

[toggleswitch]

I love it~~~

we have to go to Cananda to get a commode or a top-loader that actually works.

(But on paper we are saving water. How nice).

Hey Petie, are your posted speed-limits WAY below what people actually drive as well?

 

[bpetersxx]

have a Briggs 1.6 gallon toilet with a sloan tank flush tank

It sounds like a freight train taking off or a toilet in schools and shopping center restrooms

House I live in I think was built in 1893 Mom and I used to fight about that

Had a clawfoot bathtub and might have had a wall hung toilet

 

[kenmore58]

Actually, this is the next project for me on the list!! My house was built in 1986 and contains one of those "water saver" toilets. Yeah, right! Sometimes it takes three flushes to clear the bowl.

Any advice would be helpful.

Ron

 

[bpetersxx]

forgot to add to my original post

The briggs toilet clogs up about half the time so I prolly will be getting 2 new toilets since the half bathroom needs a new one as well

 

[retromom]

I don't get it!

What kind of savings are we really getting when we have to flush our "water saver" toilets two or three times just to get the *&$# out of the bowl!!!

Our next replacement will either be pressure assisted, or a d&@# latrine!!!

 

[bpetersxx]

looking at american standard toilets website and the toilets look so regal makes u feel so kingly

feel free to add the next line

 

[toggleswitch]

HA HA HA HA.

It's just TOO easy

-QC

 

[Designgeek]

Some years ago when the old toilet died (a roto rooter operator made a booboo outside and the claw came up through the trap and cracked the porcelain), property management came in and installed a Gerber 1.6 gallon unit. I've never heard of Gerber before, aside from baby foods, and clearly they were not related.

The first time I used it, I thought, "oh boy, here we go, flush twice to make the poo go down..."

However, it worked like a charm. No problems. One of the few 1.6 gallon toilets I've seen that works perfectly almost every time.

OK, one can overload it with toilet paper, and then it's time to reach for the plunger. But one can overload any toilet with enough paper.

I've also discovered that I can hold down the flush handle half way for just long enough to get a 1/2 gallon flush for #1, which also works perfectly.

If you're looking to buy a water-conserving loo, what you should look for is one where the water path is as straight through as possible, and where the water flow takes as much advantage as possible of gravity and inertia. What you'll see (if they have them hooked up in the plumbing fixtures store) is that the water seems to go through the toilet *quickly.*

The ones that just swirl around before the contents siphon out, are more prone to clogs and more prone to "incomplete flushes." The ones that have a pressurized (air-pressure assisted) tank make a truly obnoxious WHOOSH! sound that will wake up the person sleeping in the next room if they're not a heavy sleeper.

If in doubt, buy from a place that has them hooked up for you to try. Grab a few handfulls of TP, wad 'em up as you do "in real life," let 'em sit in the water until they sink below the water line, and then flush and see what happens.

BTW, the toilet industry uses miso, formed into pieces of "appropriate size and shape" (i.e. simulated poo) for testing. You could try that at the plumbing supply stores if they have working display models, but it might get you some funny looks.

 

[veg-o-matic]

One of the terlets in my house was apparently replaced by the previous owner. I think the originals were Crane and were--if you'll pardon the expression-POSes.
The replacement is a Gerber with the pressure-assist flush thingie. That is fabboo! I think I could flush a football and it'd go down!
I made a mistake with the other one, replacing a--again, pardon the expression--crappy Crane with a Kohler that supposedly had some kind of marvy new flushing mechanism. Frankly, it's no better than the first one. One of these days I'm going to rip it up and replace it with another pressure-assist toilet.
In the meantime, I keep my plunger handy.

veg

 

[jasonl]

Flushit

Accordiong to CR, the Eljer tall gravity is the best but Gerber's pressure flusher (noisy) and the AS Champion are good as well. The American Standards have a straight through water path so they do flush well without all the drama of a pressure flusher.

People like me really don't save water because I flus everytime right after I drop one.

 

[Burpalator]

The American Standard Champion has been an absolute fiasco. It's been on the market for over two years now and the bugs still are not worked out. Granted, the tank parts are warrantied for 10 years, but while you're waiting for new parts to arrive, your potty is out of commission and the same parts are constantly in replacement rotation.

This is actually something I have spent a lot of time and research on. I built my first home in '94 which was the first year the 1.6 gallon toilets were federally mandated for new construction and major renovation in the U.S. I had the first generation of 1.6 American Standard Cadets and they were hoffific. The just-released third generation 1.6 Cadet (the Cadet 3 with Flush Right) is supposed to be phenomenal. The Toto Ultramax models are also great performers, though a little heavy in the price tag. All of the pressure assist (Flushmate) models work well but they're noisy and expensive to repair. The Kohler Class Five series rates fairly well in flush volume and plug resistance, but lack in bowl rinse.

