10-15 flushes?

SlamDunk

To flush modern low flow toilets? Is this true? I honestly have never used one but will someday. My 1930, 5 gallon per flush toilets would take down a toilet brush but they are being held together with chewing gum and duct tape.

mikeg2015

Ummm. No. Another embarrassing rambling rants full of mostly Nonsense by the president . Sometimes you have to
Flush twice. But they still use less water.

Low flow does have issues, but they are necessity in regions with limited fresh water supplies.

In general, they work fairly well. But I’d rather see water billing rates increased is low supply, high demand areas and the market decide to change designs rather than having it forced down our throat.

nibs

Recently installed a very low flow, no issues.

SlamDunk

What about moving "product" 75 feet to the street. Wouldnt low flow create a build up in CI sewer pipes? Due to a lack of water?

nibs

I have read that the only time you need that many flushes is if you are disposing of a red had down the toilet.
Sorry devil made me say it.

Erin Holohan Haskell

No politics, please. Thank you!

gennady

There is a better way to save water. Bushes and trees in the backyard.

SlamDunk

I really wanted to know. Low flow with pvc pipes may be ok. But what if you dont have pvc pipes?

ChrisJ

> @SlamDunk said:
> I really wanted to know. Low flow with pvc pipes may be ok. But what if you dont have pvc pipes?

My house has cast iron from 1910 and two 1.6 gallon toilets. They've been here for over 10 years.

No issues with the cast iron.

The newer mid 2000s toilet flushes better than any older toilet I've used.

The older 1.6 is just sad and takes 2 flushes.

Any modern good quality 1.25 or 1.6 is fine and likely better than what you're using at flushing and bowl cleaning.


Can yours do this?

https://youtu.be/ldXZHVS_gIM

SlamDunk

I wouldn't try.

Steamhead

There are cases where plumbing configurations and low-flow toilets don't always work well together. My dentist's office is one such case- they finally had to install a pressure-assist model because the soil pipe kept clogging. That thing is loud but so far they haven't had any trouble.

The Viper in the video is a very good toilet. We have one in our shop and, despite our best "efforts", haven't been able to plug it up.

Icarus

Depends on “how full of it” one is!!!

Drewser

We have a 1.6gpf toilet in our 1914 home. All original cast iron waste piping and an 85 ft run of 6” cast to the sewer main. We’ve had the low-flow toilet for over 5 years now, and haven’t had any issues whatsoever with the 6” cast line. There is also a 5gpf toilet in the basement, but it isn’t used, I just can’t seem to bring myself to get rid of it. Ha.

Some older plumbing systems seem to tolerate the low-flow stuff better than others. Some don’t. I guess you just don’t know until you try, as much as that sucks.

Side note: I imagine the 20 foot free-fall straight down the stack into the concrete-reinforced 90° under the basement floor helps to, uh, “break up” the flushed “debris” and maybe contributes to a better “flow” down the main. Maybe?

SlamDunk

Thanks! I dont have that much of a drop and i have no idea how much pitch is under ground. All i know is it goes west about 15', 45 deg down under foundation , then south under ground about 75'. A lot of turns!

Many of my neighbors had new lines install during reno.

It wont matter much. When the time arrives, it will be a low flow or an out house!

xenon55

I’ve had good luck with Kohler toilets that use what they call “Aquapiston technology”. I installed two in our house sometime around 2010 I believe. They also have two ways to flush. Press the handle and release like any other toilet, and it flushed liquids. Push and hold the handle will take care of “solids”. I don’t think we’ve ever had either clog.

SuperJ

We have a nice new (3yrs old) Toto ultramax and an older wasteful toilet. The Toto never clogs, it's by far the best toilet we've ever owned and the lowest flow too. I wouldn't hesitate to get another.

There are other standards besides GPF for measuring toilet performance, unfortunately people buy cheap and get what they pay for. And then grumble about it.

Intplm.

Depends on what brand toilet you install. Some are made better than others.
Most low flush toilets need just one flush."Or one gulp". Even with cast iron drains.

I have been installing kohler toilets now for years, in many different homes with much success. Other brands are good too.
Your situation is not entirely unique. I would put a kohler toilet in even with the type of , and length of pipe you have.

Flush assist is a good option if you have some worries of a common flush toilet not handling the piping .

@SlamDunk (your 1930's toilet might be a eight gallon flush.)

