Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - IllumiBowl's latest toilet light also kills germs - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

IllumiBowl's motion-activated, multi-color toilet night light may have seemed like a silly idea when it first launched, but don't laugh -- it's a practical solution if you'd rather not flick on the regular bathroom light (and momentarily blind yourself) just to do your business. And it appears that enough people bought into the concept to warrant a sequel. The company is crowdfunding a second-generation IllumiBowl light that adds anti-germ cleaning to the mix. The new gadget includes a diode whose "highly focused" non-ultraviolet light kills bacteria without hurting humans. This doesn't mean that your toilet will suddenly be sterile, but it may set your mind at ease in between bowl scrubbing sessions.

The new design also touts twice the battery life by moving from AAA to AA batteries, and it sports a slightly slicker design that looks more at home next to your porcelain throne. As it stands, the $10 backing price (half off the retail cost) is low enough that it might be worth a look. The project is already fully funded as of this writing, so you should get your "aim here" lighting as soon as July.

source: https://www.engadget.com/2017/04/23/illumibowl-anti-germ-toilet-light/

by Jon Fingas

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - Honoring and Remembering All Who Served - Memorial Day - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

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Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - Find the Best Toilet for Your Bathroom - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

Shopping for a toilet isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. They all look basically the same, and that doesn’t make it easy to compare models. Not to worry. Consumer Reports just completed its latest toilet tests and can tell you which toilets do the best job, which are the quietest, and which are the easiest to keep clean.

Federal standards limited residential toilets to 1.6 gallons per flush more than 20 years ago, replacing toilets that typically used 4 to 5 gallons. That water-saving move was an adjustment for those consumers who would associate an abundance of water with flushing power. But as we discovered in our tests, the amount of water doesn’t always correlate with flushing performance.

In fact, we found that single-flush toilets, many of which use 1.28 gallons per flush, outperformed dual-flush models, which use 1.6 gallons for a full flush (and 1.1 or less for a partial flush). Improvements to the flushing mechanism have reduced water volume without sacrificing performance.

Here are the best toilets from our tests and tips on the bathrooms for which they're best suited.

Best Overall

The St. Thomas Creations Richmond ECO, $350, does everything well. It's powerful, uses 1.28 gallons of water per flush, and operates quietly, making it a perfect choice for a master bath. The ECO performed well in our a drain-line carry test, which measures how far flushed water and simulated waste move in one, two, and three flushes. That's important if you've experienced clogged pipes in the past. Consider this model if you need a toilet for bathroom on a high floor or in the back of the house farther from the sewer hookup.  

Most Powerful

The Kohler Highline Classic K-3493, $425, uses compressed air to boost its flushing performance—a feature you'll both see and hear. It's the most powerful model in our ratings, as measured by its ability to remove solid waste, and that power helps it self-clean the inside of the bowl nicely. But the compressor also makes the Kohler Highline the noisiest model in our ratings—hardly a feature you want near rooms where your family gathers or entertains. Still, this model is a perfect choice for bathrooms where noise isn't your primary concern.

Top One-Piece

Most toilets are made of two pieces, which means there's a seam between the bowl and the tank that can collect grime. One-piece toilets like the Delta Turner C43908-WH, $170, are easier to keep clean and some homeowners prefer them for that reason. The inside of the Delta Turner was also a cinch to keep clean between uses, earning an excellent score on the bowl-cleaning test in which we observe how clear incoming water leaves the bowl. It flushes quietly and is very good at solid waste removal.

Quietest

The whoosh of water in a toilet is always going to make some noise, but you want one that's as quiet as possible. That's especially true for first-floor powder rooms, or any bathroom near the kitchen, dining room or other gathering spots. The American Standard Acticlean, $400, takes top honors in our noise test, and is a solid all-around performer. It excelled at self-cleaning and even has a built-in dispenser for liquid toilet bowl cleaner.  

Best Value

While you don't have to spend top dollar to get a great toilet, our testing does reveal the best performance typically comes from models costing $250–$425. One exception? The Aquasource  Henshaw LO2EC08W, $100, from Lowe's. It dispensed with waste easily, did its business quietly, and kept the bowl clean, for less than half the cost of most models in our ratings. It's not bad looking, either, and is a reliable choice that'll save you a few hundred dollars. 

Source: http://www.consumerreports.org/toilets/find-the-best-toilet-for-your-bathroom/

by Paul Hope

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - San Francisco Has an Experimental Toilet Showroom by AT&T Park - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

I’m visiting Jupiter while sitting on the toilet.

