Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it
is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close
and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about
them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved
just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the
bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve
our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.


*Never had a problem with my Toto Drake which is ADA compliant.

http://www.totousa.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=776

The Washlet Bidet Seat is great for those with limited abilities.

http://www.totousa.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=301

On Sat, 2 Feb 2013 02:33:52 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good?

Some certainly are-- my brother-in-law got the one that they advertise
swallowing golf balls several years ago. If something makes *him*
happy, you can be sure it works *way* beyond expectations.

While you're replacing the toilet- pay attention to how high the seat
is. It is easy for a full 'abled' person to sit on a high one-- but
near impossible for someone with the slightest bit of mobility
problems to get up from a low one.

Jim

Jim Elbrecht wrote:

Some certainly are-- my brother-in-law got the one that they advertise
swallowing golf balls several years ago. If something makes *him*
happy, you can be sure it works *way* beyond expectations.

While you're replacing the toilet- pay attention to how high the seat
is. It is easy for a full 'abled' person to sit on a high one-- but
near impossible for someone with the slightest bit of mobility
problems to get up from a low one.


Right. 18" is the recommended height (instead of the legacy 14").

I suspect that any modern toilet would be a dramatic improvement. Toilets
today vary on cosmetic details, not so much on function.

On 2/2/2013 5:33 AM, wrote:
Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

I built a new house 4 years ago and put in Kohler Cimarrons. The
seating surface is higher than normal, plus the seat and cover go down
softly, which is nice. Also, they have a larger drain opening for less
clogs. I have never had either of them not flush, no matter how hard I
try (hey, I'm an engineer, so I test things!) The only negative is that
you get so used of just flipping the soft drop seat, you go to friend's
house and you forget and B A N G .... oops, I forgot again.

On Sat, 2 Feb 2013 02:33:52 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

At work we have a few Kolher that were installed about 6 years ago
when we did renovations. They work well, never had a clog. They are
also the higher ones that are easier to get up from, especially for
older people. You want an 18" high with the long bowl.

wrote:
Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and
it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live
so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the
bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything
about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be
solved just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet
at the bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best
solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you
have them.

The easiest thing is to tell him to flush more often. And to hold the
handle down when he flushes.

I'm not trying to be facetious, just advising that both the above help
tremendously. The effect of multiple flushes is obvious; that for holding
the handle down is that doing so may continue to add water to the bowl, thus
aiding in the flushing of the contents. Not all toilet designs will benefit
from that, though.

Note that doing either of the above turns one into a scoff-law, defying the
intent of the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. Personally, I don't care.

I am also not suggesting that you not replace the toilet. If you do, I
agree that a "chair height" (18") would be better. Here are a couple of
pretty good links to help you decide...

http://www.theplumber.com/fhb.html
http://www.amazon.com/Toilet-Buying-...ode=3269340011


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

I knew a woman who had that problem. Went
to go attend to nature. Her adult daughter found
her, hours later, when she got home from work.
Mom was sitting ont he toilet, and didn't have
the strength to stand back up.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...

While you're replacing the toilet- pay attention to how high the seat
is. It is easy for a full 'abled' person to sit on a high one-- but
near impossible for someone with the slightest bit of mobility
problems to get up from a low one.

Jim

On 2/2/2013 2:33 AM, wrote:
Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

We have three Toto Drakes, and I thought that they would never clog, but
that was not the case. Even without a lot of paper and waste they clog
occasionally. The Toto Drake does not have a glazed trapway, despite
their claims to the contrary. The Toto Drake has only a 2 1/8" trapway.
I would not buy this model again.

I would get a toilet with a 4" trapway if you want to avoid clogs, the
Caroma 270 or 305.

At my mother-in-law's house she has one of those pressure assisted
toilets with the flushing system (Flushmate III) that was recently
recalled because the tanks were bursting, causing the toilet tank top to
fly into the air. But I don't think her toilet ever clogged.
http://commonlaw.findlaw.com/2012/06/exploding-toilets-prompt-recall-of-2-million-sloan-flushmates.html.
The sent out a retrofit kit that is supposed to prevent injury if the
air tank fails, but I can't imagine most homeowners being able to
install it themselves.

