Tired of plungering

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Flushit

People like me really don't save water because I flush everytime right after.....

*LOL*
*ROARING*.
Is there any wonder we all feel like family upon our first (physical) meeting?
 
Good points designgeek! I like the sign that is frequently sold at boating shops that says "Do not place anything into the toilet that has not been eaten first!" I think I'll keep on my original track, and see if I can find a toto or an A. S. Toilet

We have a constant problem with the women's restroom at our shop with overflows and flooding. Women seem to try and flush ANYTHING!

Here's a funny one I heard one time that sort of plays on our need to change names of things to make them sound more polite. It's a letter to a paper products company:

" I was at the supermarket, and I found your product which was labeled bath tissue, and resembled toilet paper. I figured I should try out the product and see how good it works. That evening, I filled up the bathtub, and pulled off some of your bath tissue from the roll. Upon touching the water however the bath tissue almost instantly fragmented and fell apart. After several more attempts to use your bath tissue, I gave up on trying to use it to take a bath with, as the product was very poor for it's intended purpose. I instead, used the rest of the product as toilet paper. I am thinking this may have been a simple mis-label at the factory because I cannot fathom someone making a product this poor!"
 
So does it matter if you swallow whole?

But seriously folks.....

My '80's vintage Norris fixtures, which are a mid-flush, transitional design (3-1/2 Gal/flush) are very good performers even on partial flushes using only 1-1/2 gallons of water. (I installed 2 handle, mini-flush kits.)

If you're in an area where water is short and prices are high (e.g., So California) then lo-flows start to make sense. The first generation of low-flows really sucked, even CU's higher rated ones. If you're a double flush man and can stand the noise, get a power flush for best performance. Otherwise get an old '60's Eljer or Universal Rundle, etc.. with a 5 gallon tank.
 
This is the perfect thread for this:

He, he. He, he, he...

I am the great cornholio. I need TP for my LOW-FLOW!

Hey, a**wipe, lets go get some Nachos.... and try to clog Andersons new toilet.

Yea. That would be cool. Yea, yea; Cool!

He, he, he...
 
Gerber Ultra Flush

I have a Gerber Ultra-Flush 1.6 gal. The toilet is a little loud flushing, but it really does the job. In the 5 years that I have had it, I can count on one hand the number of times I had to use a plunger. It seems it happens when some of my sons friends come over and use way....too much toilet paper. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Consumer reports rated this toilet #1 a few years ago.
 
One of the main problems with these low flush toilets is the small diameter of the trap and beyond. Plus, these cheap, narrow passages have not been glazed, so imagine all of that rough surface to grab onto and actually slow the passage of the flush through the passage. Make sure that the toilet, which will be more expensive, has a glazed trap and the wider diameter passageway. Fortunately, I still have one original 1954 American Standard and a newer one, but not a low flow type. Here is something I did to modify the '54 and my water bills have dropped like a rock. You know that little jet of water that squirts down the tube to rinse the bowl while the tank is filling? Well, I positioned it so that it sprays into the tank instead. That is a very strong jet of water. You almost want to lift the lid to see who's peeing in there. It causes the tank to fill very fast. The water level in the bowl is slightly lower, but not to where it causes cleaning problems. If you can adjust the position of this part, you might make a water saver out of your older super flusher.

I'm going to have to try giving the tank a squirt of liquid dishwashing detergent just when the flapper closes to see if I can cause an oversudsing situation.
 
Low Flush Toilets

Tome, I agree with you on some of the toilets that they have a small diameter of the trap and beyond. The Gerber is not that small. You have to check it out. I had an older toilet also, and I would not trade this Gerber for anything.

Ray
 
Toto's

In a local bath showroom, they have the Toto on display with eight golf balls in it. They claim it will flush the 8 golf balls down with no problem. Well it did. But.........who poops like golf balls?????? Well.....anyhoo, the Toto is a pretty good toilet if you have it in an area where NOISE is a problem But give the Gerber ultraflush anyday.
 
designgeek--- speaking of how toilet paper breaks down, I use the wet Cottonelle individual sheets in addition to regular TP. That stuff seems very indestructible and I highly doubt it dissolves readily in water.

I used to use the wet Cottonelle TP on a roll, which CR said dissolved well, but that has been discontinued. (Which is why I'm now hoarding boxes of powdered Tide Cold Water. It's been disappearing from stores, too, and the liquid version just isn't as good, but that's another story....)

