Pressure-assisted Toilets – Making The Right Choice

1994. Manufacturers had to refine toilet designs to reduce water consumption to meet the mandate, but now there's talk in Congress of easing up on the 1.6-gpf benchmark. The problem? Consumer complaints that low-flow toilets just don't work very well. But low-flow toilets have gotten a bum rap. Yes, early models were prone to skid marks left by waste and often needed a second flush to clear waste. In fact, I have one of these toilets in my house right now, and it can be annoying to have to flush it and then clean it as well. But it is even more annoying to smell the local sewage treatment plant, which is failing because of my hometown's growth and the increased wastewater coming from all of those 3.5-gpf and higher water-consuming toilets.

The newer 1.6-gpf designs work just as well as the old water guzzlers, with refined hydraulics that maximize the flushing effects of lower water volumes. Some new technology— particularly the addition of air pressure to the flush—helps too. Manufacturers are finding ways of engineering larger water spots (the area of standing water in the bowl) and increasing the vacuum effect of the flush. Happily, gone are the days when pure water volume—up to 7 gpf in some cases—made up for deficiencies in design and manufacture. The bottom line is that low-flow toilets are here to stay. And for good reason: They save a lot of water, putting less stress on water supplies, private septic systems, and municipal treatment plants.

Pressure-assisted toilets
If you can visualize a turbocharger for your toilet, you essentially have the idea behind pressure-assisted toilets, which were developed with the theory that air pressure could compensate for the lower volume of water available in 1.6-gpf low-flow toilets. The most common method of supplying this air pressure is to capture supply-line pressure in a small tank within the toilet. As new water comes into the toilet tank after flushing, the tank is repressurized. When the toilet is flushed, the compressed air expands and forces the tank water into the bowl at a higher velocity.

Both close-coupled and one-piece toilets are available with pressure-assisted flushing actions. These toilets have the advantage of having a larger water spot than gravity-fed toilets, which may make them less prone to skid marks. But their turbulent air-and-water flush makes these toilets noisier than their gravity-fed counterparts, which could make nocturnal use less than desirable, and the additional engineering required by the pressurizing mechanism makes these toilets more expensive.

Another way to supply more pressure to a low-flow toilet is with an electric pump. Kohler's Trocadero Power Lite has a small electrically powered 0.2-hp pump to push water through the flush. This toilet, which plugs into a conventional wall outlet, draws a minimal amount of current and is quieter than conventional pressure-assisted toilets.

By: Mirna

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Mirna is co-owner of Bathroom Wall, an online resource that covers all aspects of bathroom designs and bathroom design ideas and bathroom furniture. Visitors to Bathroom Wall will be met with invaluable do it yourself guides and historic information with tips about the most cost effective ways of decorating a bathroom.Tubs and showers