High-flow toilets

I am buying a house and it is pretty old. The house was built in 1947 and the toilet (which looks great and still runs) manufactured in 1946. The only problem is the size. People in the 40s must have had really small asses.

I liked the late 70s model in my old apartment. Never gave me a problem and it had a nice, ass-friendly size.

However, in the US, it is illegal to sell a normal "high-flow" toilet since some point in the 1990s. My parents are in a new house and have low-flow toilets. They really blow.

I know that high-flows are still sold in Canada. Does anyone know what the problems with buying a toilet in Canada, loading it into my car, and coming back into the US might be? I think I might be alright, but being busted at the border for toilet smuggling is kinda embarassing. I would like to avoid a confrontation.

When my parents were redoing two bathrooms in our house, it was around the time when that law was just put into place. The contractor asked if we wanted to get some of those imported from Canada. Somehow, toilet smuggling sounded too bizzarre, so they went with the new low-flow. They certainly are "crap."

So I think you can do it, and it might be easier for you (you're in NY, right?).

Yeah, I'm in NY. Montreal is about a 6 hour drive.

Maybe I could ask a plumber about it. They would probably know where to get a black market toilet. The thing is I will be going to Canada the weekend after Amersfoort. It would be convenient to pickup a toilet then plus I wouldn't have to pay drug-dealer prices for it.

The absurdity of this thread is mindboggling

The absurdity of this thread is mindboggling

Maybe for a skinny guy like yourself, but those of us with larger posteriors appreciate Rob's quest for a bigger shitter.

Agreed! But, at the same point, I would rate it no less illegal than all of the senior citizen bus tours hopping the border to pick up prescription drugs.

oh, don't take me wrong, i don't doubt the need is there, but just the sheer idea of having to smuggle a freakin' toilet is hilarious. What is the link between high flow and ass width anyway? Don't they make larger diameter toilets in low flow design? And not all low flows suck by the way.

Absurd!?!?!

My persuit of happiness involves being able to own a 5 gallon flush toilet. What's wrong with that?

The main thing I want is the flow. The toilet in the house already has that. However, it is small (although I have not perfomed a test drive yet).

I want a large toilet that is also high flow. That is illegal in the country for some moronic reason.

After doing some more research, it seems I may be able to smuggle it in without a problem.

As long as the house was built before 1996, you can install a high-flow toilet. However, there is no where in the US you can buy one. So I would have to get it from Canada.

What they (lawmakers) don't realise is that you have to flush a low-flo toilet 3-4 times to get it to "Do the job" properly, thereby eliminating the water savings. The only thing worse to me are low flo shower heads. The first thing I do when I buy a shower head is take it apart and destroy the flow limiter. Next they'll try custom fitting tubs so a bath can use less water. Sheesh.

Ummmm.... I'm not sure how to approach this.

Really, the bowl itself need not be so big. You can get seats that are bigger than the edge of the bowl but that have bumpers that are large enough to sit on the bowl comfortably. The ones I've seen look more like half lipsticktubes that run with the radius of the seat than squat cylinders/pucks.

YMMV.

Supposedly, the well-manufactured low-flow toilets these days don't have so much of a problem. This is apparently due to active improvements, like using pressurized water, better modelling so that the suction works better, and, most simply, polishing (but not glazing, usually) the exit trap.

Of course, that doesn't help when the building's plumbing won't keep up without the greater water flow, as is often the case in older houses.

Jeez, but I just LOVE this damn' BBS

Possibly a new seat might be enough, but I think the bowl would have to be bigger too for other comfort reasons.

Since I will be in Canada anyway and I will have my Saab with the covered hatch back up there, I think I want to take one back anyway. I'm sure I could sell it in a dark alley if I end up not needing it.

Bigger in diameter and taller, like the handicapped stall toilets. I don't like my knees in my face while doing my business....

Rob, I assume you've seen the King of the Hill where Hank takes on the City Council over low flow toilets? They had a secret stash of high flows to bribe folks who complained, but Hank, being the honest propane and propane accessory salesman, would have no part. Dale on the other hand, would have gone for the bribe I bet...

I have a solution for you.

How about changing your diet?

That way you have the potential to solve two problems at once.

My parents recently redid their bathroom. We have a 5 gallon toilet that we love that was manufactured in 1949 and still in "mint" condition.

When we removed the toilet to replace the florring with new ceramic tile, we noticed (besides the smell) is that the flange was busted. We had the plumber come and replace the flange and then we went looking for another toilet.

The toilets out there are only 1.6 gallons and therefore would not suit our needs. What you have to realize is that there are 7 people that use this toilet including 6 men daily.

We ended up having the plumber just reinstall the 5 gallon toilet because it still worked and we didn't have to spend $200 dollars on a new toilet.

