Thisoldtoilet: August 2015

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - Do you know the proper way to put on a toilet seat liner? - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

Have you ever wondered, what is the right way to

Have you ever wondered, what is the right way to put on a toilet seat liner?

It is believed that toilet seat liners are there just for comfort rather than disease protection.

Either way, it hasn’t stopped people from using them.

Well, a mom blogger in Temecula, Calif., that goes by Haute Granola Mom, probably nailed it on how to “properly” use a toilet seat liner and it has been shared more than 80,000 times on social media.

Haute Granola Mom, who does not want to reveal her name just yet, started blogging in 2010, but did not officially launch her Facebook page until this year.

“One of the main parts of being a Haute Granola Mom is balance, all my friends and family know I love to laugh and definitely don’t take life too serious,” Haute Granola Mom said.

It never occurred to her that a simple toilet seat liner would give her blog and Facebook page the attention she has received.

“It’s still pretty surreal and the numbers keep climbing,” she said.

During a night out with her friends, she went to use a public restroom at a local winery and became frustrated with the toilet seat liner getting sucked into the toilet.

Eventually, her friend came to the rescue and showed her an alternative way. The picture definitely has a lot of people talking on social media.

“I’m definitely a germaphobe, so this literally changed the game for me. My mind was officially blown away and I had to take a picture,” said Haute Granola Mom.

It’s a picture that almost anyone can relate to.

In the end, what way do you believe is the right way?

source: http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/08/22/do-you-know-proper-way-put-toilet-seat-liner/32204775/

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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - The 18th-century scientist who figured out your toilet - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

Today's question:

On windy days the water in our toilet bowl rolls back and forth; the more wind, the more motion in the water. I could understand this if I was on a ship or at the top of the Empire State Building, but we are talking about a toilet that is bolted to a concrete slab. The same thing happened when we lived in Oklahoma. What's going on?

I know, I know, ask me. It is the effect of winds passing over the vents on your roof and changing the pressure in your pipes.

It is officially known as Bernoulli's Principle, after the 18th-century Swiss mathematician and physicists who first figured it out.

According to scienceclarified.com, Bernoulli's Principle "holds that for fluids in an ideal state, pressure and density are inversely related: in other words, a slow-moving fluid exerts more pressure than a fast-moving fluid.

"Since 'fluid' in this context applies equally to liquids and gases, the principle has as many applications with regard to airflow as to the flow of liquids. One of the most dramatic everyday examples of Bernoulli's principle can be found in the airplane, which stays aloft due to pressure differences on the surface of its wing; but the truth of the principle is also illustrated in something as mundane as a shower curtain that billows inward."

I prefer to think of it as "that wind thing."

source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/claythompson/2015/07/23/toilet-physics-wind-water-science/30595665/

by Clay Thompson, The Republic

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - Which Toilet Should you Buy? - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

A few years ago, we ran a column on choosing a new toilet. This article is an updated one, as so many people ask the question: Which one do I buy?

Replacing a toilet is a fairly simple job. The harder part is deciding which model to install.

There are many different choices, but basically, they are all installed in the same way. Most toilets come in two pieces, the bowl and the tank. They are usually bought separately, but you have to be sure to choose two that are designed to fit together (both being made by the same company). Today however, some manufacturers provide the complete kit in one box, to include the tank, bowl and even a wax ring and toilet seat. Another type of toilet is the “one-piece” toilet. The “one-piece” toilets are more expensive, slightly harder to install due to the weight, and the repair parts for these toilets are more expensive than the two-piece toilet.

You’ll need to decide on your color and also whether to get a round or elongated bowl. The round bowl is usually best for a small bathroom, where space is critical. An elongated bowl allows for more sitting room and comfort. Installation procedures are the same, so simply look at the two styles and decide which is best for you.

Another option to consider is purchasing a “comfort-height” toilet. This is a toilet that sits up slightly higher, about 2 inches. This is ideal for a taller person, someone with bad knees or someone who has trouble getting up and down. While 2 inches doesn’t sound like much, you will be amazed by the difference. More and more sales are in this comfort height category.

Some stores have designed a “Flush Performance” rating. This rating takes into account the outlet size at the bottom of the toilet, the flush valve size and other items, which are then factored into a rating system that will let you compare the efficiency of each toilet you’re considering.

