If you’ve ever been to a hardware store, you may recall the vast range of toilets they typically have on display. It might seem like overkill—after all, isn’t a toilet just a toilet? Not exactly.
There are many different types of toilets available to homeowners. This is because a toilet, despite its outwardly simple appearance, is actually an intricate piece of functioning machinery. There are several different variations when it comes to the exterior and interior mechanisms of a toilet, and choosing the best toilet begins with learning about the different types of toilets.
Gravity-feed toilet
We’ll start with some basic and familiar toilet types before branching out to some lesser-known toilets. A gravity-feed toilet is very common in residential homes because, as the name suggests, it uses the natural forces of gravity to flush and fill.
Pressing the flush lever not only flushes whatever is in the bowl downwards, it also allows the clean water from the tank above to trickle down, offering a quiet and clean flush and fill cycle.
Pressure-assisted toilet
This is also one of the more common types of toilets. You’ll see them a lot in public restrooms, as they’re equipped to handle crowds of people using the toilet many times in rapid succession.
You’ve likely noticed that the flushing power of public toilets is much greater than most residential toilets. This is because pressure-assisted toilets use pressurized air to generate flushing power. This pressure system makes the flush louder, but it also causes the toilet to flush more quickly, and it goes a long way toward preventing potential clogs.
Dual-flush toilet
When it comes to choosing the best toilet, many people may factor water conservation into their decision. If you’d like to conserve water, the dual-flush toilet is right up your alley. It’s becoming more common as people look to help the environment while saving some money on utility costs in the process.
A dual-flush toilet usually has two buttons indicating a half flush and full flush. You can press one button for liquid waste and produce a half flush, or press the other button (or sometimes both buttons at once) to trigger a full flush for solid waste.
Upflush toilet
The chief difference between an upflush toilet and the other types of toilets we’ve covered is what happens to the waste after you flush it. An upflush toilet doesn’t require you to connect it directly to your plumbing system. When you flush this type of toilet, the waste is sent to a holding tank where it is macerated or chopped up.
Once the waste is diced up into small enough pieces, a pump sends it away from the toilet via a sewer line. That sewer line, which can be as small as ¾ of an inch in diameter, provides a pathway for the finely diced mixture to eventually reach your sewage system or septic tank. Do note that you shouldn’t use an upflush toilet for the primary toilet in your home.
Call to schedule your toilet installation
Now that you know about the different types of toilets, hopefully it will be easier to choose the best toilet for your home. If you need to have a toilet installed or repaired, call Big City Plumbing, LLC to schedule an appointment!