M
r. B i l l ' s T o i l e t s
|
Click on an image to enlarge
|
Click on a link for more of category
|
First, don't
laugh. This is really a serious page, not a joke, although there is some
humor about this topic.
Second, to view the movies on this page you will need a working copy of Windows media player installed or something similar.
Page contents: This page contains visual comparisons of the flushing action of three toilets. All are low-water consumption designs. The three toilets are a circa. mid-1980s Rundle toilet, a 2000 model year American Standard toilet fitted with a 'Flushmate' pressure assist flush system by Sloan Valve, and a circa 2001 Briggs 'Vacuity' model toilet. Background: All of you that know me, family, friends and neighbors, know that I have been plagued by slow, double and triple flushing toilets for years. In brief, for eight years or so, about five in Riverton and about four in Petersburg, I have lived with toilets that didn't flush worth a damn! You also know that I researched toilet design for an equally long time. However, the research was frustrating in that there never seemed to be any solid, quotable, empirical evidence that one toilet flushed better than another. True, I found evidence that certain toilets passed certain tests or were 'approved' or 'certified' by one organization or another. But I could never find the numbers, the charts, that could backup those claims or demonstrate conclusively that one toilet flushed more reliably than another. Or for that matter that they flushed well at all. Therefore there was no reason to assume that the $250 toilet was any better than the $90 toilet. And for that matter, that the $90 toilet was any better than the toilet I already had, which as stated above, didnt flush worth a damn. Nevertheless, I continued researching everything from manufactures toilet specifications to a California study regarding water conservation and toilet design. Ultimately I began carefully recording my own observations. For example, whenever I used a toilet that flushed well I would note the manufacturer, study the discharge curvature (usually visible under the toilet bowl), and lift the tank lid and examine the flush mechanism. After literally years of doing this research I came away with one observed conclusion and one hearsay. The observed conclusion was that Briggs toilets seem to flush better than any other brand, regardless of their flush mechanism. However, because my Briggs statistical sample was small (they were not common in the mid-west at the time although Menards now sells them) I was wary of this conclusion. The hearsay was that American Standard is the best U.S. toilet manufacture although I found no hard evidence to support this claim. Certainly their price was higher but as we all know the relationship between price and quality is anything but absolute. However, my research also turned up two fairly recent developments in toilet flushing mechanisms. First, Briggs had a flush assist design called Vacuity that they claimed resulted in a much more positive flush. They also claimed that it allowed a larger water spot (the surface area of the water in the bowl) thus assisting keeping the bowl clean. Furthermore their Vacuity toilets had a large 2 discharge pipe with few bends. This, it was said, should improve the toilet discharge process. I tended to give weight to their claims because I was impressed with their products. Second, the Sloan Valve company, the same company the makes the flush mechanisms in thousands of public rest rooms across the country and which we are all familiar with, were manufacturing a pressure assisted flush mechanism for residential toilets. Like the Briggs Vacuity, the Sloan 'Flushmate' allowed a larger water spot and a larger, straighter discharge pipe. Furthermore, unlike the Briggs Vacuity, the Sloan Flushmate pressure assist flush mechanism was not proprietary to one toilet manufacture, which was a plus. At some point I knew I was either going to replace my existing Rundle toilet with a Briggs Vacuity or some other brand fitted with a Sloan Flushmate. But which one? Where was the final evidence, the absolute proof, that one was better than the other? Frankly, at that point I could not make up my mind (some would say I was on the fence about this, I would say I was on the toilet about it) and I was not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a toilet when there was even a slight chance I was not going to be happy with it. I wanted the best. It was with the above dilemma in mind that during the summer of 2000 I went into the Springfield, IL Menards mens rest room to... well... use the john. It was then that I noticed that the toilets seemed to have the slightly larger tanks that are characteristic of the Sloan Flushmate mechanism. To verify, I lifted the tank lid and peered in. Sure enough, the tanks were fitted with the Flushmate mechanism. Excited to finally see and test a Sloan Flushmate assisted flush, I quickly replaced the tank lid and flushed the toilet. Whoooooooosh! I was sold!!! It took just one flush and I was reaching for my wallet. The Sloan pressure assisted flush left ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT that all waste in a Flushmate fitted toilet would be discharged. Period! End of story! That very day I double checked my bathroom and toilet dimensions, then ordered an American Standard toilet with Sloan Flushmate valve. I spent $612 at Menards for a bone colored American Standard with an oval bowl and the Flushmate mechanism. I would buy another in a heartbeat. A small price to pay for a positive flush! To summarize, my toilet has now been installed for 10 years and not once have I had to double flush. Not once! And the Flushmate mechanism which I worried at first might be a high maintenance item, might lime up, etc., has proven to be very reliable. Yes, when first used and/or when not used for an extended period of time, the toilet needs to be flushed multiple times to 'charge' the pressure tank with air, but once charged the toilet never fails. I would recommend the Sloan Flushmate system to anybody, anytime, anywhere. However, I still cannot say categorically that the American Standard toilet, the toilet itself, is the best toilet. I have no documentation or evidence that a Flushmate works any better or worse in an American Standard than some other brand toilet, so buyer beware. But I will vouch for the Flushmate. Happy flushing! Bill
Video Descriptions: The Rundle toilet video (OldRundle_1.mpg) was taken just before the toilet was replaced. Because the flushing action of the Rundle was difficult to capture in the available light, one piece of toilet paper was placed in the toilet bowl to illustrate how long it took to fully (not!) evacuate the bowl. The video shows how, at times, the bowl water sloshed around ineffectively. Pay particular attention to how long the flush takes. I took these movies with a Sony FD-91 (just about state-of-the art in 1999) which recorded 15 seconds of 640x480 video to a floppy disk. The full Rundle flush took more on the order of 18-20 seconds. The video of the new Sloan Valve Flushmate equipped American Standard (Sloan-Standard.mpg) toilet was taken just after the Rundle was replaced. Note the speed and vigor of the flush! I intentionally did not start the flush for a second or two after starting the video because I wanted to demonstrate that the flush would still be completed in much less time than the old Rundle (all videos are approximately of the same duration). I didnt want anyone thinking I had clipped off the beginning or end of the video to make the Sloan Valve-American Standard *APPEAR* to be faster flushing. The Flushmate effectively completes its flush in about 5 seconds. Similar to the Flushmate, the new Briggs Vacuity video (Briggs.mpg) was taken after my brother replaced his toilet with the Briggs. The Briggs Vacuity flushes nearly as vigorously and nearly as fast as the Sloan Flushmate model. I think it flushes a bit quieter though it is difficult to tell in the videos. However, my brother has reported having to double flush at times. I've NEVER double flushed the Flushmate. That said, he didn't pay $600 for his Briggs either. Post script: Regarding the noise factor, yes, the Flushmate is a bit louder than other flushes. If the noise factor is preventing you from upgrading to a Flushmate toilet, just forget about the noise. The Flushmate flushes so quickly that you hardly notice it. I mean, whoooooosh, and it's done. It's that fast! |
William Bruse 19279 Big Dog Trail Petersburg, IL 62675 wmbruse@warpnet.net Copyright © January 26, 2011; William Bruse
|