Toilets - What's The Latest In Performance

The most recommended is the American Standard Cadet line. They and not expensive and they work well (flush well).

In any one you look at make sure they have a "fully glazed trap" and that the trap is at least 2 inches.

i have my doubts that the 1.6gpf actually save you money. They stop up way too often and require so many extra flushes that it's probably a wash... just talking about them with people at work, those of us who have them absolutely hate them. One guy at the office in his mid-30s said he never owned a plunger until he moved into his current house, which has 1.6gpf toilets. I've not been that lucky, but they're enough of a hassle that I really do miss 3.5gpf toilets.... and believe me, saying i miss a toilet is not something i could ever imagine myself saying. It's the constant stop-ups that led to them as a topic of conversation to begin with..

i know some people say that certain brands flush just as well, and that may be the case... mine is some brand called Gerber.

There are also pressure-assist low flow toilets that do a good job removing the waste. The downside when these first came out was the noise, but they say the latest version has reduced or solved that problem. Lot's of Motel 6's have installed or converted to these (the noisy ones). Google Pressure Assist Toilet for more info.

Beachcomber

We replaced two of our old water-wasting (4* gal.?) toilets that were always getting plugged up and needing multiple flushes by low-flush (1.6 gal.) American Standard Champion toilets and have never needed to flush more than once.

Perce

On 02/05/05 01:24 pm anon tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:

If I had to rely on a 1.6 gal flush, I would prefer to have an outhouse..................

For many folks, they end up having to flush several times to get the bad stuff down the drain.

These new toilets and water restrictions are part of the Al Gore legacy.

--James--

Briggs Vacuity (vacuum assisted) or Gerber Ultraflush (air pressure) are the best and are under $300. I'd go with a Vacuity since its mechanism uses mostly common parts. Consumer Reports has reviewed toilets in the past few years, and they've ranked the Ultraflush near the top several times.

i read somewhere that koeler has a new fuel injected + supercharged model that can flush elephant s*it in around 2.3 seconds! ! and that includes refilling

I just installed one of those Cadets, at Home Depot it was priced more than the cheapies they had but was still lower middle of the road in price. It went together very nicely and seems to flush quite well, I was concerned about switching to a 1.6 toilet too but it seems my fears were unfounded..so far, no clogs.

We have 4 Kohlers with Sloan pressure valves and they all flush well but are noisy. They are 7 years old. My parents have 2 new Gerbers with newer Sloan pressure valves and they are quiet but the water level is very high so if we were to purchase them again we would either get the elongated versions or the taller version to help avoid splash up. Otherwise the Gerber are outstanding. An unmentioned advantage of the Sloan valve is that they have backpressure detection and if somehow they detect a plugged up toilet they stop flushing instantly. No overflows are virtually impossible.

Thanks everyone for the good ideas. I will look into the Gerber and American Standard.

Dick

They work fine if you get a good model, Consumer reports rated apx 30 of them. I have a pressure assist .

The newest toilets do not have that problem at all. I replaced an old toilet that did not flush worth a damn with a 1.6gpf Kohler and never had to flush twice, didn't have skid marks like the old one and definitely saved money on my water bills. I moved from that house and now have water wasters again that don't flush worth a damn. This time I am on flat rate water, so replacing the toilets would not pay for themselves, but I think I will do it anyway to get something that flushes properly.

On Sat, 05 Feb 2005 17:43:30 -0700, Dick wrote (with possible editing):

FWIW, we're looking to add a new toilet to our downstairs half bath. What's been recommended the most in the past has been Toyo. Surprised that nobody has mentioned them in this thread.

As an aside, reducing water is unlikely to help with your septic system. It isn't clear liquid which clogs it. For vastly better septic health, you should be sure that your dishwasher and laundry room drain into separate gray water disposals. For us, that is just a simple dry well. I'm not an expert, but I'm told that the phosphates in detergents are what hasten pumping.

We have two septic systems on the property - one is 30 years old and neither has ever been pumped. (and neither one produces any smell either). I think that's because of the separate line for the dishwasher and laundry.

Make sure its FlushStar energy rated.

here you'll find some real log tests ... update#1 is 2004 models ;)

Our new house has these low flow toilets. Without going into too much detail, sometimes during an extended sitting they may require a flush halfway through. If you fill it too much it will clog and won't flush at the end. I think these toilets are designed with a single flush for a #1. #2's require a flush and hold to remove everything (or like I said above an intermediate flush). I suppose in the end they do save water.

Excess water is definitely our problem. It isn't that the system is clogged, but rather that the leach field is saturated and can't take the amount of water we are trying to put into it. The liquid backs up into the septic tank and the system overflows. When we get it pumped, about 200 gallons come out of the leach field back into the tank. This whole problem started with heavy rains which pooled in the yard and soaked the leach field. This is our 6th home with a septic system, so we are familiar with their use and care. Here, it costs $.32/gallon to pump out a tank. Ours is 1,250 gallons. We not only have to pay for the 1,250 gallons, but all the water that comes back from the leach field. You can see that pumping out every four weeks is a wallet killer.

We use about 5,000 gallons/month not counting the drip irrigation system. That's way too much for 2 people. Today, we should be using

Someone in our neighborhood had the same problem and were able to fix it with a gray water system to allow the leach field to "rest." I think a combination of new toilets and a gray water system will help us too. If not, we are looking at many bucks to make another leach field in the front yard. This will involve tearing up about $10,000 worth of landscaping just for starters.

Dick