I know that toilets are less expensive than that but the Pressure Assisted ones are in that range. If we were going to get a new toilet, it would have been a pressure assisted one because it uses air pressure to push the water out of the tank and provides more pressure per gallon allowing for fewer flushes on the government regulated 1.6 gallons.

If you are looking into new toilets, take a look at the pressure assisted ones. We did notice that they only come with a 5-year warranty which makes me worry because it has additional proprietary parts not found in other toilets.

You met me. My ass isn't huge (not that you were looking).

I just want what I want.

The pressure assist ones sound like an option. What do they use to push the water faster? Does it have to be plugged in to electricity?

I am with you (see my post in big-head thread; my ass is not far behind, so to speak).

I have noticed that US and British toilets are of rather different design than, say, Italian or German ones (which we prefer here). We on Continent don't poop into a huge pool of water (which in the process sprinkles your behind) that uses mid-size Maelstrom to flush. Ours use less water, but English-speaking ones are easier to keep clean (and, besides, A.L.F. finds them interesting)

This board is crazy!

Jeez, but I just LOVE this damn' BBS

Well, I'm starting to get alarmed by the topics of some of the recent messages... Just in the last few days, we've had members lamenting the fact that they have big bellies, big heads, and, with this thread, big asses. I'm not sure what the next step is, but I'm not sure I wanna be around when it happens..

The pressure assist ones have a poly tank inside the actual tank. It doesn't run off of electricity so no need to plug it in.

It holds air and as it fills up with water, the air compresses and then when you flush this compressed air helps push the water out quicker.

Another positive to this is that these don't "sweat" like a standard porcelain tub because the water is actually held inside the poly tank.

If a used toilet doesn't give you the willies, then what about one from a plumbing salvage operation? Most likely it'd be an older model and would save you an interesting US Customs conversation: "Yes sir, a toilet..."

-Zeke

The pressure assist ones are nice and they do get the job done. The best one's I've seen were at the Disney Hotels in Florida. However nothing beats an old 1940's-50 toilet for getting the job done and just to total effect. I have a 40'-50's toilet and the tank broke. I glued and wired it back together!

The hell with a new one!

The pressure assist ones sound like a jet taking off and they can even splash stuff out if turned up too high.

Toilet smuggling the mind boggles where would you hid it, i suppose you could take out the driver seat and them sit on it while going through customs

I think toilets are sold in two pieces, so I think I could fit both in the trunk. I am not sure because I have never gone toilet shopping.

Here's a funny usenet post about this topic.

You should see the tee-shirt order list....

I just gave mine away a few weeks ago, too bad
It did flush alot better than the new expensive one but the cheap Kohler downstairs does a pretty good job, almost as good as the old one. I have to remember when scooping litter boxes to dump it in there, I've already clogged the upstairs one up.

Almost on subject, but has anyone read the book "Flushed with Pride"
It is the supposed history of the flush toilet.
One of the early innovators was one "Thomas Crapper"
Hell of a way to get your name reused.......

has anyone ever put a long piece of asswipe about 20 feet long in one of the air presure toilets.LOL it sucks it up quick,try it next time you go on a cruise ship,it's really funny my 4 year old keeps trying it at home.





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Toilets are certainly sold in 2 pieces. I would recommend getting a commercial sized bowl. They're MUCH easier on the knees. Not to mention more useable for handicapped people.

Oh, and get a peofessional to install it, that's one install you do NOT want to mess up!

The pressure assist ones have a poly tank inside the actual tank....It holds air and as it fills up with water, the air compresses

What a marvelous, clever idea! I am impressed with whoever thought that one up!

tanstaafl.

They're MUCH easier on the knees

Ummm...

Have you been praying to the Porcelain God recently?

Its called an accumulator they have been used various form for centuries the earliest one i know about where used in tower bridge in london where two huge weights were pumped up in the air using hydraulics and then the stored enegry used to open the bridge.

The clever bit would be the valve inside that would release the pressure when you pull the chain

Ah so you are the one that keeps blocking up the bogs when i was on the cruise ships.

A cruise ship bog is actually quite a complex beast as they operate on a vacum principle so there is a kind of relay vavle in the back that opens up the bowl to the vacum and then it dumps in a tiny amount of water only about 1.5 litres.

From there it gets sucked down into a venturi and then put into a small holding tank. this tank has about 4 pumps atached to it all which draw from the tank and then through the venturis and back into the tank. When the tank reachs a critical mass (or full of [censored]) one pump is then diverted to pumping it out into the shittank (sewage treatment unit). In here it get genrally bubbled around and mixed up and oxygenated so the the jobbie eaters (bacteria) can break it down. Then it goes into the cholrination tank where it get chlorinated and then we pump it into a tank to dump at night.

