toilet recomendations!!

larry merlau

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Location
Delton, Michigan
toilet help, looking for a tall one that works well, as in big gulp and not plug 50% of the time.. my parents are old and need a higher one than the low boys out there and water consumption is not an issue, flushing away the left overs is number one priority.. one inthe big box stores would be handy but i have access to a real plumbing shop as well..
 
Another on Kohler, we have one that the paper-work says> model K-3496, K-3497, K-3499 but couldn't tell ya which as there's no markings other than Kohler 1.6gpf on it{there is a control to lower it to 1.4gpf}.

It's 16.5" high from floor to bowl minus the seat. Wife complains everyday about how much difference the higher one makes over the standard ones at her work place{she likes the height of ours}....This one is probably 5-7 yrs old and never a problem {other than the wax ring fiasco, but that's ahem, installer failure not the throne itself.

Edit: Home depot FWIW
 
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I've jsut installed an American Standard Tofino model, which has two flushes, one 4 litre and the other 6 litre. I got it to replace a toilet that plugged constantly, and have not had a problem since I installed it. It is taller than any of the toilets I've had before, but not uncomfortably so.
 
I needed a new toilet last year, and after reading a lot of reviews decided on the Toto Drake II. Only 1.28 gal/flush yet works fantastic! It costs more than typical off the shelf toilet from a big box store, but worth it and highly recommended. Home Depot sells this for $536.00 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toto-Drake-II-2-Piece-Elongated-Toilet-in-Cotton-CST454CUFG-01/204399649), but I found it for almost $200 cheaper here where I bought it: http://www.homeclick.com/toto-cst45...piece-toilet-het-with-sanagloss/p-308657.aspx.

Definitely worth a look.
 
American Standard keeps changing the model names, but we have 2 called "Champion 4" and 2 called "Cadet 3"; all are comfort height and elongated bowl. Most importantly, all of them have an excellent flush. After 5 years with them (I put them all in right after we bought this house) I've only had to replace on the seals on a Champion $. I wish I could figure out what the current name is for these, it may be the Tofino Roger mentioned. These are readily available at the Lowes. (should mention, the Cadet is 1.28 gallon per rflush, the Champion is 1.4).
 
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Toto does take this area to a science.

3. Comfort Height vs. Standard Height
TOTO toilets are available in two different heights. Universal Height, also called Comfort Height or ADA Compliant Height, measures between 17 and 18 inches from the floor to the top of the toilet seat. Government regulations require public restrooms (essentially any outside of the home) must be ADA Compliant height.

The Standard Height toilet is almost 15 inches from the ground to the top of the seat. ADA Compliant Height toilets are becoming very popular in homes as they are comfortable and favored by the elderly.
 
Toto does take this area to a science.

3. Comfort Height vs. Standard Height
TOTO toilets are available in two different heights. Universal Height, also called Comfort Height or ADA Compliant Height, measures between 17 and 18 inches from the floor to the top of the toilet seat. Government regulations require public restrooms (essentially any outside of the home) must be ADA Compliant height.

The Standard Height toilet is almost 15 inches from the ground to the top of the seat. ADA Compliant Height toilets are becoming very popular in homes as they are comfortable and favored by the elderly.

We have the Universal Height and love it. Also, I understand that the lower per-gallon-flush toilets do not always have enough water to clean "remnants" on the bowl, but the Toto has a finish they call SanaGloss that seems to act like Teflon - nothing sticks to the bowl when you flush - http://www.totousa.com/people-first-innovation/peopleplanetwater/sanagloss®.

It was also nice to see our water bill come down. The toilet it replaced was there when we bought the house 20 years ago so I'm guessing it used at least 5 gal/flush. With 4 people in the house, it adds up.
 
American standard Cadet 3 is the one we used in the apt complexes, it has a larger discharge hole at the bottom of the tank. I dare you to put the lid down flush the toilet & pick up the lid fast enough to see it discharge. The bowl will already be empty. We had a 3" main under all 11 buildings instead of 4" this made that system work much much better. I installed several of these toilets over the years I was there both handicapped & regular height toilets. If you want stress & what it can do to you try managing apts. for 17 years.
 
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My first thought was to just dig a new hole and block up the seat, but I see you are talking about the more modern porcelain convenience. All the ones at the big boxes have the rough-in distance and height printed on the box, so it's just a matter of choosing the style that appeals to you. It's hard to go wrong with the big name brands. I installed two new ones a couple of years ago getting ready to sell a house. They were Kohler @ around $250 from Lowe's IIRC. I was amazed at how efficient they were with so little water. There was none of the traditional swirling water like the old days of 5 gallon flushes. It was just a really fast powerful WOOSH and everything was gone. I resolved never to flush while seated. The ones that came with my eight year old house are a common contractor grade that swirls. I almost replaced them last fall when one gave me trouble at the tank/base joint and I got fed up with constantly fixing them. Unfortunately, Lowe's had a three dollar gasket that fixed the problem. Next time....
 
We were having issues with plugging up. Reccomendations were to get a toilet with a bigger throat. We ended up with three my Jacuzzi that had the largest openings available. They came from Lowes, about $99.00 each. Can't speak to the height issue, didn't shop for that feature. I'm sure medical supply stores will have them but, be prepared for outrageous prices.
 
After the problems I had with my previous toilet, which was a 4l. (1 US gal.) flush, I wanted a 6l. toilet. The Tofino flushes very quickly, and I only use the 6l. flush for the biggest jobs. I'm flushed with pride over my new john!
 
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