the sad state of the American commode

[glasshouses]

We recently had our toilet replaced. It was definitely needed. While it was not as old as the house (1937), it was from an era when 'the 38th parallel' only meant something to geographers. So yeah, not the most aesthetically pleasing of all receptacles after that much time *cough*

So now we have a brand new, shiny, perfectly clean toilette,

Comments

[write_light]

You should have gotten a pressure-assist (or someone should have warned you of this problem before installation). You might want to change now before it drives you nuts.

"Pressure-assist toilets. Best suited for commercial use or in homes with poor drainpipe carry, these models use the pressure of the water supply to the toilet to compress air in an inner tank. When you flush the toilet, pressurized water is forced into the bowl, blasting waste down the drainpipe. Pressure-assist toilets have a distinctive whoosh sound that’s much louder than gravity-flush toilets, but they are more effective in removing solid waste."

Big list of the best on p. 3 HERE .

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes/2006-08-01/Half-the-Water-Twice-the-Flush.aspx#ixzz1wSfzhhdA
"

[glasshouses]

Our pipes may well be substandard, and the 5 gallon helped mask that problem.

The loud whoosh of public toilets drives Lucas up the walls, it's a sensory processing disorder thing. He also can't take low flying jets (unfortunate since we live close to Ellington Field) and loud happy birthday choruses in restaurants for parties :-)

At least I know why public loos are so loud (and effective)! I've read the average life of a new, cheap toilet can be as little as 5 years (as opposed to the old ones which were good for decades). If we're still here when we change it, I will get a pressure assist for sure. Lucas will have hopefully outgrown it or at least be able to deal! In the meantime, I guess I'll continue desertification.

[darththalia]

You know, there are 1.6 gallon toilets that flush really well. We used to have clogging problems with the one in our powder room, but since we replaced it three years ago it's been great. I'm betting the good ones aren't the cheapest, but it's worth it for the lack of aggravation.

[darththalia]

If you're interested, here are Consumer Reports' latest toilet ratings:

[glasshouses]

Thank you for the info! I'm pretty sure we got the 5th one down, the American Standard Clean model. Reading other comments, we might have poor pipes too. 5 gallons probably helped mask that.

[writestufflee]

My old toilet does this too, even with high pressure city water. Part of the problem is the bowl design: it's too shallow and flat. The European toilets I've seen are a deep straight drop sort. Maybe that's because Americans are so anal-retentive that we want to make sure we don't flush anything valuable first?

[glasshouses]

Maybe that's because Americans are so anal-retentive that we want to make sure we don't flush anything valuable first?

Hee! I love it. At least we don't go for solid gold toilets, like some Saudi Sheiks.

[pronker]

It's annoying and time-consuming! We have the pricey Kohler and yes, writestufflee is right, as I too think the design needs to be a drop.

[glasshouses]

Yes, that would probably make them a little higher too, which would come in handy with my bad leg!

[writestufflee]

Being a short person, I can't agree with the height increase. I hate it when my feet dangle on toilets, as they do regularly in the handicapped stall, or anything modern for that matter. It's how my mates always know where to find me in even the largest ladies room.