Now any man made system it has problems there is a very course filter before the venturi (granny piss filter) which can find all sorts of strange things in it, towels, faulse teeth, clothes jewlery (yes we can find your ring if you are lucky if you flush it) etc This filter occasionally get blocked. A favorite fault is when the first holding tank overflows or explodes which has happened then vent got blocked and it overpressurised and spilt dumping about 20 tons of sewage into the compartment.

Also we have a vacum pressure metre which monitors the system vacum this tells us if we have a stuck bog which can collapse the vacum and no ones toilet works in a certain area. This metre is attached to a data logger system which tells us many things about the passengers habits.

So respect that cruise ship bog

If you mounted the cistern higher, like they used to, you could get away with at smaller amount of water because it is coming out at a higher pressure/rate.

are there any topics this BBS hasn't discussed?

One of the early innovators was one "Thomas Crapper"

Thomas Crapper is back in business, his shop in the King's Road, Chelsea was a source of great hilarity in the '60's, when I socialised in those parts!

You will find his catalogue here

Whilst Rob is here, it seems a pity not to smuggle an original on to a plane, rather than a Canadian copy, he'll probably get in the Guinness book of records that way.

Forget smuggling. I want to see photos of Rob carrying a toilet bowl around various airports. It just _has_ to be done...can you imagine placing such an item on the xray converyor belt? I wonder how the guy operating the scanner would react!

That's a good idea for a Tom Green episode.

I just wonder what they'd sit you on while waiting for you to pass a toilet.

Peter

I can't believe other people are actually having this conversation..... Since I just had it the other night with a buddy of mine who is a plummer.

He's not aware of any regulations about "importing" a toilet from Canada (you can own one in the U.S. you just can't legally hook it up.) The tricky part, at least for me, would be getting it installed. Where I am you actually need to pull a permit to replace a toilet. Since that's the case no plummer will install it. All's I'd have to do install an illegal toilet (can they get a search warrant for that)?

I'm resonably sure that I will go to Canada at some point to get a toilet. I probably can't do it on this coming trip because it is a Saab run and there are all kinds of twisty bits at high rates of speed.

However, I will own a Canadian toilet!

You could get it after the run.

If your making an actual suggestion instead of some joke about having the runs, that is not really doable. The run ends in back in NY about 2-3 hours from the border.

Details of the run can be seen here.

The tricky part, at least for me, would be getting it installed

My suggestion would be to get a "Do-it-yourself" book. They're a piece of cake to install if you're just replacing one and the plumbing is already there. You could probably do it in an hour or two.

I have seen a toilet completely removed and then installed again by a professional. It looked pretty easy and he was very quick. I think getting the toilet will be harder than installing it.

If it is an old bog it might be leaded into the old pipe so i could be quite hard to get out (in one piece) and then putting it back would involve getting a rubber bellows type thing the bog plugs into so i would get a pro in.

Now - it's not every BBS that has a discussion which mentions jobbie eaters. Or even jobbies in general.

The Big Yin would be so proud

Is now a good time to explain Scots slang to the geographically challenged (those who don't live in Scotland) ???

Not that I can ever forget the home of the deep fried mars bar or a wonderful pint of heavy.

Just to make things easier...

You can modify a us toilet to higher flow. Many are built with oversize tanks (you can identidy these by the water level mark inside, if it's only half way up, it'll hold more water) and you can install a float valve meant for an older tank in it. I've done this and it works as well as the old ones did.

I'm coming a bit late to this thread, but I was noticing that my toilets happen to be of the 1.6 gallon/flush variety, yet in four years of living in my house, I've never once had a flush gone wrong.

Turns out, my toilets are made by Kohler. Looking inside the tank, I didn't see anything particularly fancy. The floats are the modern round type that moves vertically on a pole, rather than the older ball on the end of an arm.

When you flush, the bowl drains in four seconds flat, and then starts refilling. I think that's part of the trick to making low-flow toilets work properly. While I'm not completely certain, I think I have Kohler Wellworth toilets, which use their "Ingenium" mechanism. Check out their animated flush.

In this report about low flow toilets, the Kohler Wellworth is singled out as being bad.

"Switching to water-efficient plumbing fixtures could save the average household as much as $50 to $100 a year on water and wastewater bills." George Whalen

That would be impressive. I think my entire wastewater bill for the year is under $100.

Yowza. He really loves the Toto UltraMax toilets. To be fair, he says "Just fair is the Kohler Wellworth... Kohler has had their problems their 81100 flushing systems." The Wellworth, for what it's worth, appears not to have the 81100 flushing system.

Of course, if you want true indestructability, you have to go with Penal-Ware, or perhaps the slightly less penal consumer versions.

Fair enough. I assumed that the two Kohler items were related. I guess not. Still ``fair'' is far from a compliment.

Penal Ware is suicide resistant?? i don't even want to know how one kills oneself with a toilet.

I think it probably has to do with things to tie things around and sharp edges or the ability to gain sharp edges.