Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - Hospitality boosts Japan’s toilet reputation - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Children at Shinseiwadai Kindergarten in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, enjoy their fun toilet.

“Wow, the cat is turning around.” “It’s always lots of fun here.” Small children frolicked with delight in a toilet at Shinseiwadai Kindergarten in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture. This was understandable, because this particular toilet is as entertaining as an amusement park attraction.

Deserving of its name, the “Hidamari no Mori” (forest with sunny spots) toilet features an objet d’art in the shape of an apple tree about one meter in diameter. Its branches stretch up to the ceiling, where a blue sky has been drawn. When the kindergartners enter the space, a sensor activates a cat, elephant and giraffe and music begins playing.

Although toilets in public places in Japan are not particularly regarded as special, some have been credited as being the best in the world. Toilets filled with interesting ideas and the spirit of omotenashi hospitality have received awards from the central government, while some could even be described as fantasy worlds.

At the kindergarten, the previous toilet was regarded as “smelly, dirty and dark” by the children. Some of them were intimidated and avoided using it. To help solve the problem, the kindergarten refurbished it at a cost of ¥14 million in 2008, transforming the facility into an appealing place for children. The children are no longer reluctant to go to the toilet and use it without anxiety.

“When they go to the toilet, they tend to take their time coming back. It’s an unexpected piece of luck,” kindergarten head Kiyoshi Moritomo said with a smile.

Last month, that toilet was one of the winners of the Nihon Toire Taisho (Japan toilet grand prix) — the first toilet competition held by the Cabinet Secretariat. The competition aims to focus on toilets the design of which creates a living space comfortable for women and issues awards to excellent facilities. The event received 378 applications from across the country, with 28 of those receiving awards.

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  A toilet at Shin-Osaka Station that was designed under the concept of “comfort”

Another toilet among the winners is at Shin-Osaka Station on the Midosuji subway line. It was designed to “provide users with comfort akin to returning to a favorite place.” Its space is dotted with green and it has a powder section and a dressing room for women. Because the station is used as a transfer point to and from the Shinkansen line, the operator hopes “foreign visitors will speak about the toilet as a good memory of Osaka after returning home,” according to the employee in charge.

The Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau, which operates the subway, is planning to refurbish toilets at 112 stations over a four-year period beginning in fiscal 2012. Toilets at other major stations have also been given themes, such as “elegant” at Umeda Station, a “toilet for mature adults” at Honmachi Station and a “luxury toilet” at Namba Station. It might be worth finding out how attractive they are in person.

The toilet competition also honored the creativity of Oita Toilennale 2015, an art festival held in Oita from July to September. Toilets at 16 locations, such as parks and shops, were decorated with the paintings and installations of artists and playwrights. Visitors were allowed not only to appreciate these works but also use most of the toilets.

Orihime Toire, a temporary toilet for emergency situations, was also awarded. It was developed mainly by female employees of Sekisui House, Ltd. and Toto Ltd., who learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The toilet’s floor area is twice as large as ordinary types so that adults can use it with their children. It is also equipped with a Western-style flushing lavatory, a baby chair, ventilation equipment and an emergency alarm.

It is said that toilets represent the wealth and maturity of the country they’re in.

“In the past, toilets were dubbed as dark and dirty places in Japan. However, toilet seats with washing functions have become widely used and various other innovative devices have been invented. As a result, toilets are now a place of comfort. Japanese toilets are at the highest level in the world,” said Akio Satake, the secretary general of the Japan Toilet Association.ch

source; http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002493570

by Mieko Furuoka/Yomiuri Shimbun

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - Lavatory Experiments: The Latest in Toilet Tech - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

It is perhaps not polite, in certain circles, to talk about toilets. But nevertheless they represent an area of technology that we all encounter daily. While the basics of the commode haven't changed much in recent decades, innovators are constantly chipping away at porcelain tradition, bringing high technology to bear. And in developing countries, toilets are no laughing matter. Basic sanitation continues to be an urgent public health issue in much of the world. So squeamishness be damned! We take a look at some toilet tech from around the globe.







