Toilet Replacement Lids - Waste Not - Going Green - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

Pete Seeger has one. So do Abby Rockefeller, the Bronx Zoo and Glacier National Park. As of last year, so do I. Mine is a Sun-Mar nonelectric composting toilet.

Andrew Bettles

I didn’t want anything to do with it at first. The idea of human waste sitting in one spot — right next to you — for months at a time is difficult to stomach, but I had little choice. Our solar-powered summer cabin has limited running water and soils that are too shallow for a septic system.

The Sun-Mar promised no smells and easy installation. Vented by a pipe out the roof, it doesn’t smell at all. And the concept couldn’t be simpler: in goes human waste plus a few wood chips; out comes dry fertilizer. I wish I could tell you I have handled the harmless mulch that’s produced, but we haven’t even had to empty it yet.

For homeowners interested in going green, the lowly water closet turns out to be a big player. Americans flush away 4.8 billion gallons of water every day — nearly 40 percent of our total indoor water consumption. Cleaning the sewage stream requires vast amounts of energy and chemicals and is often flawed. So manufacturers are finally making some great-looking, highly efficient privies.

Consumers can choose from a wide spectrum of effective flushiness, starting with low flush (the federally mandated maximum of 1.6 gallons per use), superlow flush (1.28 gallons and under), dual flush — with separate buttons and flow rates for solid and liquid wastes — and most recently, no flush at all.

Enter the waterless urinal. These manly devices are most likely being installed in an airport, stadium or university near you as you read. In such settings, each urinal can save 40,000 gallons of water a year, filling three swimming pools. The units require replaceable cartridges or biodegradable liquid barriers sitting just below the drain to trap odors. (It’s still hooked up to a plumbing drain; it just doesn’t flush.) Nearly 100,000 are already in use, and sales have grown by nearly 50 percent a year for the last three years. The Steward (pictured at right), a sleek, cartridge-free model from Kohler, is so attractive that it is being installed in private homes.

Admittedly, not everyone is ready for the no-flush revolution. Say you are the sort of person who wants a spalike toilet with a heated seat, a gentle aerated and vibrating bidet with adjustable controls, a catalytic deodorizer and an electronic seat-and-lid lowering mechanism. Even this device is available with the relatively eco-friendly Washlet series from Toto. It not only saves toilet paper, but as W. Hodding Carter, a Washlet owner and the author of “Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization,” told me, “The thing about waking up and sitting on a warm toilet seat, well, it just affects your whole disposition.”

 

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/realestate/keymagazine/318GREEN.t.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=bathroomsandtoilets&adxnnlx=1390800452-9ETvwPZRnTofKubU+N5SlQ

by Florence Williams

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - Twin toilets photo at Sochi Olympics goes viral - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — It's a tale of two toilets.

When BBC reporter Steve Rosenberg went to use the bathroom at the cross-country skiing and biathlon center for next month's Winter Olympics in Sochi, he found two toilets but only one stall.

His tweeted picture instantly became a national joke.

Although toilets like that are not common in Russia, social media users posted photos of other toilets side by side, including some said to be in a courthouse and a cafe.

The editor of the state R-Sport news agency said such communal toilets are standard at Russian soccer stadiums.

"Why are the BBC folks scaring us?" Vasily Konov wrote in this personal Twitter account. "This is what the gents look like at football stadiums in Russia." He posted a photo showing two urinals and three toilets in a large room.

Russians jested that the toilets in Sochi were designed for a "tandem," the name used to describe the duo of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. One popular blogger altered Rosenberg's photo to put in a framed portrait of the two leaders above the toilets.

In a nod to the tight security measures imposed in Sochi for the Olympics, another joke has it that the second toilet was for a security officer.

The Sochi organizing committee refused to comment.

 

source: http://news.yahoo.com/twin-toilets-photo-sochi-olympics-goes-viral-172934731--spt.html

by AP

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - Exploding toilets spark recall of flushing system - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

WASHINGTON (CBS NEWS) -- Watch out for exploding toilets.