Images of its banded clouds are visible on three walls of this restroom, only I’m not technically using this toilet. As a highly capable publicist for Japanese loo manufacturer TOTO demonstrates its features without even an iota of self-consciousness in his demeanor, I marvel at the video that displays a reasonably high-quality fly-by of the largest planet in the solar system. I think of the International Space Station and the astronauts who get to stare at entire hurricanes and illuminated megalopolises as they poop in zero-gravity.

Granted, this is a little more pedestrian, but it’s still a very high-concept toilet, and it’s found on King Street in South Beach at TOTO’s new Concept 190 showroom.

What I’m sitting on is a WASHLET, which has automatic seat covers that use sensors to know when you’ve arrived and when you stand up again (at which point it stops projecting images of outer space on the walls and turns the light back on). It uses a “pre-mist” to wet the porcelain and flushes automatically about 20 seconds after you get up. (No lever or flush button here.) It cleans itself via front and rear jets whose oscillation you can control. Naturally, WASHLET’s seats are heated — but it also deploys a whoosh of warm, dry air to keep you smiley and free of any grown-up diaper rash. The whole thing is Tim-the-Toolman-Taylor Mancave-y, sure, but a little too sleek and polite to elicit much grunting. Apparently, it’s found in something like 80 percent of homes in Japan and continues to gain traction.

I’m no germaphobe, but I think of all the times I’ve exited a toilet with a feeling of horror and disgust: Porta-Potties at Bonnaroo, no-name gas stations on rural highways, the many times I’ve been convinced I have stage IV colon cancer only to remember I ate a beet salad. The WASHLET is the kind of thing a person could get used to.

Just as you should never push or strain to hurry things along, you also shouldn’t read magazines or play Words With Friends while on the toilet. (Get in and get out!) But the next toilet, the NEOREST 750H — which looks like a small sensory-deprivation tank — plays an even more captivating video that just might keep your tuchas on the throne in spite of any medical prohibition against sitting for too long.

NEOREST has images of San Francisco that would make even a body-shaming puritan want to linger. It starts out going over the Golden Gate Bridge at high-speed before becoming something similar to those mesmerizing Apple TV drone shots of Central London at sunset. We go over the Ferry Building and up Market Street, then down Market from Twin Peaks, swinging by the Transamerica Pyramid before passing near AT&T Park, right across the street from where I’m faux-pooping.

This toilet also sanitizes itself with UV light and electrolyzed water.

“Everything is hydrophilic,” the publicist says, pointing out “a certain glaze on the bowl that allows you to not clean for a couple months.” And the machine breaks down “all organic material” so that nothing sticks to the porcelain.

Concept 190 has four toilets altogether, but isn’t all about johns. The space hosts events such as the escape game “Spellbound Supper,” which involves outwitting a witch at a magical dinner party — although there is no food — and something called “Escape from the Mysterious Bathroom.” (It only lasts for 15 minutes; no need to panic.)

In other words, they’re working hard to make the venue accessible to the public, although I would be wary of scheduling anything right after Giants home games.

Elsewhere, TOTO is quite thorough about letting you know where you can experience WASHLETS in the six U.S. states in which they’re available. I doubt many people select dinner options on the basis of toilet tech, but here in S.F., they’re found at places like Onsen, Izakaya Roku, Kusakabe — and KitTea. Rest easy if you go to the Hayes Valley cat cafe during Happy Meowr and overindulge on bottomless cups of green tea.

source: http://www.sfweekly.com/culture/feature-culture/san-francisco-has-an-experimental-toilet-showroom-by-att-park/

by Peter Lawrence Kane

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - Loo with a view: rare Victorian outdoor toilet restored to former glory - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

The little brick pavilion housing the earth closet toilet has been returned to its former glory at Brodsworth Hall. Photograph: Anthony Chappel-Ross/English Her/PA

A historic view with a loo has been recreated, with the rescue and restoration of a Victorian outdoor toilet in the gardens of Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire. The toilet, described as “a rare surviving example of a gentrified decorate garden privy”, is a far rarer survival than the listed mansion itself.

The little brick pavilion housing the earth closet toilet – which had disappeared under a mound of ivy – has been restored by English Heritage, complete with its discreet screens of yew hedges and surround of tactfully strongly scented plants, including orange blossom, scented geranium and roses.

The mansion was built in 1861, and was opulently plumbed, with nine flushing toilets for the family and staff. The garden toilet was strictly for the family and visitors, not the small army of staff working in the 8 hectares (20 acres) of gardens.

As there was no running water to the building, servants had the daily task of emptying the bucket below a wooden bench and using the “night soil” as fertiliser in the surrounding beds and lawns. 

