Question for Blackbeard ...

[Linda W.]

Hello ...

I hope you don't mind a follow-up to my saga about the cracks in my toilet. :-)

I have purchased a new Kohler toilet (Wellworth) and had it installed this morning by a plumber.

The toilet has the 1.6 (gallons?) capacity. I believe my old one had a 3.5 (gallons?) capacity.

I've noticed that the water in the new toilet does not fill up the bowl as fully as the old one did. The old toilet bowl filled up considerably more with water, so that the water level was higher in the bowl.

The new toilet bowl has a considerably lower water level and does not seem to get as much water filled into the bowl after flushing.

Is this what it should be doing? Is this a result of the 1.6 (gallon?) capacity in the new toilet?

Or is there something I should do to increase the amount of water?

Many thanks for any advice.

Linda W.

[Blackbeard]

If your old toilet was a 3.5 then you'll probably feel a little disappointed with the 1.6-gallon model. The 1.6 will move the waste, but you're not going to enjoy that big manly WHOOSH that you would get with a 3.5-gallon model. You'll get used to the difference pretty quick. If by some reason the difference between the two toilets just drives you nuts, you can adjust the water level in the tank. You can also buy a replacement flapper that is not designed to "save water". This will help give a better flush. Some newer models are designed to quickly flush and close. This design was introduced because most flushes are only liquid waste. If there is solid waste, you'll have to hold the handle down a few seconds longer to get a full flush.

[Linda W.]

I've changed the header on this subject line because, for one thing, I was thinking it might benefit other people to see this sort of information and so maybe my header should say something about the subject, too. :-)

Thanks so much for this additional information.

Is there a way, then, to adjust the water level in the bowl (as opposed to in the tank)?

Otherwise, I guess I'll eventually get used to this. It just looks different than I'm used to.

By the way -- I'd purchased those drop-in blue disks that can drop into the tank in order to have blue water. After I'd dropped on in, I saw a notice in the tank that said that using these could cause damage to parts and invalidated the warranty.

I called Kohler to ask about this, and the Customer Service representative said this was the case -- that those drop-ins could damage rubber parts. So I took out the one I'd put in and threw them away. (Wasted $2.00 ...)

She said I could use the kind you put inside the rim of the bowl. So I purchased one of those instead. I've put it in, and I guess it deodorizes, et cetera, but it doesn't make the water blue.

I'd used those drop-ins with my other toilet. But I won't with this one, since they say not to.

Anyway ... I'd be interested to know if there's a way to adjust the water in the bowl. Otherwise, as I said, I'll just get use to it.

And thanks!

Linda W.

[John Hall]

Here's a diagram of the whole thing (not a wonderful diagram, but the best I could find)

You can see that the water level in the bowl is controlled by the design of the 'dam' in the trap, so is not adjustable.