Tuesday, February 02, 2016

By John Voket This next installment of your RIS Consumer Confidant's ongoing Prepping series turns to readying for a new commode. The size of your bathroom, the age of your home, and several other factors come into play when it's time for a new toilet.

According to Willem Maas who writes for the U.S. Green Building Council's Green Home Guide, whether your motivation is environmental responsibility, saving money, or meeting building codes, installing a more efficient toilet is an effective and easy way to upgrade your home.

When low-flow toilets were introduced in 1994, stories of double flushing and clogging were widespread. But greenhomeguide.com says 1.6 gpf low-flow toilets have improved dramatically, and homeowner satisfaction has improved with them.

While “behind the seat” technologies (dual flush, single flush, gravity fed, and pressure assist) vary, what really matters is performance. So when shopping for a new toilet, remember that there is little correlation between price and performance.

Single-flush toilets with excellent performance are available for less than $100, says John Koeller, technical advisor to the California Urban Water Conservation Council  CUWCC. And prices for dual-flush toilets start at about $175, however, competition among the manufacturers is driving dual-flush prices down.

Bowls are available in elongated and round designs. While each has its proponents on the basis of comfort, there are space considerations.

Before leaving on your toilet shopping trip, greenhomeguide.com says measure your bathroom to make sure there’s enough space for a toilet with an elongated bowl.

Koeller advises measuring not only the dimensions of the bathroom but also the distance from the floor flange bolt holes to the rear wall (known as the rough-in dimension). He says older homes, which tend to have smaller bathrooms, also tend to be sized for a 10-inch rough-in rather than the 12-inch that is common in newer homes.

Greenhomeguide.com also suggests looking for models that meet the new High Efficiency Toilet (HET) standard to maximize water and money savings. An HET fixture is one that flushes at 20 percent below the 1.6 gpf maximum (it has a maximum of 1.3 gpf).

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