Re: replacement toilets, reliability, and water pressure

Posted by Steve on February 16, 19100 at 18:16:11:
In response to Re: replacement toilets, reliability, and water pressure
My old toilets don't seem to do the job getting everything flushed. My plunger has become my best friend lately. All other drains in the house seem to work fine - all except the toilets. A plumber ran a snake down each of the toilets and found no problem. Could there be a blockage further downstream that is resulting in a sluggish flush, and that might not affect shower and other drains? I'm looking for suggestions - I certainly have no desire to replace 3 toilets. : I'm curious, what about your old toilets is not performing?? I have 3 30 year old Kohler toilets and have replaced the fill valve in all of them with an American Standard Smart valve, and replaced the flush valve and overflow pipe in one of them. Everything else is porcelin, and should last another 100 years. : New 1.6 GPF toilets rely on a more complex mechanism to get sufficient water velocity and suction, some have smaller and more convoluted drain passages. : (for "complex" you can read "more cost, more breakdowns, more maintenance"). : They move waste a much shorter distance down the drain pipe. This can cause more frequent blockages in older systems designed for high volumes of water. : I don't want to sound too negative, the great majority of the time the new toilets will work almost as well as the old ones. and don't cause : any problems with the drain lines. : But...... Be very careful removing the old toilets and store them in your garage until you are sure the new ones work with your system. : I think you are trading in a used Lincoln for a new Escort just because its new and shiney. After the shine wears off, you'll wish you had the Lincoln back. : : I am faced with replacing 3 35 year old Kohler toilets that are no longer performing well. I am considering the TOTO Ultra Max and the Gerber Ultra Flush based on your recommendations. For the Gerber, I am wondering how to test my water pressure, and whether these toilets are reliable. How do the Gerber's fare in terms of repair costs? Can the flushmate mechanism be repaired by the user or is a plumber required? (The TOTO salesman intimated that the flushmate system required more repairs).

Posted by Steve on February 16, 19100 at 18:16:11:

In response to Re: replacement toilets, reliability, and water pressure

My old toilets don't seem to do the job getting everything flushed. My plunger has become my best friend lately. All other drains in the house seem to work fine - all except the toilets. A plumber ran a snake down each of the toilets and found no problem. Could there be a blockage further downstream that is resulting in a sluggish flush, and that might not affect shower and other drains? I'm looking for suggestions - I certainly have no desire to replace 3 toilets.

: I'm curious, what about your old toilets is not performing?? I have 3 30 year old Kohler toilets and have replaced the fill valve in all of them with an American Standard Smart valve, and replaced the flush valve and overflow pipe in one of them. Everything else is porcelin, and should last another 100 years.

: New 1.6 GPF toilets rely on a more complex mechanism to get sufficient water velocity and suction, some have smaller and more convoluted drain passages.
: (for "complex" you can read "more cost, more breakdowns, more maintenance").
: They move waste a much shorter distance down the drain pipe. This can cause more frequent blockages in older systems designed for high volumes of water.

: I don't want to sound too negative, the great majority of the time the new toilets will work almost as well as the old ones. and don't cause
: any problems with the drain lines.
: But...... Be very careful removing the old toilets and store them in your garage until you are sure the new ones work with your system.

: I think you are trading in a used Lincoln for a new Escort just because its new and shiney. After the shine wears off, you'll wish you had the Lincoln back.

: : I am faced with replacing 3 35 year old Kohler toilets that are no longer performing well. I am considering the TOTO Ultra Max and the Gerber Ultra Flush based on your recommendations. For the Gerber, I am wondering how to test my water pressure, and whether these toilets are reliable. How do the Gerber's fare in terms of repair costs? Can the flushmate mechanism be repaired by the user or is a plumber required? (The TOTO salesman intimated that the flushmate system required more repairs).

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