Can't decide which toilet to buy...large/hard BMs

Which toilet?

  • Toto Aquia

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Caroma Sydney Smart 305

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    2

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garagelogician

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I've had nothing but problems with some builder grade Gerber toilets that are original to my 18 year old house. Most notably the tank to bowl gasket, this one requires a thicker gasket and it seems nearly impossible to get a solid seal. I'm a bigger guy, so sometimes I think I am pushing back on the tank when I'm taking care of business, which may be contributing to the gasket issue. I also occasionally have some issues with large/hard BMs that plug up the toilet solid, even without any paper.

Its time for them to go, and I'm looking for a nice one-piece and fully skirted toilet that will be easy to clean and where I'll never have to deal with tank-to-bowl problems ever again. Bonus points for a toilet that is less likely to clog.

I've done a lot of reading here and elsewhere...and here are the three contenders I have it narrowed down to:

sydney_270_01.jpg


Caroma Caravelle Smart 270 One Piece Toilet
http://www.caromausa.com/products/index/cu_products/109.php

Toto Eco Soirée One Piece Toilet, 1.28 GPF, Elongated Bowl
http://www.totousa.com/eco-soire-one-piece-toilet-128-gpf-elongated-bowl

Toto Aquia One-Piece Toilet, 1.6 GPF & 0.9 GPF, Elongated Bowl
http://www.totousa.com/aquia-one-piece-toilet-16-gpf-and-09-gpf-elongated-bowl

Thoughts? Pros/Cons of each? I am leaning towards the Caroma...but I'm concerned about parts availability and quality compared to the Toto options.
 
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Terry

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For what you describe, I would go with the Caroma. The Sydney Smart with the 305 bowl has a 3" trapway.

sydney_305_el_1.jpg


Both of those TOTO bowls have 2" trapways, which works well for most people. Having large and hard stools is another matter though.
The Caroma 270 bowl is the fully skirted, but kind of tricky to install.

caroma-989900-02.jpg


caroma-989900-01.jpg
 
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garagelogician

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For what you describe, I would go with the Caroma. The Sydney Smart with the 305 bowl has a 3" trapway.
Both of those TOTO bowls have 2" trapways, which works well for most people. Having large and hard stools is another matter though.
The Caroma 270 bowl is the fully skirted, but kind of tricky to install.[/QUOTED]


Does the 270 bowl have a 3" trapway as well? What makes it tricky to install?

They aren't usually too hard, just on the large side occasionally. I think the trapway on the existing Gerbers is pretty bad. I was hoping that the better design of the Toto would make it better than a standard cheap 2" or less trapway.
 

Jadnashua

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On a non-skirted toilet, you can often get a good idea of how well it will handle long-hard stools by viewing the trapway from the side. The smoother, larger the curves, and diameter will become fairly obvious as to which ones are a better design. Those with sharp curves and some with nearly right-angle changes of direction going into the toilet flange are much more likely to clog than those with smoother curves that actually end up pointing the outlet nearly straight down the drain. If yours are just large, and are not like a rigid log, one of the Totos would work well...if it is closer to a stiff log and you need to take something to break it up to flush, you'd have a better chance with the Caroma.
 

Terry

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Does the 270 bowl have a 3" trapway as well? What makes it tricky to install?

They say the 270 is a 4" trapway, though where it makes the curve at the top, it's more egg shaped and not a round 4".
Most toilets are plumbed with 3" at the floor. The 270 bowl comes with a swivel adapter that mounts to the closet flange, and the the bowl drops down over that. There there are two screws that pin the back of the bowl down at the back of the bowl.
I prefer the 305 bowl with bolt caps. I drop the wax rings down and then drop the bowl down. It's still a pretty clean look.
Average stools are 3/4" in diameter. The 2" trapway on most of the TOTO bowls works very well with standard stuff. Some people on meds though eclipse that and need something larger.
 

WJcandee

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Big is no problem. You will love the Soiree. But don't pay that list price for it. Do some research before talking to your local plumbing supply place.
 

Terry

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American Standard "Cadet" will flush anything. Any model.....Sorry no pictures of proof, lol.

No they won't. Not for this question. There are medical issues that require something entirely different.
For this question I don't recommend the TOTO either.
We're looking at the large 3" trapway of the Caroma, or perhaps the Kohler Highline with pressure assist.

highline-pa-ken.jpg


Kohler Highline with Flushmate
 
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Jadnashua

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There are two ways to move a 'log' through the trapway of a toilet:
- make the diameter larger than 'normal' and while not always required, it also helps to
- make sure that all of the turns are more gradual verses trying to bend that rigid 'log' around a right-angle, which is a common design characteristic of many AS toilets (they're not alone).

Sometimes, the high pressure jet from a pressure assisted toilet can break that 'log' apart into smaller pieces or exert enough pressure to bend it around those curves, and then let it pass. For the vast majority of people, though, since they don't produce 'logs', they are both smaller in diameter and flexible, so they'll bend themselves around those corners and flush with no problems. A practical shortcut would be to take a stick to it, and break it apart prior to flushing, but most people would not find that an acceptable solution - then, what do you do with the stick?! Letting it soak in the toilet, soften up some, can also help, but again, not something you really want to do. An outhouse works, too! Lot's of room to deposit your 'logs'!
 

Fluidmaster Tech

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We don't test with logs. I cant tell you what toilet flushes LOGS better than another. 50 gram miso logs is what the industry tests with. We score according to how many of the little devils the toilet can flush up to 1000 grams.
 

Terry

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We don't test with logs. I cant tell you what toilet flushes LOGS better than another. 50 gram miso logs is what the industry tests with. We score according to how many of the little devils the toilet can flush up to 1000 grams.

Which doesn't help answer this question does it.

The MaP testing is now done with plastic wrapped paste. That ups the amount of grams that will slide through now.
It also doesn't test for streaking on the bowl.

But again, the original question was about above abnormal sizing which most toilets on the market will plug with, including those 1000 gram beauties.
 
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