Flushmate, the maker of a high-pressure flushing system sold at Home Depot and Lowe's, is expanding its recall of the parts because they can burst near a seam with force enough to shatter the toilet tank.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says Thursday that the company is recalling 351,000 units in the U.S. and about 9,400 units in Canada of the Series 503 Flushmate 111 Pressure Assist flushing systems installed inside toilet tanks that were made from March 2008 through June 2009.

There were no reports of injuries, but Flushmate has received three reports of the units included in the recall bursting, resulting in property damage.

The move expands upon a June 2012 recall of the same systems made from October 1997 through February 2008. At that time, 2.3 million units in the U.S. and 9,400 in Canada were recalled.

The consumer agency says consumers should immediately stop using the recalled system, turn off the water supply to the unit, flush the toilet to release the internal pressure and contact the firm to request a free repair kit.

 

source: http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/354092/81/Exploding-toilets-spark-recall-of-flushing-system

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - FOR SALE: Hitler's toilet discovered in car garage - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

Hitler's toilet has turned up at an American car garage [SOLENT]

The current owner is considering selling the loo, which was used by one of the world's most evil men in the 1930s. 

The white porcelain toilet was originally installed on the Aviso Grille, the official German State yacht, which was built in 1935.

It was situated in a room adjacent to Hitler's elaborate throne room on the luxury 433ft long boat.

The Aviso Grille was the largest yacht in existence at the time and was home to the exact same toilet which now sits in a car repair garage.

Workers at Greg's Auto Repair in Florence, New Jersey, still use the toilet every day, which is located in a small, plywood walled room.

The one-of-a-kind toilet was found by a previous owner in a nearby scrapyard in 1951.

The toilet is still in full working order [SOLENT]

Current owner Greg Kohfeldt said: "Not many people can say they have used the same throne as the most evil man in history, can they? 

"There's salvage from the yacht all over town, the toilet was purloined by a previous owner who needed one.

"The local Veterans Association has the map table and one old man has the ship's wheel hanging up in his den.

"People took anything they could find and the guy who built the garage got this.

"There are some words in German on the toilet but nothing else to indicate that the most evil of cheeks were spread upon its seat.

"Nevertheless over the years hundreds of people have popped by to have a look.

"I've never charged admission, I didn't think it was right to do so. If people want to have a look they're more than welcome." 

There is German writing on the toilet, which dates back to the 1930s [SOLENT]

In the years up to the outbreak of the Second World War, Hitler took many voyages on his beloved boat, which he nicknamed 'The White Swan'.

If Britain had been defeated in the war, Hitler planned to sail up the River Thames and disembark at Whitehall to accept Britain's surrender.

The yacht spent the rest of the war serving as a command ship in the German Navy.

The unique toilet was first sold to a British businessman who failed to make it a tourist attraction.

It was then passed through numerous owners - including the King of Egypt - before ending up on the New Jersey coast to be broken for scrap.

A desk used by Hitler sold for a staggering £250,000 and Mr Kohfeldt is keen to sell the historical toilet.

Adolf Hitler used the toilet on his official yacht [AP]

Not many people can say they have used the same throne as the most evil man in history, can they?

Current owner Greg Kohfeldt

He continued: "I was invited on TV to sell it on a show dedicated to rare and unusual antiques but one of the experts called me evil for trying to sell it.

"The episode was never broadcast. It was a real pain because I had to get the toilet disconnected to take there.

"The toilet is getting a bit long in the tooth now. It still works well, the Germans knew how to build things back then.

"If the right offer came along I'd seriously consider it.

"I know we haven't cleaned it much, and it's been a man's toilet without the touch of a woman and I seriously doubt there's any Hitler remnants down there after all these years.

"I want to modernise the toilet. Imagine having it in your house, it would definitely be a conversation starter.

"How many people can say they have Hitler's toilet?"

source: http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/453626/FOR-SALE-Hitler-s-toilet-discovered-in-car-garage

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

 

 

 

Toilet Replacement Lids - Toilet of the future? You might want to sit down for this - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

Dyno-Rod

Could this be the toilet of the future?

Despite its relatively staid presence in industrialized regions like the United States and Western Europe, the toilet could stand a technological makeover. Three up-and-coming industrial designers may have found just the thing that the modern toilet needs to remain abreast of technological innovation, as they recently demonstrated with an award-winning prototype for a new kind of toilet that subtly reconfigures the user's posture while providing a plethora of biometric feedback.

