InsideOut •
A little potty talk
Berthoud Weekly Surveyor April 8, 2021 Page 15
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n our endless quest to create a home, a personal Surveyor refuge, filled with items we love that bring joy Columnist to our hearts, can we (potty) talk for a moment about the splendid toilet? This valued member of our households is one we often take for granted until it clogs or runs incessantly, or heaven forbid, backs up completely. But consider it we must if peace is to reign in our bathroom kingdoms. So, if a new bathroom is on your spring to-do list, read on for a few interesting facts and one firm opinion on what to consider when toilet shopping. A preface: I have no connection whatsoever to the plumbing and bathroom supply industry. I speak only from homeowner experience having gutted and upgradSue ed four (to date) bathrooms. But before I tell you Arnott about a particular toilet I love ... a brief history. The Ancient Romans moved water through aqueducts, but the first flushing-type toilet, rumor has it, came from John Harrington in 1596, when he built a system for his good friend, Queen Elizabeth I. The system reportedly used 7.5 gallons of water to whisk her waste away. We might call that a royal flush. Word was the noise of the contraption frightened the queen and she avoided using it. Fast forward about 200 years to 1775 when Alexander
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
Cummings patented the flush toilet and introduced us to the S-curve plumbing feature to prevent bathroom backups. Another hundred years would pass before Thomas Crapper — his real name — developed the idea further. The S-curve plumbing, notable for keeping foul smells and flammable gases in their place, needed work. The trap often dried out and the stench escaped. Worse, it clogged and, well, disaster. So, Crapper invented a U-curve structure, that would not clog or dry out. For years, the basic design — the tank, the bowl, the plumbing — didn’t change much. But evolution happens. We now have toilets of all shapes, sizes and colors, though white (and its countless hues) remains the standard. We have lids that gently descend and on more expensive models, heated seats. Technology has brightened this vast wasteland with a plethora of options including built-in bidets, adjustable air-dryers, and motion-activated seats that move with a wave of your hand. Should you need music to accompany your every movement (sorry), you can quickly access a potty playlist via a remote with blue-tooth connectivity. Smart toilets can help individuals monitor general and specific health conditions from weight to blood pressure to screenToto Nexus 11 1-piece toilet ing our waste for diabetes, infections, kidney disease and cancer. Ultra-smart toilets in public bathrooms can even address public health issues and help prevent major disease outbreaks via waste monitoring. Sensitivity and privacy matters related to this require a whole other story. It’s likely most people simply want a strong flusher. And I’ll get to that, but first — the Energy Policy Act of 1992 required all toilets made after 1994 to use a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Unfortunately, they didn’t require certain power levels to accompany each flush. Hence, some low-flow toilets require extra flushes. Wasteful. Power doesn’t mean a luxury, hi-tech toilet, but it may mean a bit more expense, which brings me to the Toto toilet. A personal favorite. Using little water, they flush fast and forcefully. Honestly, you could flush a body down one of these, but please don’t. Why builders don’t put them in new homes (even upon request with the understanding it costs a little extra!) is a crime needing further investigation. A last bit of trivia: the Denver International Airport installed Totos in every bathroom. Of course, they’re not like those industrial-strength airplane toilets, but — hold on to your shower cap, here — those vacuum types are catching on and becoming popular in residential properties in Japan, where Totos are made. We’re still trying to copy our eco-conscious European friends with their #1 or #2 dual-flushing systems that use even less than 1.6 gallons of water. In fairness, you’ll find competitive models in other makes. I just have intimate knowledge of this particular toilet and after years of use, no regrets. Good luck as you renovate your bathrooms. And may the force be with you.