Designers Elliott Whiteley and Gareth Humphreys came up with the Iota folding toilet concept while studying Product Design at The University of Huddersfield in England. The toilets folds itself up to flush and stays folded when not in use, conserving water and space.

It's hard to argue with this idea. The Fresh Air Plus toilet seat, installed atop your regular toilet, uses a built-in fan to whisk away air and odors before they ever leave the bowl proper. The trick? A ventilation tube that shuttles the air out of the toilet, through the wall, and ideally out of the house entirely. Don't tell the neighbors.

Plumbing manufacturer Kohler has similar ideas in mind with its Purefresh toilet seat, which debuted last year. The Purefresh seat also uses a fan system, but replaces the ventilation tube with a battery-powered carbon filter and scent pack system to deodorize air. Among your scent pack options: Garden Waterfall, Soft and Fresh Laundry, and something called Avacado Spa. You also get an LED light for nighttime excursions.




Anyone who has ever cleaned a bathroom knows that toilets really are designed for sitting. Males, quite frankly, mess up the whole system when they stand and aim. The Main Drain attempts to solve the problem by attaching an adjustable urinal to the side of your toilet. The receiving unit is designed to reduce splashing, and the articulated arm swings the entire unit out of the way when it's time to, you know, sit.




For much of the developing world, toilet technology is no joke. In 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation sponsored a design contest called The Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, in an effort to improve sanitary conditions for those living without plumbing or electricity. Among the submitted designs, the Blue Diversion toilet can be fitted over existing pit latrines and uses solar-powered pumps and filters to isolate waste while recycling flush water.




Clearly, toilet technology remains an important area of research for very practical public health reasons. On the other hand, this is the 21st century, so we have to worry about weirdness, too. For instance, so-called "enhanced toilets" -- with bidet, fragrance and even music functions -- are very popular in Japan and often wired into smart home networks. As such they're technically vulnerable to, yes, hacking. Security company Trustwave recently issued an advisory on the Bluetooth-enabled Satis brand toilet: "Attackers could cause the unit to unexpectedly open/close the lid, activate bidet or air-dry functions, causing discomfort or distress to user." So, heads up on that.

source: http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/lavatory-experiments-the-latest-in-toilet-tech-150720.htm
by Glenn McDonald

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - Your Home: Shop around and save by installing a water-efficient toilet - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

A WaterSense toilet must use no more than 4.8 lites for a single-flush toilet and six litres for the higher volume flush and 4.1 litres for the lower volume flush for a dual-flush toilet.

If you still have an old 13-litre or 18-litre toilet in your home, you could save a lot of water by switching to a more efficient model that uses six litres or less.

The amount of water you save by switching will depend on the flush volume of your existing toilet and how often it is flushed.

For example, a family of four that replaces an 18-L flush with a six-litre model, and typically flushes the toilet 15 times per day, can expect to save about 180 litres per day (or the amount to fill a typical bathtub).

A key difference between old toilets and new ones is that the tank and bowl have been redesigned to provide the same or better flush performance with less water.

If you are shopping for a new toilet, you will find a variety of water-efficient makes and models available.

In addition to all the different toilet designs, there are also five common “flushes” available: gravity, vacuum-assist, pressure-assist, tip-bucket and dual flush.

Conventional toilets usually range in price from less than $100 to more than $1,000, but an average two-piece toilet will cost between $150 and $200, and you can expect to pay between $280 and $500 for a dual flush toilet.

One-piece or designer toilets tend to cost more than standard two-piece close-coupled models depending on the options included such as heated seats.

Keep in mind that paying more for a toilet doesn’t necessarily mean it will perform better than a less expensive model.

In fact, before you go shopping, you might want to review the results the Maximum Performance (MaP) Testing of Toilets study that tested and rated the performance of more than 3,000 toilets.

Another option is to choose any toilet model that has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense program.

