Eco Drake review
Initial review:
Eco Drake elongated, standard height with CEFIONTECT (1.28 gpf Watersense certified)
Replacement for 1994 round Gerber (three of them in the home.) MaP for the old toilet is about 150, with a 1.6 gpf nominal flush. This is a test install, ironically in place of the only Gerber that has not clogged on us. I wanted to see the new Drake in place before ordering for the other two baths and this one is in the master bath so that I could judge its performance more closely.
Appearance:
The Eco Drake is a very attractive toilet with simple lines. The bowl was made in Vietnam according to its box. The tank was U.S. made according to its box. In the bowl there is a slight geometric left/right assymetry of the forward water siphon ledge that is under the water line. Underneath at the trap outlet ledge there was also a slight deformation toward the backside of the toilet. If this had been a showroom situation rather than an order, I probably would have rejected the bowl for another because of the cosmetic blemish. I'm curious to see how the next two look. If they look better I might move this one to the basement or even request an exchange.
Install:
Install was straightforward with regards to assembling the toilet. No problem achieving 3 points of contact with a little tightening, no leaks anywhere. The closet flange face in the home was over 1/4" below tile level that was being compensated for with a jumbo wax seal on the old toilet. Rectified this with a Sioux Chief 7/16" extension ring.
Performance:
No problems observed so far, only three full days of use.
Flushes quickly and cleanly...emphasizing
cleanly. Material would sometimes stick to the porcelain of the Gerber, especially at the back above the tiny water spot. This sometimes required a second flush and other times a brush. I've not yet seen any reason for a second flush with the Drake. The toilet will save a lot more water than the 1.6 to 1.28 gpf nominal difference.
The waterspot of the Toto is well conceived. The depth in the actual trap is better than the old Gerber at keeping smelly solids below the surface. The shallow pool surrounding that provides a generous waterspot (about 4 times the area of the Gerber.) The Gerber's poor waterspot/trap design led to extra courtesy flushes to minimize odor as well as trying to prevent stains/skid marks.
The elongated bowl and larger waterspot is a big improvement for me (male) when doing my business at night without turning on any lights. No annoying drips and I can hear that I've hit the ample water target immediately. When seated the elongated bowl also eliminates unwanted contact of an appendage with the front of the rim--so glad to be rid of the round bowl!
During flushing I've not observed any splash, mist, or spray from the bowl so far. I also did a seated flush to verify this impresson. Overall, this is a much more hygenic toilet than what I've been saddled with in the past.
Water consumption: I've only done a crude water meter test so far of two separate flushes. They came in at ~1.4 gpf +/- about .1 gpf. I'll retest with multiple flushes when I get a chance. Things such as the level and chain appear to be properly adjusted, but I'll recheck them. By comparison the Gerber came in at 1.8 gpf vs. 1.6 nominal.
Conclusion: I've requested two more Eco Drakes through the supply house.
They will get more difficult duty and I'll learn if there are any flush performance issues. The other two Gerbers have both clogged once in the past 48 hours.
The Drakes can't come soon enough...