Bog recommendations?

[GMM]

The new downstairs cloakroom is coming along (though slowly at the moment, what with weather, work, etc), so the time to choose the procelain is drawing close. Last year, I bought a new bog for upstairs and although it looks OK, it has some functional drawbacks: First, there doesn't seem to be any way to fiddle the flush volume. Though well intentioned, the regulation on flush volumes is basically stupid as (on this one at least) this leads to two or three goes sometimes, before everything is cleared. Clearly, this can use more water than it saves. Second, and possibly more seriously, the drop zone seems rather too small or 'off target', with the concequence that the whole thing gets pretty mucky.

So: Any recommendations for a decent bog that solves both these problems? I know an old fashioned high cistern would do a better job, but it won't work in the location, unfortunately.

[Steve Walker]

I've pondered shipping over a US-spec dirtbox. Something inspiring about curling one off whilst seated on a Champion® PROT, with PowerWash® flushing performance rim...

[Tim Watts]

On Saturday 23 February 2013 21:55 wrote in uk.d-i-y:

High level cistern for starters. Same volume of water, delivered with attitude.

And my personal recommendation is the "Savoy" high level from BathStore.com

- is what I put in 3 years back and it have never blocked despite complete and absolute abuse :)

[Owain]

There's something about pressurised toilets and product recalls that puts me off ...

Owain

[Andrew Gabriel]

10 years ago, I bought B&Q's bog-standard cheap reboxed Royal Dalton close coupled system. Being bog-standard, I swapped the fill valve for a fluidmaster, and the seat for a nice quality birch one with stainless steel fittings (from Homebase, but sadly no longer sold). It works fine, and has a well designed trap for reduced volume flush, and I don't recall it ever failing to clear the pan, or getting badly mucky.

In contrast over that period, I've fitted a number of bogs for friends and family, varying from 2-5 times the price, all non-standard bits when they go wrong, etc, and they've all been a pile of crap - form over function.

Dual flush rarely saves any water, because people don't know how to use it. A number of studies showed it used more due to repeated failed flushes due to using the wrong flush, and repeating it several times and/or reflushing before cystern refilled enough for a full volume flush.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I rather suspect they would not be allowed here, given their similarly to pressurised cylinders which have all sorts of extra regs around them.

The commercial versions just use mains pressure water, and hence don't require a cistern at all, but they do require a good flow rate - ISTR the supply pipe to the flush valve is 1" or more, although that may be partly for rigidity.

And being american, you can get them in versions to take a person up to half a ton or more...

[Graham.]

FAQ 10: I only have one toilet. What do I use in the meantime?

[harry]

I had a syphonic bog once (Armitage Shanks). That was very good and also quiet. Huge "target area". You don't seem to see them round much these days ,dunno why. It had an ejector on the bottom of the tank which initiated a syphon by pulling a vacuum between two water traps

[charles]

we still have ours, c1979 vintage.

[Andrew Gabriel]

They used too much water. Max flush since 2001 is 6 litres, and it wasn't possible to design a syphonic to use less than

7.5 litres. The numbers sold never merited mass production and they were expensive to make, so they stopped making them in 2001.

[charles]

,

The idea that you only need 6 litres to get a proper flush assumes everyone has a short pipe run to the main sewer. In my last house, the run was nearly 50 metres with agentle slope. The current owners, who have 'modernised' are calling in Dynarod rather frequently.

[David.WE.Roberts]

We have recently fitted two Rak toilets.

Can't guarantee that you would be on target - that probably depends on arse design and how you mount the damn thing. However it works well for us and so far we have had no problems with flushing.

I haven't considered tinkering with the flush volume as there seems to be no need.

Cheers

Dave R

[The Medway Handyman]

I put in a Wickes 'Newport' bog when I did my bathroom. Excellent flush & decent 'target area'. Not that expensive either.

[rbel]

Had two Ideal Standard wc's fitted last year. A back to wall unit

with a Dudley Vantage concealed cistern

and a close coupled unit

From a flush viewpoint both have 6/4 litre flushes which, with these pans, are very effective, undoubtedly due to the shape of the pans and 'sump'. Single flush every time.

[PeterC]

,

I'm lucky in that the pipe through the wall (standard length) is about twice as long as that from the soil stack to the sewer, BUT I'm second on the sewer, so one house up and I might have had the same problem. As it is, I can 'dump' a load down to the manhole and the family upstream will wash it away with their water :-)

[PeterC]

Re. shape of pan: vertical back is essential, otherwise... I sometimes stay at a place where the front of the pan is almost vertical and the back is like a usual front - inevitable result every time.

[<me9]

I used to have problems with the drains, also second from the end. The problems were usually when (either) neighbour was on holiday and flow was onlt from two of the houses, resulting in slow clearance of dumps due to the excessively low gradient. This led to considerable animosity between neighbours over the clearance involved and twho should pay for it.

For the last two years approximately the water authority has had the responsibility for shared drains/sewers in England.

Blockages seem to have stopped. Presumably they'll start tomorrow after I've mentioned it, but at least I won't have to get the rods out or wait until it overflows into a neighbour's garden.