At any rate, I've been flushing the indestructible wet sheets for about a year now, and so far it's caused no problems with plumbing. The instructions (TP with instructions?!) say to flush only one sheet at a time, but I often flush 2 or 3 at once with no problems.

My question is this: Am I abusing my good 'flushing karma'? Should I knock it off before it's too late? Or do you think that given the length of time I've been using the stuff with no problem I might be in the clear?
 
toilets

Hi, all. We have a (2) stores here in Phx and Mesa called "Stardust building supplies" that sells everything that has been removed from homes, etc. They sell 80's and 90's models of KA dishwashers for $35.00!!!! They also sell the older style toilets too. They had a black Kohler toilet for $60.00!!! 3.5 gal. Back when I lived in a appartment for 8 yrs. and had a low-flush toilet that was really good. I'd say that I flushed at least 10 thousand pounds of cat litter along with my 1 gal basin SE Rainbow and never, ever had a clog......Bill in Az.....
 
Frigilux, I also use those single sheets as a supplement. But it's rare I use more than 1 at a time. I have an old-fashioned 1984 flush-a-matic that I hope will keep on keepin' on. Some know I'm a post-surgical GI patient and I can challenge mine still. Yes, I do have clogs, but they eventually work their way through. Only twice have I needed the plunger. And once needed the plumber to come snake. I was lectured about those single sheets, but they're a requirement for me. My laundry is more of a challenge since 10/2001 and only a front loader with a heater will make my life easier. And I know that for a da*n fact.
 
A friend from Mass. is moving down here and they bought a 1900 Victorian and they were so excited finding the wonderful tubs and toilets and vanities still in place. This is one of the fanciest toilets.
 
That's some fancy porcelon work there! Does that one have the tank mounted up near the ceiling?

Those front-trap toilets are always look odd to me, like they were installed backwords or someting. I guess that used to be the common way of making toilets early on, since many of the homes in my neighborhood with the original toilets are like that. Wonder why the manufacturers started building them the other way?
 
If you don't have any miso to test a toilet, could you walk into a plumbing showroom with test dummies made from the various colors of Play-Doh? I would love to see the look of horror on a salesperson's face when you open one of the Play-Doh cannisters and drop in the contents just as it is packed from about 3 or 4 feet above the water line, remembering to warn, just a second too late, "Watch out for the splash!" Or maybe you could go by the market and bring fresh produce for testing purposes. Grapes; not individually, but by the bunch. Roma tomatoes. Bananas? Clementines? Plums, figs, apricots, nectarines? POTATOES or some rocks to simulate the after effects of a lower GI series?
 
Just like most other things,

I think you get what you pay for, up to a point. My landlord, never a generous man, has a literally no-name commode in this bathroom. No idea if it is Eljer, American-Standard, Kohler, Toto, Universal-Rundle.....

It is terrible. The water does NOT fully exchange. I have done everything I know how to do....I've scrubbed under the rim with a brush, hoping to get all the jets functioning......

At least once a month I have to plunge or pour a gallon bouquet of water into it, and I wish I could say it has never overflowed. I wish.

I don't care if vacuum assisted commodes are noisy, they are effective! If you're worried about waking someone else at night, just flush #2.

My dream commode is a vacuum assisted one at ADA height.

My dream bath has a separate urinal, as well.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Single sheet TP

Reminds me of a bit in the story "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durrell. It relates their five year sojourn on Corfu just before WWII starts. Just recently showed on PBS as a british-made 1-1/2 hour dramatizatin. Excellent.

Anyway, at their first accomodations, a hotel, the son complains that there is no TP in the bath. The teenage daughter pipes up, "Oh yes, there is, there are little sheets of it in a tray on the shelf". Another brother has to solemnly inform her that, due to ancient plumbing that cannot handle any paper, the little tray is for used TP. The daughter turns all shades of green and runs off sobbing.

True story, apparently.

PS-I found this book back in the early 70's, and was thrilled to see it turned into a TV movie. They did a very faithful job, I recommend it highly. The cast of eccentric characters are sure to please the crowd here.
 
This has really been quite an informative thread. David, thanks for the DEA baths link...neat styling on the antique toilets, and did anyone happen to look at the other sections? Those front-trap toilets have always intrigued me as well; I've seen a few of them. There's something to be said about old-tech...every one I've used has always had a much stronger flush than the other gravity toilets with the rear trap, regardless of whether it has a 1.6 or 5-gallon tank. Will definitely keep one of those in mind in the far future when I have a house...

