Toilets, or to use the architectural term “water closets” are in every home. We don’t think too much about them until they won’t flush or they overflow. But let’s talk about what you really need to know about the white throne. We’ll address just residential toilets in this blog, there’s plenty to talk about when discussing commercial toilets, let’s save that for another time.
You can buy a toilet for $100 or for $10,000. If you look at a toilet as just a waste receptacle, you’re shortchanging yourself.
Let’s start with the bowl, the standard bowl and seat is almost circular. If you’re truly pressed for space in an older bathroom, it may be your only choice when remodeling. But for new construction, specify an elongated bowl. The extra few inches in the front to back dimension makes a big difference in comfort for something you’re going to be sitting on every day for the rest of your life. Make sure you buy the matching seat.
Wall-hung or floor-mounted? American homes have used floor-mounted toilets forever and they’re still the most popular for a number of reasons. The main ones are that the floor-mounted water closet is what the plumbing and building industry is used to and they are always less expensive than the wall-mounted variety of equivalent quality. Wall-mounted toilets are almost universal in Japan and very common throughout Europe. The installation of the wall-mounted toilet is always more expensive because of the heavy-duty mounting system within the wall supporting the toilet. Also that wall is more likely going to be2x6 rather than 2x4 (but not always, some manufacturers offer models for 2x4 walls), thereby taking floor space from your home. But really, how much space? In a powder room, 10 to 12 square inches; in a standard three fixture bathroom, 16 to 20 square inches. So in a typical 2-1/2 bath home, that’s less than one-half of a square foot; that’s meaningless in a home of 1200 to 2400 square feet.
But why would I want a wall-mounted toilet? There are two huge advantages. The first is that a wall-hung toilet is wall-hung, which means it’s infinitely easier to clean the bathroom floor where it counts. The second is that virtually all of them have an alternate low-water use flush for “number one” and the standard flush for “number two”. This can save a lot of water and may be a critical factor in areas where water is expensive and becoming harder to come by; you know, like most of planet Earth. Another advantage for new construction is that it makes the job of putting in the floor covering much easier because the floor installer does not have to cut around the floor-mounted water closet bend.
Japanese style bidet-style toilet seats are becoming more available in the US at somewhat reasonable prices. The higher quality ones require a 110 volt GFIC convenience outlet behind the toilet. All Dorothy Homes pre-built residential baths have this outlet giving the homeowner the bidet seat option in the future without an expensive electrical/drywall/paint job.
Want to know the history of the toilet? Pick up a copy of “Flushed With Pride, the Story of Thomas Crapper”*. We’re not making this up. Read it and you’ll be able to tell the story of Queen Victoria’s plumber at your next cocktail party and just watch everyone’s eyes glaze over.
No place like home, right?
Dottie
* “Flushed With Pride, the Story of Thomas Crapper” by Wallace Reyburn available from Polpero Heritage Press www.polperopress.co.uk or Thomas Crapper & Co, www.thomas-crapper.com both in the UK. Used versions available in the US but who knows where they’ve been.
