1. Dual Flush -so its a water saver; Can be Pressure Assist as long as it is not too noisy 2. One piece - So its easier to clean, does not hide the dirt in the crevices between the tank & bowl 3. Elongated - so for household with men using it... its less messy to "Aim" 4. Does not use electricity - there are high efficiency toilet but they use low voltage to perform well 5. Have a high Maximum Performance Rating (MaP) Report as independently tested by Veritec http://www.veritec.ca/mid.php?top=6&option=7&img=5 Of course, there new released toilets might not still be in the list ...for as long as it performs well also 6. Low profile - I have never seen a dual flush that is low profile... Low profile means the tank has a "short" height which translates to more spacious bathroom 7. Fairly priced -
There are many toilet manufacturers ... Caroma, kohler, gerber, vitra, american standard, zurn,mansfield, vortens
BUT there seems to be NO makers of Dual Flush, Elongated, One piece toilet at the very least...
After research and going thru different forum. We selected the Toto Aquia. For the following reasons: 1. One of the high performance toilet...e.g. based on the independent study done comparing how many grams it can handle... 2. It has a $125 rebate in our county. 3. Dual flush - so water saver 4. Elongated--- so easier for guys to aim 5. Soft close seat- so won't slam when you close the lid and injure the finger of curious kids at home 6. It looks good coz of the skirted design...If you look at it from the bowl to the base, it is just one smooth flow. Making it look good and easy to clean.
Initially we sought after pressure assist. But after finding out you will need a plumber for repairing problems with it, we crossed it on our list. Plus according to several forums and reviews, they are noisy.
Till the end we are contemplating on Toto versus Caroma... Both having all the features above. However, after asking about availability of the toilet. Caroma needs to be ordered. They are not in stock in over 25 stores I asked in our area. So...if the toilet is not easy to get, what more the spare parts if future repair is needed... So it comes down to Toto...
However if you can still hold till next year... Toto is releasing Ryohan toilet... which has all the features plus it has a low-profile tank making it look very elegant. Toto and Caroma dont have a dual flush with low profile tank as of date.
Try searching the web for Ryohan.
P.S. Take note of the clearance you will need from the toilet flange to the wall. It needs about 12 inch clearance. If you are placing wall tiles add a little more for the hardibacker, thin set mortar and wall tile. Some older toilets are 10 inch.
So its either you find a 10 inch rough in toilet or put an offset flange to move it to the proper distance. If you will have to hire a plumber to do this, it will cost more. There are instructions available on the internet on how to do this if you are up to the challenge.
I asked a plumber and said the new plumbing code is 12 inch clearance. So if your house is built before that standard was made, then most likely you have a 10 or 11 inch clearance. Please do tell your experience on the toilet you are buying.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: herbolaryo,
Whats the point in the dual flush? It seems to flush the WHOLE tank, wasting water. You should have invested in a high quality water saver instead. It uses about 1.6gallons of water per flush and, if you choose a high quality one, rarely clogs. The elongated toilets arn't for 'better aim'(unless you're a child learning or drunk). Its just large so its easier for people to sit on it and be more comfy. And they do make great vacuum flush toilets that don't require extra plumbing or power.
How much did you pay for your toilet and what country do you live in?
From what I've read, a dual flush has two flushing options.
1. Flushing half the tank if there is liquid in the bowl 2. Hit the 2nd flush handle to empty the whole tank if there are solids in the bowl.
But why waste that whole tank of water if you can use 1.6g to do the same thing with a normal toilet? Some people are getting so concerned about wasting energy and resources that they arn't thinking straight.
I think new models of toilet emerge because of necessity. More and more people don't want to use the plunger. If you browse around, you can see toilets flushing golf balls, lengths of toilet paper, rubber tubes to advertise the performance. You can see toilet in ADA height meaning easier to pull your self up coming from a seated position. Especially useful for elderly and those with knee problems or you don't want to have one. You can see toilet coming in low profile tank. Meaning you can have a more space and look more elegant esp. if you have a small bathroom. There are toilets where the tank is hidden. But that is for those people who have money to burn. But that is just the toilet. Bidet is a different story.
Just a trivia I found...There is some link between harsh tissue paper and hemorrhoids. Anyway, that is a whole new discussion.
But for our family, what matters is savings and performance.
The dual flush has an option of using a lesser volume of water for flushing urine/liquid. And Using the 1.6 gallons for feces/solid. The dual flush is promoted by the county and water conservation organization. That is why they offer rebate. The efficiency of toilet are tested by independent labs e.g. veritec as shown in the link in my earlier post. So having less water for flushing doesn't necessarily mean it is not effective/efficient.
If you look at it in the big picture...For example let us say toilet is used 3-5 times per day per person. And your household consist of 4-5 members. And then imagine that for a whole year... There are websites which compute the exact amount of water and savings you will have if you upgrade to an efficient toilet.
I am not an expert on toilet or water conservation. I am not affiliated with Toto or any toilet manufacturer whatsoever. Just a plain homeowner looking for an efficient & high performance toilet. Having said that, opinions should be handles as such. It requires further quiry to prove or disprove an opinion.. What I did when I researched is to look for an independent study.Meaning studies not done by the toilet manufacturers themselves (making it biased). Claims and testimonial have a big disadvantage (They only tell the good stories). Then after having a list of high performing toilets, I read forum and reviews sharing their personal experiences on the toilet. Having a narrowed list of high performance toilet, I then compare the price and local availability of the toilet and the spare parts in case of a repair. After that we go to the store carrying them, comparing both the price and how it looks(color, accesories, etc.) Then a decision is made.
After reading from respectable conservation organization, water services, reviews and several forums... Saving money thru efficient water usage makes sense.
Efficient does not mean you have to compromise performance. You can have the same or better performance using less water.
We chose the elongated coz of the presence of children and for aesthetic reasons.
The toilet we bought uses 1.6 gallons for solids/feces and 0.9 gallons for liquid/urine. Making it a dual flush.
Adam B. seems to be very knowledgeable on toilets. Can you share your opinion on the the toilet you want to recommend.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: herbolaryo,
I couldn't find the water usage when I wrote my last message but with the pictures I saw it looked like it was more than 1.6g. My mistake.
My favorite, all around toilet, is Mansfield. Don't have too many problems with them and they don't clog too easily. My favorite vacuum flush toilet is the Briggs toilet. The only problems we've had with those is the flapper sometimes is defective. I've read reviews of some people who had defective traps but we never came across any.