Daniel Hale, its current head gardner, said: “Interesting buildings come in all shapes and sizes. Toilets may not be glamorous, but they can be a fascinating source of social history. This privy sheds a light on the Victorians’ love of gardens. Lost for years under ivy, we’re delighted to have rescued this lovely loo and share its story with visitors – although we’d ask them not to get too familiar with it.”

source: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/may/05/loo-with-view-rare-victorian-outdoor-toilet-restored

by Maev Kennedy

http://www.thisoldtoilet.com

Replacement Toilet Lids and Seats - Welcome to Texas — Three Toilet Seats That Could Change Your Life - This Old Toilet 800-658-4521

Bidets? Warming? Music players? You only think you know about the future of the humble toilet seat.

Few household implements have changed less in the last century than the reliable old toilet. Specifics may have improved, but the basic principles of tank, toilet seat, flush, follow up with dry paper have remained largely intact.

And of all components, the humble toilet seat has changed the least, even in an era of advanced toilets. You might have a choice between circular or elongated, padded or solid, but it’s still a fixture to keep your buns away from the ickiness while you do your business.

And yet, you may find toilet seats soon have less in common with outhouses and more in common with a smartphone or wearable tech. Heated toilet seats, bidet toilet seats, electric toilet seats and, yes, even smart toilet seats have arrived and changed EVERYTHING.

“People who have experienced these kinds of toilets or seats, mostly who travel in Europe or Asia, they love them without regard for price,” says Robert Lay, general manager of The Plumbing Haus in St. Louis. “Once you’ve used them, you have the thought of not having your own to go to the restroom, and they end up coming here to buy them.”

Ready to learn about three toilet seats that could change your life!

Heated toilet seats

This is pretty much exactly what it says on the label. Starting at $80 and moving up depending on quality and features, heated toilet seats take away that cold shock to your bottom when you head to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the bathroom isn’t quite as warm as the rest of the house. The most basic models warm at just one setting, but the more expensive ones can be fine-tuned to your preference.

As an added bonus, they provide a warm glow to act as a night light or just add a cool sci-fi effect to your bathroom. Nothing improves that midnight run more than feeling like your darkened bathroom is a spaceship!

Although heated toilet seats install with ease and you can do it yourself in minutes, you need a power outlet near the toilet to provide electricity.

Here’s where advanced toilet seats get serious. A bidet provides cleaning after you’ve done your business with a stream of fresh water. They’re already common around the world – in fact, nearly three-fourths of Japanese households have them. “Other nations think Americans are a bit crazy for using dry paper to clean ourselves,” Lay says.

The Kohler Veil intelligent toilet seat includes a bidet function with multiple settings. (Photo courtesy of Kohler)

And indeed, the logic holds up – you wouldn’t use dry paper to clean yourself for a shower, so why for bathroom usage? Bidet users say they’ll never go back once they’ve learned how effective it can be. “I’ve never had someone come back and say they were sorry they installed one,” Lay says.

Bidet toilet seats install that function directly into the toilet (meaning they require a water source, so a certain amount of plumbing skill is needed to install them.) They start at around $250, 

“I’ve never had someone come back and say they were sorry they installed [a bidet.]” — Robert Lay, general manager, The Plumbing Haus

Smart toilet seats

The most advanced form of electric toilet seats are where this stuff gets REAL. A smart toilet seat combines several functions into one unit, packed with as much tech as your phone and probably costing as much, if not more. Smart toilet seats start at $600 and the price can go to infinity and beyond for the really advanced stuff.

But is a smart electric toilet seat worth it? Absolutely, according to Lay. “This technology is going to keep catching on and eventually will be used more and more in the U.S.,” he says. “As the world has gotten smaller and it’s easier to travel, it’s been increasing in popularity across the board. And as people install them in their homes, their friends find out about them and spread the word.”

The Kohler C3-200 smart toilet seat includes integrated controls. (Photo courtesy of Kohler)

The main things that differentiate a smart toilet are programmability and multiple functions. A smart toilet seat usually includes a bidet and a heated seat element, along with the ability to customize each to your preferences — even the ability to program multiple users. Some spray cleaner into the toilet bowl before and after each use, raise and lower at the touch of a button, and spray warm air to comfort your bottom and air freshener to comfort your nostrils.

Smart toilet seats vary by brand, but many include additional functions you’re probably already using your phone for in the bathroom anyway. (Yes, I’m talking to you. You know who you are.) We’re talking music playing, environmental control (if you have a smart home), the works. And some have features you probably never even thought of, such as white noise generation to cancel out certain biological noises.

Will a smart toilet seat change your life? That’s up to you to decide, but it will certainly make a big difference in one of the necessities of your life.

“This technology hasn’t changed since the 19^th century, but I think what we’re seeing is the next step up and making it more modern,” Lay says.

source: https://www.angieslist.com/articles/three-toilet-seats-could-change-your-life.htm?cid=eml_E007_M001_green_1_20170427

by Paul F.P. Pogue