Toilet design - national preferences

David WE Roberts · 2011-05-08T06:40:14+00:00

Travelling in the USA at the moment and the toilets over here are different from those in the UK but reasonably consistent.Firstly they are a much shallower pan than the average UK bog, and secondly they are generally viciously siphonic.In general terms I think I prefer them.Any delicate souls should look away now :-).......Firstly the broad shallow pan eliminates the "long drop" of the average UK pan and also avoids the large splash you tend to get when you deposit something impressive.The only down side is the habit of something floating into view between your legs as you sit there contemplating life.Secondly, the extra water held in the pan assists in the cleansing of the toilet bowl when you flush.This, coupled with the strong siphonic action, seems to generally clear the bowl effectively.However the siphonic flush is very aggressive - a fierce jet of water seems to be shot across the U bend which rips the contents of the pan away down the pipe work accompanied by a large roaring noise.This can be quite alarming where there is an automatic flush which attempts to detect when you have finished and avoid the necessity of you touching any handle or button.Especially alarming when you haven't even started ;-)So why are toilets so different in the USA?I suspect that they use more water in the pan, and so may fall foul of some old water board regulation.I suspect that the syphonic part may use mains pressure water, again falling foul.However they do seem to be a better overall design than the UK ones in terms of efficiently removing crap.The more mature and well travelled will probably also remember the French Colonial style of toilet which consists of a hole in the ground and a pair of porcelain footprints.These never seemed to catch on in the UK.They are probably also much better for you physically as they are closer to the natural way of doing things if you don't have modern plumbing.Less comfortable though, if you are catching up on the back issues of the Times.So...

May 08, 2011 127 Replies

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geoff 15 years ago

Because you might be waiting outside ...

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Sidney Endon-Lee 15 years ago

M&M may also be unaware of people using 'tummy' as a synonym for 'abdomen', rather than just 'stomach', even if 'tummy' looks to have been derived from 'stomach'.

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ARWadsworth 15 years ago

You are the sort of tool that goes to the doctors with piles and points to your elbow.

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MM 15 years ago

*We've* moved on? Surely it's other nations that are less inhibited than the British?

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geoff 15 years ago

Err ... like the Irish for example?

What you've said might have been correct 30 years ago

not now

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ARWadsworth 15 years ago

No, the rest of the UK has moved on, you have not moved on and you are stuck in a time warp.

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David WE Roberts 15 years ago

Should perhaps mention that the test is renowned for false positives - piles are an obvious cause, but allegedly even a rare steak will pass enough blood products through to give a positive result.

As far as I know as well as false positives, the test is also not that good at detecting the presence of cancer.

So a considered decision may lead to the rejection of the test.

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David WE Roberts 15 years ago

Just got back from our travels and catching up.

A very good response to the thread (thanks).

Also, until reading this thread I had no idea so much sex education went on in US toilets (I think).

Cheers

Dave R

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