Flush Away the Pressure of Choosing the Best Toilet

(NewsUSA) - The toilet is one of those household items that you take for granted until it causes trouble. Many homeowners can name their pet peeves - sweaty tanks, jiggly handles and frequent need for the plunger, among other failings.

But when it's time to replace the toilet, homeowners may find it difficult to pinpoint what they want. The best way to choose is to think about what you like and what you dislike about your current toilet.

Here are some questions that homeowners sometimes ask when shopping for a new toilet:

* Which is the most popular type of toilet? The most common type is a gravity-fed toilet, which uses water from the tank to create a siphon action to pull waste through a trapway. Most have either one- or two-piece construction and come with either a smaller, round bowl or a larger, elongated bowl.

You can choose from different heights, ranging from juvenile models typically found in preschools to chair-height models for adults or people with special needs. Most residential toilets are installed on the floor, but wall-mount models are an option for bathrooms short on space.

* What are those powerful toilets that flush really quickly? Pressure-assist toilets are commonly found in hotels, restaurants, office buildings and other commercial settings, but they're now becoming more popular with homeowners as well.

Harnessing the energy from the supply line, a pressure-assist toilet traps air in a vessel as it fills with water. The compressed air forces the water into the bowl, producing a powerful, pushing flush.

* What other options are on the market? Manufacturers continue to minimize water use. Today, some pressure-assist toilets flush with 1 gallon of water or even less.

Another notable addition to the residential market is dual-flush technology. Dual-flush toilets offer users two flush options depending on need. Push one button to flush with 1.6 gallons of water or push another to flush with 0.9 gallons.

* My toilet clogs a lot. Shouldn't I find one that uses more water? The first generation of 1.6 gallon gravity-fed toilets received a bad reputation for not flushing forcefully enough. But manufacturers have improved the technology since then.

Some consumers cling to the notion that toilet clogs are due to the reduced water volume. But clogs in gravity-fed models are usually due to the design of the toilet and how it operates, not how much water it uses.

* What should I think about when considering gravity-fed versus pressure-assist toilets? The powerful flushing action of pressure-assist technology clears the toilet bowl more effectively, plus its larger water surface reduces cleaning requirements.

However, homeowners who are light sleepers should be wary of installing these noisier toilets in a master bath that adjoins sleeping quarters.

* Which is easier to install: gravity-fed or pressure-assist? Besides having to initially flush the water supply line, installing a pressure-assist toilet is the same as a gravity-fed toilet.

Pressure-assist toilets require a minimum 3/8-inch supply line and water pressure of at least 20 pounds per square inch, which is what most homes have. Both types take up the same amount of floor space.

If you want to install pressure-assist technology, you can't just add the technology to an existing gravity-fed toilet. That's because the operation of pressure-assist technology depends on the unique design features of the toilet.