We installed American Standard Cadets (white, plain-jane, round bowl) shortly after we moved here; the existing toilets were HORRIBLE. One kept leaking water from the tank and the other had rust stains throughout the bowl. I've gone through a number of flush valves/handles on the one in my bathroom, so now it drains the whole tank since the little yellow "floatie-thing" on the flapper chain which allows for the 1.6-gallon flush is gone. Not sure what the actual capacity of the tank is, but I'm thinking it's around 2-2.5 gallons; whatever it is it's still not much. They're decent performers, but put too much paper in and you'll be needing the plunger! On the plus side, the bowl is deep enough so that it WILL NOT overflow onto the floor when you flush it and it suddenly clogs.

--Austin
 
urinals

Hi, All. My friend, David (who is Ryan Seacrest's clone, but straight, what a waste!!!) bought a urinal for his garage, connected to the plumbing to the laundry room and bought it from the sore I mentioned previously. I told him this looks like the set of a porno with gay mechanics. He said"don't give me any ideas". Well, we will JUST see. Ha ha.....Bill in Az.....
 
PeteK

Oops, that wasn't Helen that posted about golf balls, twas me. I'm at her house and I didn't realize she was logged on.

So SMACK for SMACKing my honey.LOL

(ducks and runs)
 
By the way, now I'm thinking of a Kohler with the Class-Five system (whatever that means). It uses a wide straight through jet to flushit down.
 
This house has vintage 1960's vintage low-boy one-piece American Standard toilets (2), plus an original 1941 pink mega flusher. They all leaked when I bought the house. Just by fixing them, I cut the water consumption by about 100 gallons a day. The low-boys both needed new valving; I had to jerry rig repairs since the original valves were not available.

I will look into re-routing the swirl jet into the tank. Makes sense that this could save some water. Never have measured the tank capacity of the low-boys, though.

Anatomically speaking, I understand that low set toilet seats are supposed to be more, er, ergonomic. More similar to squatting which is a more natural position for the innards. But I fully appreciate that for people with mobility problems, a high set seat is safer and better.
 
Attn Austin:

You have American Standard toilets too? That's what I installed two years ago. The handicapped bowl. I too can tell you that putting in a standard flapper does help. Most of the water saving tanks are the same size as the older tanks but have modifications to prevent them from draining fully. you need not modify the American Standard though because the standard flush is more than adequate for pee. When you drop a deuce, you can hold the handle down until it goes down. The bowl might fill up almost all the way and once it gets it's siphon, your home free. Personally, I wouldn't recommend changing it if you are on a septic system like me. The only reason I changed mine is that I wanted to put decorative metal handles (instead of the cheapass plastic ones) on mine, and a new chain and flapper was the only way I could do it. The trap is also smaller on a low flush, so changing the flush may not solve your problem. Just remember, three gallon flushing toilets plugged up too. Before purchasing a new toilet, do some research.
 
Does the US have Dual Flush Toilets?

A company called Caroma invented the Dual flush toilet in Australia in 1980. This was a 9/4.5L flush toilet

In the early 90's this was upgraded to a 6-3. The 6-3 means #2 gets 6L or 1.5Gal Flush and #1 gets a 3L or .75Gal flush.

These toilets have been standard over here since the mid 80's and mandated by law since the mid 90's.

It doesnt seem to matter how much paper I put in the toilet or how big the motion is :) I never have to flush twice.

Do your 1.5gal toilets still use a high water level in the pan? Or has that dropped? The water level over here has only ever been enough to fill the trap. Its never been much higher than that? Perhaps the low flow with a high water level means that not enough water is being exchanged.

http://www.caroma.com.au/innovate/
The link below shows the latest version of the Caroma Dual Flush, this is a 4.5L/3L system and most of the changes have been to pan rather than to the Cistern. The operation is apparantly as good as the old 6/3 system.

http://www.smartflush.com.au/
 
I've never liked the water to be all that high in the bowl anyways, so moving that little fill tube sounds like a good idea. Always annoys me when the water splashes! ADA toilets probably work for you tall guys, but I'm only 5 ft 8 myself, so a standard height is going to do just fine. My big thing is that I don't know my rough-in distance, and I need also to make sure that the total length of the toilet is not too long, since there's not a lot of room between my bathtub and the bowl.

Now, if you all have a low-flush toilet the reason why they use the large tank and cut the water flow off early is so that the additional weight of the water will give it a little bit of extra pressure. I noticed though when I replaced the flapper valve on mine that the toilet "double flushes". In other words, the bowl empties twice from a single flush. The problem is both flushes are a bit lazy, and waste still gets trapped.

...time for an A. S. cadet!
 

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