In honor of World Toilet Day last month, three students from Central St Martin’s College at the University of Arts London — Sam Sheard, Pierre Papet, and Victor Johansson — took part in a competition that was put on by the U.K.-based plumbing company Dyno-Rod Drains. The objective? To design "the toilet of the future" and help "raise awareness on how we can upgrade the current 130 year old flush toilet to one that benefits our health and the environment."

Their winning prototype, the "wellbeing toilet," introduces many high-tech innovations to the modern can — Johansson and Papet said that it could eventually be used to analyze a user's waste to monitor for health defects such as diabetes or kidney diseases, and could even provide information about nutritional deficiencies or pregnancy.

 

But the real "game-changer" that the trio wanted to bring to the wellbeing toilet was something far more basic, Johansson and Papet told NBC News in an email. Being students of industrial design, they were most interested in reconfiguring the basic shape of the toilet into a sort of hybrid between the chair-like structure of modern toilets and angular position of "squat toilets."

 

"The sitting position is wrong" in modern toilet design in most Western countries, Johansson said. "The natural position for a human to sit is in a squatting position." Most modern toilets push users into a 90-degree upright sitting position much like the one people adopt when, say, sitting at a desk or dinner table.

This position, Johansson said, "is obstructing the bowels" whenever people go to the bathroom, which can lead to many health problems such as constipation to more serious colon infections.

 

The problem with trying to redesign something like a toilet, however, is that "it is incredibly difficult to introduce something new" since, like many basic pieces of furniture like chairs or tables, it's "something most people use all the time without giving it much consideration," Papet said.

 

"If you asked a toilet customer in the UK if he would consider buying a squatting toilet he would laugh at you," he added.

 

The design they settled on, therefore, attempts to subtly nudge users into "overcoming these apprehensions and help get them into a position they're not used to anymore," Papet said. It still allows for a traditional sitting-type position, but the slight forward-leaning angle of the seat that juts up from the base of the structure allows bathroom-goers to perch their feet on the edge of the device as they heed nature's call.

 

Don't expect toilet technology to change overnight, however. Both Papet and Johansson admit that this project began as a curiosity on their part when they first learned of the competition, and as a result it still remains firmly in its "prototype" stage.

 

"It would need to be discussed with engineers and manufacturers to be viable [for increased production]," Papet said, "but the basic are there."

 

But even if bathroom-goers the world over were suddenly to adopt a new toilet paradigm such as this one, Eduardo Kausel, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said that squat toilets could pose some problems of their own.

"My sense is that the danger with squatting is that you might miss the bowl," Kausel told NBC News.

 

Pierre and Victor both admitted that there might be some initial discomfort when it comes to adopting a new standard for going to the bathroom. But that's also part of the point.

 

"Essentially, this toilet is forcing a new way of sitting which to a large extent doesn't exist, culturally speaking, in the west yet," Johannes told NBC News. "But I think when people start realizing the benefits they might be tempted to switch.

 

source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/toilet-future-you-might-want-sit-down-2D11702475

by Yannick Lejacq, NBC News

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - Worlds Craziest Toilet Bowls - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

source:

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/worlds-craziest-toilet-bowls/23/

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - Survey Claims That 75 Percent of People Use Cellphones in the Bathroom - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

“A NATION OF MULTITASKERS”

It looks like Lyndon B. Johnson, fan of the toilet tete-a-tete, was ahead of his time. A survey from Sony and British telecomm company O2 indicates that an astonishing 75 percent of Britons whip out their cellphones while in the bathroom. Conversely, two out of five people report hearing "suspicious noises" in a call's background suggesting the person on the other end is using the loo, reports the Telegraph.

This survey – of which I question every aspect of, given that an online copy is hard to locate and that the companies are trying to launch a waterproof phone suitable for bathroom use – could help explain why public restrooms at times sound like the inside of a mental ward, with individuals yammering away in the confines of their toilet stalls. Aside from the quarter of the 2,000 respondents who owned up to making calls while relieving themselves, an alleged 59 percent said they texted and 45 percent claimed they sent emails. Digital Spy adds that 25 percent of males reportedly sit down to urinate so they can operate their phones with both hands.