SlamDunk

It may be 8 gallons. I'm convinced low flow will be fine. It's just the idea of 1.X gallons doing the same job as 5-8 gallons.

Dealing with the rough in dimension will be the real challenge. One toilet is at 14", the other is @ 16". Those two inch chrome ells gave plumbers a lot of latitude.

ChrisJ

> @SlamDunk said:
> It may be 8 gallons. I'm convinced low flow will be fine. It's just the idea of 1.X gallons doing the same job as 5-8 gallons.
>
> Dealing with the rough in dimension will be the real challenge. One toilet is at 14", the other is @ 16". Those two inch chrome ells gave plumbers a lot of latitude.

I know it's not apples to apples, but you haven't been in a public bathroom?

flat_twin

I just saw the news story that prompted this thread. However, my first thought when I read the title was...

Carnac "10 to 15 flushes"

Ed "10 to 15 flushes"

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Carnac.jpg

What you did for fun the night before your colonoscopy

Intplm.

SlamDunk said:

It may be 8 gallons. I'm convinced low flow will be fine. It's just the idea of 1.X gallons doing the same job as 5-8 gallons.

Dealing with the rough in dimension will be the real challenge. One toilet is at 14", the other is @ 16". Those two inch chrome ells gave plumbers a lot of latitude.

Toilets are offered in 12" and 14" rough in measurements. Replacements can be found at those rough in measurements. They are common.
The 16"can be repiped with a offset closet flange.

SlamDunk

Toilets are offered in 12" and 14" rough in measurements. Replacements can be found at those rough in measurements. They are common.
The 16"can be repiped with a offset closet flange.

I know. Just ain't gonna be fun.

ChrisJ

SlamDunk said:

Toilets are offered in 12" and 14" rough in measurements. Replacements can be found at those rough in measurements. They are common.
The 16"can be repiped with a offset closet flange.

I know. Just ain't gonna be fun.

This rule also applies to working on old houses and not just broken bolts.

SlamDunk

Ain't that the truth!

I'm at the point where I realize that if I don't start a job, I won't experience a three day ordeal!

hot_rod

Going back to 3 or 5 gallon flush toilets and higher flow fixtures would also require septic and sewage facilities to be able to process that. Public water suppliers need to treat chlorinate, etc that extra flush water, deal with the demand on both ends.

Last week in NC I heard of cities in NC putting in LCSS large capacity septic systems, in one case a million gallon septic tank to stay ahead of development. Building moratoriums in place in some areas due to lack of sewer and water capacity.

SlamDunk

I'm in NC, and the growth in my county is estimated at 70 newcomers/day! 10-20 story buildings going up everywhere. If they forgot to widen the roads when they approved building permits, I doubt they remembered the extra sewage coming down the pipe.

One water treatment facility is near an interstate and it only smelled during certain hours of the night 20 yrs ago. Now it smells 24/7.

TAG

I'm strange ... I like cool old toilets. Few today are interesting. One of my places has two Kohler Rochelle's ... navy and black. Low flow they are not .. cool toilet.

For the OP .... I put the mid level Toto's in my rentals w/o any issues and no maintenance .... not the one from the cheap big box .. from the supply house.

Intplm.

Hey there @TAG
I like the Toto brand very much . Have had little to no issues with them.

In my places I have used mostly Kohler product. They just don't make any trouble for me. No call backs.
Kohler product does not have any special type , special big box / different packaging either. Seems all the same from where ever you purchase it.

SlamDunk

Resurrecting this tread with an update...

It was a 14 inch rough in, not 16. I bought a Toto Soiree. It moves product as good as the former Douglas Leader.

One unanticipated issue is the ADA height. A whole new perching experience there! My wife's feet don't reach the floor!

Next replacement will be another toto, Aquia IV- regular height.

ChrisJ

Youngplumber said:

For myself I try to find the lowest height possible. I'd rather be squatting than sitting on one of those A.D.A P.O.S. 

Seriously?

SlamDunk

No, I have helped the elders in my family use a toilet. Regular height is more difficult on weak legs. The Mrs. and I will be there soon. We will keep one of each.

TAG

If you visit "fallingwater" or other FLW houses he followed the German thinking of the time that toilets should be low. They are very low. I have used wall toilets in the last couple of projects and we have done 16 1/2 to 16 3/4 to top of seat center.