All toilets purchased today will conform to a law passed in 1994, which states that no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush will be used. Some toilets may even use less. For a few years after this law was passed, there were complaints that the water saver toilets didn’t do such a good job of disposing of the waste, requiring a second flush. This has changed quite a lot, as the newer toilets have been modified and do a great job. I am continually amazed by an American Standard Cadet toilet we have as to how quickly the flush occurs.

The last note to think about is the “footprint” of the old and the new toilet. If you have a tiled floor, the tile should cover the floor completely under the toilet. However, if by chance you have carpeting, the carpeting may only go up to the base of the toilet, and not underneath it. When you go to install the new toilet, you may have flooring exposed.

As to prices, toilets can vary quite a bit. I usually like to stay with a brand name that I’m familiar with, such as American Standard, Kohler, etc. Most toilets will be in the $200 to $400 range – just keep in mind that basically a toilet is a toilet.

source: http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/which-toilet-should-you-buy/article_e8a5cb5e-e8ef-5007-931b-a2b1f3fedad4.html

By Steve Cloninger Special to the Post-Dispatch

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - Toilets of Japan - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

Waiting to greet visitors at Toto's Tokyo showroom.
- Sally Herships
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The showroom is very shiny and white.
- Sally Herships
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It's only tricky if you're a foreigner trying to figure out which button says "flush".
- Sally Herships
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Trying out the options.
- Sally Herships
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There are a lot more choices than "biscuit" or "bone".
- Sally Herships
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The bathroom at a train station in Kamaishi. There's no other way to put it - Japan's toilets are fabulous.
- Sally Herships
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While many toilets in Japan are now high tech, not all are. Here, a stall in the ladies' bathroom at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto.
- Sally Herships
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Public facilities in Japan are often spotless.
- Sally Herships

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by Sally Herships

Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - 05:00

There's really no other way to describe them: The toilets of Japan are fabulous.

"Let's say you don't want to lift up the lid yourself because it's dirty," explains translator Kaede Kawauchi. "Then you can just use the remote control to press a button, and then it just kind of lifts up."

In Japan, toilets come with remote controls.

Toto has customers work with "advisers" to help figure out which product is right for them. (Sally Herships/Marketplace)

And at the Tokyo showroom of Toto, one of Japan's largest toilet manufacturers, you can have your pick. If Apple built a toilet store, this is what it might look like — white and shiny, but cleaner. Nariko Yamashita, who works in public relations for Toto, explains a complex looking remote control — one with 22 buttons.

Sally Herships

She presses one, and a tube appears from under the seat spraying water. Not only do these toilets have built-in bidets, you can also, says Yamashita, adjust the water temperature, get a water massage, or choose a specific flushing option depending on how much toilet paper you require.

But most U.S. consumers haven't been to Japan and don't know there's a whole wide high-tech toilet world out there. It's something that has to be tried to be really appreciated, says Bill Strang, president of operations for Toto in the Americas.

So why haven't high-tech commodes taken off in the U.S. yet? In Japan, Toto had a big leg up, Strang says. The Japanese love having options, and Toto's Washlet is probably the best known model. It's a toilet seat with features like a drier for your nether regions and the option to play sounds in case you need some sonic camouflage for your toileting activities.

Sally Herships

The average price for a Washlet is around $600, but you still need a toilet and a tank. In Japan you can end up spending as much as $2,700 on your toilet, and spend consumers do. Since Toto launched the Washlet in 1980, the company has sold 36 million units. Yamashita says 76 percent of Japanese households own one.

Even before the company went high tech, it already was in the business of making toilets, so consumers were familiar with the brand.

"I can tell you how this Washlet will work," Strang says. "I can tell you about the spray wand and how it's going to use a warm water wash to clean you off, and how it will oscillate and pulsate, and how if it doesn't hit the right spot you can move it around and get it to hit the right spot with that spray rinse.... I often say that I can tell you about the Washlet, but until you can actually test drive it and understand that experience, you will then be able to say in your heart what it really brings to you in way of value," he says.

Strang says Toto's U.S. sales are increasing by 20 percent a year, so it's possible his pitch is working and that American consumers are now more carefully considering their commodes.