Friday, December 18th, 2015

Today’s Toilet Choices: Making Thomas Crapper Proud

Thomas Crapper (1836-1910), the London plumber frequently credited with inventing the flush toilet*, knew a good thing when he saw it. Crapper became an apprentice plumber at age 14, and launched his own plumbing business at the age of 25. A big believer in the advantages of sanitary sewage approaches, Crapper received several patents for forward-thinking plumbing innovations (including improvements to the flush toilet).

Fast forward about 100 years to today. Toilets are among the most important and most under-discussed necessities of our lives. In today’s blog, we’re highlighting toilet innovations designed to make bathroom habits more pleasant, sanitary, and efficient. Also, we’ll tackle that age old topic: toilet seat etiquette.

Basic Toileting Options
In most applications (residential and commercial), there are two approaches:

Residential (and many small businesses): Gravity Tank Toilets – This is the standard one- or two-piece toilet in everyone’s home. A tank toilet stores water in the tank (about 1.28 – 1.6 gallons); the tank water uses gravity to flush toilet deposits down the drain.

Commercial: Flush Valve Operated Toilets – Commonly found in public and commercial restrooms, this type of toilet has no tank and is flushed either by a handle or wall button (or a motion detector). Flush valve toilets are directly connected to a building’s water supply. In newer commercial construction, flush valve toilets offer “green” options: a light flush for non-solid waste or a heavy flush for the solids (“…if it’s brown, flush it down”).

Bidets: No toilet list is complete without mentioning this traditionally European option. Bidet’s use a warm water spray to gently cleans the perineal area in lieu of toilet paper. Bidets are increasingly popular in American homes.

Toilets with Style and Grace
It’s the home improvement time of the year and the creative minds at HGTV have compiled a very educational video clip (2:24) showcasing hot trends in toilet options. We’re especially fond of the Pee-Wee model for little ones, the dual-flush model for efficiency, and the “hygienic handle” lid attachment. View the video: http://videos.hgtv.com/video/toilet-trends-62439 (2:24)

Toilet Seat Etiquette
As we head into the holiday season, a common understanding of “up or down…who’s responsible?” paves the way for peace and goodwill towards all. With delicate topics such as “The Great Toilet Seat Debate”, we defer to the expert: Ann Landers. After much discussion, the prevailing (and least sexist) approach is that everyone should put the lid down. Few enjoy seeing the gaping toilet hole and a closed lid prevents accidentally dropping important items into the water (smart phones, pets, toothbrushes, sleepy spouses and small children).

Water You Waiting For? At Allied Reddi-Rooter, our team of professionals loves nothing more than helping select and install a new toilet or bidet. It’s one of our favorite home improvements/quick fixes. Call at 513-396-5300 or Contact Ray today for a free quote.  We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service.
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*According to UrbanLegends.about.com, Sir John Harrington invented and installed a working prototype flush toilet in the palace of his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1775, Alexander Cummings received a patent for a “flushing water closet”, 60 years before Thomas Crapper was born.”