Some respondents explained their toilet phoning was due to the pressures of keeping up with work and their social networks, while others simply “wanted to prevent boredom setting in.” An O2 representative saluted this new “nation of multitaskers,” saying, “it's no surprise that some of our customers are making use of whatever time they have when their hands are free to check-in and stay up-to-date.”

source: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/03/survey-claims-75-percent-people-use-cellphones-bathroom/4945/

by John Metcalfe

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - Remote Control Japanese Style Toilet Toy - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

 IN JAPAN...

How many Westerners would think, upon being startled by a Japanese squat toilet that suddenly got up and skittered out of the bathroom, that this was just one of the country's high-tech plumbing fixtures? After all, compared to a commode that blocks soccer balls like a goalkeeper and another that's the seat of a fart-powered motorcycle, a toilet on wheels is just about as normal as you can get.

But no, the “Benki Remote Control Japanese Style Toilet” is merely a toy for pranking your dumb friends who aren't immediately suspicious of a lavatory with an antenna. Although it could conceivably be used as a toilet in a pinch: The product cites a weight limit of 400 grams, or about 0.88 pounds. You can test out its load-bearing capacity by ordering one from Strapya World for just $16.30. “Why?” asks the RC toilet's promotional material. “Because, this is Japan. That's why!”

source: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/03/survey-claims-75-percent-people-use-cellphones-bathroom/4945/

by John Metcalfe

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids - Most People Would Let a 'Smart Toilet' Share Their Personal Data - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

 

Smart toilets: who even knew they were a thing? But perhaps it's time. Aside from water-conservation and heated seats, there’s been little innovation in toilets since the debut of theoriginal crapper. As long as we’re connecting every other thing we own to the internet, why not a toilet that monitors our health by analyzing our poo?

The results of a new survey from Intel and Penn Schoen Berland say that 70 percent of people in 8 countries would be willing to share data from their smart toilet (pdf) if it would mean lower healthcare costs. An even higher proportion, 84 percent, would be willing to share their vital statistics, like blood pressure or basic lab tests, and 75 percent would be comfortable giving up information gathered by a health monitor they could swallow, even though that's far more intrusive than a toilet that tweets that you've had enchiladas three nights running.

2023: iToilet is first to market, but Google trumpets the explosive growth of its open-source alternative. (Intel)

The same survey found that only 30 percent of respondents would share banking information, but perhaps that’s down to the wording of the question.

This is how the internet of things becomes ubiquitous: We’re offered a service in exchange for adding yet another sensor to our environment—even though smart toilets might some day as easily be used to scan our excretions for illegal drugs or jail-broken nanotech.

And of course there are the usual security issues—hackers have already figured out how to nefariously manipulate at least one smart toilet.

source: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/12/most-people-would-let-smart-toilet-share-their-personal-data/7899/

by Christopher Mims

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Parts - Using Snow For Public Art — And A Toilet - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

 

Union Hardware boss David Goldberg was at it again Friday, using Thursday’s snow to create some hardware-themed public art on Wisconsin Avenue.

Goldberg, who fashioned a “Starry Night” mural made of doorknobs and a six-foot butterfly made of various bits of hardware, used the snow to create a toilet, tub and sink.

It’s in front of his store at 7800 Wisconsin Ave., only until it melts. With today’s wind chill bottoming out in the single digits, the new appliances might be around for a while.

Photos via Dave Dabney, h/t Ken Hartman

source: http://www.bethesdanow.com/2014/01/03/using-snow-for-public-art-and-a-toilet/

by Aaron Kraut

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Parts - Local man invents glowing toilet seat - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

 

Dave Reynolds, who recently relocated to Lebanon from the East Coast, has made a trip to the bathroom at night a lot easier.

 

Reynolds said he and his family moved to the area in the fall 2012 and the idea of inventing a glow in the dark toilet seat came to him in the night—literally.

 

“I went to the bathroom one night and literally fell off the toilet in the dark,” Reynolds said. “The next morning I was all banged and bruised and I told my family what happened and, of course, they all laughed at me.”

