New toilets

[yo]

Original toilet in a 50 year old house has developed about a five inch horizontal hairline crack on the side which is leaking even though it is visible on the only on the outside, not inside. I'm assuming that a crack can not be effectively sealed and I will have to replace the toilet. However, someone suggested that the lower amounts of water used in the new toilets may be insufficient to carry waste through the pipes which may have narrowed with corrosion over the years.

IF this is true, what options are available to ensure that problems don't arise when a new toilet is installed?

Thanks.

[Joe]

You have two options: a) remove the toilet, test the flow down the pipe by quickly dumping about 3 gallons of water from a bucket into the opening through the biggest funnel you can find. If it disappears rapidly, install new toilet. Or: b) install the new toilet and if it works properly go on about your business . Pick one. FWIW, drainage usually doesn't corrode closed. Even 50 years ago, (1960) cast iron had lost most of the drainage market to PVC, so odds are option b) will be just fine and option a) will give you peace of mind.

Joe

[Ed Pawlowski]

You have the potential for catastrophic failure with porcelain. I'd replace it as soon as possible,

The new toilets themselves work very well now. Can't answer your question about the pipes though. Worst case scenario is a double flush for solids. If you've had problems in the past, get the roto guy out to ream the pipes.

[Tony Miklos]

First thing is don't buy a cheap toilet. Good ones can be bought in the $250 - $300 range and much higher if you want to get fancy. I got a champion 4 from american standard to replace a cheap toilet, now a year or 2 later it has never clogged. Maybe 3 or 4 times it took a 2nd flush to get rid of a floater but never needed a plunger.

[yo]

I think I'll go with option B. I'm skipping option A having gotten the peace of mind here instead. Thanks.

And thanks for the heads-up on the potential for catastrophic failure. That helps to heighten my sense of urgency, while only slightly diminishing my newly obtained peace of mind.

[aemeijers]

???? I didn't think PVC drain became common until early 70s. In the 1960s, my old man put copper waste lines in all the places he built. Vertical stacks were sometimes cast iron due to sound issues. They all ran into iron as they went through basement wall. This 1960 cookie cutter here has copper waste lines.

Coulda been a regional thing, I guess- my back-then experience was all south-central Indiana. But all the basements I have seen here in MI and in a few other states, that are of similar vintage, seem about the same. (It's a little game I play to keep the brain cells working- at a real estate open house, or when visiting somebody, I spend a few minutes glancing at the fittings before I ask when house was built. Between the plumbing fixtures, interior trim, doorknobs, windows, and visible HVAC fittings, you can usually nail it within 5 years. If the basement ceiling is open and you can see that, you can get even closer.)

-- aem sends....

[hallerb]

canada still sells the old water wasters, and some ebay sellers were helping us americans flush well on one pull.......

[DerbyDad03]

re: "However, someone suggested that the lower amounts of water used in the new toilets may be insufficient to carry waste through the pipes which may have narrowed with corrosion over the years."

I was a "someone" who questioned whether the 1.28 GPF models would have enough water to move the solid waste through my drains, given the fact that I get partial blockages due to roots every couple of years.

So far, I haven't had any problems with my American Standard Cadet 3. The 3 in. flush valve and 2 1/8 in. siphon outlet seem to offset the low GPF rate.

It's too soon to tell for sure since it's not "root season" yet, but I plan to dance the "rock salt tango" a couple of times a year to hopefully keep the roots at bay. The first infusion will take place tomorrow just before we all leave for work.

[croy]

I replaced the toilet in my 1954 house with a 1.2 G/Flush Toto Drake, and haven't had anything less than a perfect flush in the two years since.

If there's a problem with the waste pipes, I'd think it more likely to show up when flushing an old gussler, than a new miserly toilet.

[Steve Barker]

find your local habitat "Restore" and buy another 3+gallon toilet. I collect them for rentals.

[Ed Pawlowski]

? "Steve Barker" wrote

Why for rentals? That made sense when the first 1.6 flush models did not work well, but the new 1.2 work very well. Who is paying for the water?

[Tony Hwang]

No, wonder landlord like him always ends up with bad tenants. El Xheapo all the way.

[hallerb]

actually old sewer lines were often cast iron, and sometimes lacked enough fall.

then add 50 years of cast iron rusting. this somewhat restricts the waste flow.

older toiets work better in these applications.

and newer water savers are often noisey so everyone knows when you flushed. which may not matter if you live alone. but can be a big issue in a multi family home or one with a baby...

and before anyone says replace the cast iron with PVC they obviously havent experienced how well PVC conducts the noise of moving water in a sewer line.....

cast iron is far quieter.......

[Jean B.]

I recently got two Toto toilets with the G-Max system, one of the being a Drake. Both toilets have clogged once with very little provocation. I am quite surprised and disappointed that this has happened.