I have begun to think that it's really not necessary to spend a fortune on a toilet. They pretty much all handle pee just fine. If you tend to use a lot of paper for other functions, break that habit and flush as you go. The latest "high performance" models are running $175 to $200 (closer to $300 for Toto) and research indicates that all work well. All of the major brands now have these models.

The toilet should no longer be confused with a wastebasket. Human waste and toilet paper only. NO Kleenex, paper towels, tampons, Q-tips, etc.

 

[Burpalator]

The Habitat for Humanity salvage stores usually have a nice selection of used toilets of various vintages for $35. You can get a good old five gallon model, take it apart and give it a good wash with muriatic acid, put new guts in the tank for under $20 and a new seat (prices vary) and, though it will guzzle water, it will get it all on the first flush and will be hard to clog.

 

[petek]

Jason, you've heard the expression "too much information". LOL

 

[brettsomers]

and if yall CONTINUE to have hardships with your toilets, you might consider adding some *roughage* to your diets!

 

[jasonl]

Why do they call it "roughage" when it should be called "SMOOTHAGE"

And yes, I eat a bowl of oatmeal a day so it comes out just fine.

 

[DADoES]

ROFL! Wish I could send this thread to a few friends, but just don't think I should do that......

 

[frigilux]

I bought the pressure-flush Gerber with an elongated bowl last summer. It's excellent. It will NEVER, EVER clog. If it does, I'll come to your house and plunge it, personally.

Yes, it's a little louder than a standard toilet, but the flush cycle is really short, so it's not annoying. There's a burst of sound, then it's gone. Unless your toilet is in the living room, it won't bother you. And, it only uses a gallon-and-a-half of water, to boot.

It's a little spendy---I think mine was $375, including installation---but a toilet is something you use daily for many years. And you're finding out how damned annoying a dodgy toilet can be. Go for the Gerber!

 

[Maytagmom]

I am gone for a few days and yall are talking crap!

LMAO...funny thread, thanks for the laugh...

I have a TOTO and IMHO it is a POS. So is this house. My Maytag is worth more than this house. (not saying much is it?)
I have to keep a plunger right next to the toilet.

And I agree...what is the use? of a low water john/jane if you have to flush it more than once. No offense to anyone named John or Jane.

Happy Easter to Everyone in Applianceville...Be safe, be well, and eat alot of boiled Easter Eggs on Sunday. lol

With gas prices going way up again, I may have to fart in a balloon and take to the air-ways. (No offense to the vacuum gods)

Peace out...
C

 

[Designgeek]

Hmm, seems like I'm not the only one with a good review for Gerber.

Note re. "no kleenex or paper towels." This is more important than it may sound. You look at a piece of toilet paper, a kleenex, and a paper towel, and it appears they're all pretty similar. But they are definitely not.

Toilet paper is designed to self-shred or nearly dissolve after even a very brief soak in water, so that it will be less likely to clog the WC on the way down, less likely to snag and cause a blockage in the wastewater pipes, and more easily broken down in sewage treatment plants. (Okay, exception for that nasty single-sheet stuff you sometimes see in public WCs, that has the consistency & absorbence of waxpaper, but that stuff is intended to be used by the single sheet, God knows how...)

By the time toilet paper reaches your septic tank or the municipal treatment plant, it has basically broken down into suspended fibers in the water, which the septic or municipal system can handle much more effectively than if the paper were still intact.

Kleenex has to be designed to withstand the air pressure of blowing one's nose, so it's tougher and harder to break down. When flushed, it can snag on the little bits of tree roots that often make their way into wastewater pipes outside the house. After a while, this stuff can build up and cause a clog.

Paper towels are designed to withstand rough mechanical treatment while wet, for example wiping up a food spill on a counter. Same result as kleenex when you flush 'em, only moreso and faster.

Q-tips and similar, can tumble in the water and wedge across a pipeline like little sticks, especially when a partial clog is already present.

If you have some free time, try this: take a typical wad of TP, maybe 3 - 4 sheets, and a kleenex, and a paper towel, and drop all of them in a bucket of clean water, and then stir briskly with a fork. The TP will shred quickly whilst the other papers won't.

---

Despite being hardcore for conservation, I have no problem with high water use in toilets. The rightful purposes for residential water are drinking, cooking, personal cleanliness (toothbrushing, washing, bathing, showering), and sanitation (laundry, dishwashing, toilets, cleaning household surfaces). If we can make those processes more efficient, good, but not at the expense of basic health considerations. The places where water use is truly wasteful, are in watering lawns in inappropriate climates (anywhere that there is not natural precipitation in each season of the year), and inefficient crop irrigation processes, all of which can and should be cut back or cut out entirely.