 

Reynolds said he called a friend from college the next day and together that day the two came up with the idea for a glowing toilet seat.

 

Now, Reynolds and partner Tim Fittler together run Night Glow Seats.

 

“These are not novelty items and it wasn’t meant to be a novelty item, this is a high-end seat,” Reynolds said. “Look at the serious side, this could prevent an elderly person from falling in the dark and hurting themselves or help a young child navigate to the bathroom in the night without being afraid.”

Reynolds said the toilet seat won’t light up the whole room, but it will “create a center point that anyone can see and get to safely.”

 

“It eliminates the problem of not knowing where you are or where you’re going,” Reynolds said. “This could help anyone from a grandparent to children.”

 

The seats are made and manufactured with the best materials and the lid and the actual seat glow, Reynolds said. Also, the glow in the seat is high end, Reynolds said, and will glow for about 20 years. The seat is tested and made to glow for at least eight hours at night and picks up light that makes it glow throughout the day.

 

“The best thing about it is because it’s made with high-end materials, it can glow for 20 years and there’s nothing in it that fades away,” Reynolds said.

 

For those worried about installing a glowing seat, it’s important to know that the seat is white during the day and “looks normal,” Reynolds said. Only at night do the seats actually turn colors and glow green or blue.

 

According to Reynolds, the company has also shipped the seats all over the world, including Germany, Japan and, most recently, Malta.

 

“It doesn’t matter what language you speak or where you are, we all walk and go to the bathroom the same way,” Reynolds said. “I’ve seen what people spend dumb money on, but this will stay with you and you will use it everyday. You won’t use it for two days and be done, you’ll use it as long as you want it or need it.”

 

Reynolds said he was shipping the seats out of his home in Lebanon and that both the green and the blue colors sold pretty evenly.

 

Elongated or round bowl types are both available and are sold for $49.99. To order or for more information visit nightglowseats.com.

 

“At the end of the day, you can look at it and know that it really does do something for you,” Reynolds said. “It’s a concept that can help someone. If we can help one person prevent an accident in the bathroom then it’s done its job.”

 

source: http://www.lebanondemocrat.com/article/lebanon/317171

by Caitlin Rickard

 

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Parts - More Bathroom Finder Apps - This Old Toilet - 650-483-1139

Traveling abroad or just wandering through unfamiliar territory? You might want to grab one of these bathroom-finding apps before hitting the road.

We’ve all found ourselves in the unfortunate situation of being out of our element and desperately needing a toilet. It’s an awful scenario to be in; not knowing where to find one or how long you can hold out. For that very reason we’ve compiled a list of four restroom location apps that might not be super-versatile, but they can sure come in handy when they’re needed.

Public Toilets
This isn’t just a bathroom-finder, it’s an extensive database of close to 50,000 toilet locations across several different countries. Users don’t just find bathrooms with it, either. They can also submit their own entries, complete with photos and ratings, for everyone’s benefit. Just don’t go too crazy with the toilet pictures.

 

 

Where to Wee
It’s not as user-driven when it comes to submissions, but Where to Wee is still a handy at-a-glance restroom app. Not only does it display the necessary location info on a map, it also highlights the highest-rated toilets with a vibrant green icon. In addition to finding restrooms and displaying properly on the iPhone 5’s screen (yay!), it can also help roadtrippers and other out of towners find some nice out of the way spots to eat.

 

Can’t Wait
Canucks (and tourists) rejoice! Can’t Wait is a Canada-centric toilet app that chronicles various porcelain thrones, displays their locations in relation to the user’s iOS device, lists amenities, and allows for submissions that can be shared with friends or all users. It’s the perfect app to have after a huge breakfast full of syrup and ham slices that they refer to as “bacon” for some odd reason.

Pottys
Pottys offers up all the expected perks of a toilet app – locators, ratings, reviews, bookmarks, photos, and so on – with one interesting addition. Users can also earn “potty points” and achievements for performing various actions (using a restroom, submitting photos, etc). So with enough use it’s possible to become a Knight, Emperor, and so on. It effectively gameifies potty time.

source; http://www.148apps.com/news/favorite-bathroom-finders/

By Rob Rich

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com