To qualify as a WaterSense toilet, it must use no more than 4.8 litres for a single-flush toilet and six litres for the higher volume flush and 4.1 litres for the lower volume flush for a dual-flush toilet.

A WaterSense labelled toilet must also be able to flush at least 350 grams of waste in a single flush which is generally more than sufficient for the vast majority of households.

Other things to look for when buying a new toilet are an adequate warranty and the availability of a certified replacement flapper that is designed specifically for your toilet type. (Note that not all toilets use flappers.)

Toilet flappers are vital to the performance of your toilet and should be replaced about every five years because they tend to deteriorate over time and cause leaking.

Leaking flappers can waste thousands of litres of water each year, so it’s a good idea to check for leaks at the same time you check your smoke detectors.

Just add some food colouring in the tank and wait 15 minutes. If the colour has moved into the bowl without you flushing it, you have a leak. It’s wise to shop around before choosing a new toilet. But, no matter what toilet you choose, be sure to choose one with a WaterSense Logo or equivalent.

source: http://www.lfpress.com/2015/10/08/your-home-shop-around-and-save-by-installing-a-water-efficient-toilet

by Christina Haddad

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Toilet Replacement Lids and Seats - The Best Five Toilets in the United States - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

When you go to the restroom to take care of business, you might not be thinking about the room itself, unless it’s bad. Well lucky for you, there are people who care about restrooms. Like many rooms, the comfort of a restroom is in the details, this years top water closets offer toilets for toddlers, and color coded water.

BLOG: ‘Toylet’ Turns Bathroom into an Arcade

1. Field Museum Chicago

This year’s top restroom is located in the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago museum’s restroom ceiling has a night sky decor that is said to be, “soothing” and as an added bonus it absorbs sound. The restrooms have 3,500 visitors per day and are cleaned every hour. They offer nursing rooms with their own sink and sofa and family restrooms with toddler-sized toilets .Picture at top

2. Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel

The second best place to answer the call of nature in 2011, is in Arlington, Virginia at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. This toilet is very different from the one in the Windy City. Created by an architect and interior designer the restroom plays with light and special effects to secure second place. The restroom features, “walls ablaze with sunset tones of orange and gold and the mirrors above feature lit bird silhouettes,” says BestRestroom.com. The cleverest feature are the faucets. They’re no-touch automatic, and light the water red or blue to indicate hot or cold water.

BLOG: Who Invented the Toilet?

3. Scottsdale Center for Performing Art

Third is a restroom in Scottsdale, Arizona and the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. “The loo is sleek and modern with terrazzo flooring, glass-tiled walls and spacious, stainless steel stalls,” says BestRestroom. As with the Virginian lavatory, this one has an intricate lighting system continuously shifting the colors of the space from, “cool blues and greens to warm golds and reds.”

WATCH VIDEO: What happens to the stuff you flush? Visit a new, high-tech wastewater treatment plant to get the answer.

In fourth and fifth places are Don’s Johns luxury washroom trailer and a pot in Huntsville, Utah at the Snowbasin Ski Resort. The luxury trailer is a fully mobile commode, commissioned for the 2009 inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. It contains hardwood floors, recessed lighting and an HDTV! It’s quite the porta-potty. Though, not one to be outdone by other powder rooms, Snowbasin’s water closet’s feature, “Italian Carrera marble, Barovier, Tosso & Moscatelli chandeliers crafted from bronze and crystal, floor-to-ceiling commodes, beautifully inlaid African Anegre wood and hand-painted walls,” according to BestRestroom.com.

Cintas, sponsors America’s Best Restroom, holds this contest annually. Each year, restrooms are nominated and voted upon online. Any public restroom is eligible. Once nominees are reviewed, a committee announces the ten finalists and online voting begins. The winners are announced in September at which time they are presented with, “the coveted America’s Best Restroom plaque of recognition,” according to Cintas. Photos & Content: AFP, Cintas’ BestRestroom.com

source: http://news.discovery.com/human/top-toilets-united-states-111021.htm

by Trace Dominguez

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com