Might as well flush toilet technology
From summer 2004, uploaded summer 2005
Low flow toilets,
what a concept. Less water required to get rid of the mess. Sounds like
a good plan to me. Many city governments in the arid southwest agreed,
and programs were instituted to place low flow toilets into houses and
public buildings. Laws were passed that stated that any new
construction would have the low-flow toilets and programs instituted to
help homeowners upgrade from the old water wasting variety.
Everything seems fine and dandy until we see that
not all low-flow toilets are equal. I have had the pleasure of using
some that have a comfortable seat and the mess is disposed of in one
flush. Of late, however, I have had the unfortunate experience of using
the OTHER kind. The OTHER kind have uncomfortable seats that make your
feet fall asleep in a matter of seconds, and take three or more flushes
just to get the toilet paper down, not to mention turning the water
clear again.
OK, I have dealt with uncomfortable seats before,
but how are we saving water when the combined usage of the flushes
required to clear the bowl exceeds any possible savings of water.
At this point I am sure that some people are
thinking that there might be a water pressure problem. Let me assure
you, there is not a water pressure problems in this building. The
pressure is fine, it is the toilet.
Some other people may be thinking by now that just
don't know how to operate the toilet. Well I would love to know the
trick to this one. I have dealt with other low-flow and regular flow
toilets and never had the problems that I have with this toilet.
Now, anybody who has read this far is probably
wondering why I am writing on this particular subject at all. I mean,
how many people complain about toilets? Well, maybe we should discuss
toilets more often, everybody uses them, no matter that what they are
used for is generally left out of polite conversation.
So, why am I discussing this? I am discussing this
because as more people switch to low-flow toilets they need to be aware
that as in anything else comparison shopping is key. It might seem
strange, but since the floor models at the home places are not
generally working models, other methods are required to get a toilet
that best fits your needs. So do your own research, compare notes with
friends. While not a major investment a toilet is not just something
that you want to replace because the one you buy doesn't do it's job.