I have a rental unit with three bathrooms and I installed Niagara
Flapperless toilets. I did this after I had a tenant who was helpless to
fix anything--if the chain came off the flush handle I would have to go
there to put it back on. I have not heard of any clogs from my tenants,
but they may just be plunging if a clog occurs and not telling me. I
have now heard that the Niagara Flapperless have gone down in quality
though.

" wrote:

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.


I'd suggest you avoid accedotal recommendations and download the MaP report from
this site:
http://www.allianceforwaterefficienc...9_Testing.aspx

Toilets rated 800 or higher are what you are looking for - 1000 is best. I don't
think the acronym MaP is copyrighted, so do not go to a local store and assume
the number on a box is accurate. Get the specific brand and models you are
interested from the report.

On 2/2/2013 8:33 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sat, 2 Feb 2013 02:33:52 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

At work we have a few Kolher that were installed about 6 years ago
when we did renovations. They work well, never had a clog. They are
also the higher ones that are easier to get up from, especially for
older people. You want an 18" high with the long bowl.


I always wondered why toilets were designed with such a low seat height.
I just measured out typical wood kitchen chairs and the seat is 17 1/2"
high.

On Feb 2, 6:18*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
I knew a woman who had that problem. Went
to go attend to nature. Her adult daughter found
her, hours later, when she got home from work.
Mom was sitting ont he toilet, and didn't have
the strength to stand back up.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message

...

While you're replacing the toilet- pay attention to how high the seat
is. * *It is easy for a full 'abled' person to sit on a high one-- but
near impossible for someone with the slightest bit of mobility
problems to get up from a low one.

Jim

I recommend my solution. Wife disabled, I put up grab bars and
railings everywhere I could. The bgreatest one was a grab bar just
short of armslength in front of the throne about shoulder heitht when
sitting. First time I used I was wishing I had put one there 30 years
ago. Amazing eaze of getting uop.

Harry K

On 2/2/2013 7:49 AM, Robert Neville wrote:
" wrote:

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.


I'd suggest you avoid accedotal recommendations and download the MaP report from
this site:
http://www.allianceforwaterefficienc...9_Testing.aspx

Toilets rated 800 or higher are what you are looking for - 1000 is best. I don't
think the acronym MaP is copyrighted, so do not go to a local store and assume
the number on a box is accurate. Get the specific brand and models you are
interested from the report.

I have a toilet that's rated =1000 on that site. It clogs often.

I'd look at specific design features rather than a score. Most important
is the trapway diameter

On Saturday 02 February 2013 10:33 wrote in
alt.home.repair:

Hi,

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it
is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close
and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about
them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved
just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the
bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

Yes - it is the trap.

I can't give you any make/model advice as I'm a brit and I suspect you're
not.

However, I fitted a new loo 3 years ago - to all new drains and mine *never*
blocks.

I attribute this to a number of factors:

1) I got lucky with the brand - it's got a nice smooth wide trap and outlet;

2) It's a high level cistern - in the UK, we are limited to 1 gallon flush
and low level cisterns can't hack it anymore. The high level takes a little
water and makes it count;

3) I searched *very* hard and found a WC pan connector that was a full 110mm
(4") right through and jointed nicely with the 110mm drain pipe. Most pan
connectors seem to be more like 3.5" or even less. Worse still are those
horrible flexi connectors (I know sometimes they are all that will fit..).



I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve
our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

Thanks in advance,
Steve
--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://www.dionic.net/tim/

"It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent
moral busybodies."

On Saturday 02 February 2013 16:29 Harry K wrote in alt.home.repair:

I recommend my solution. Wife disabled, I put up grab bars and
railings everywhere I could. The bgreatest one was a grab bar just
short of armslength in front of the throne about shoulder heitht when
sitting. First time I used I was wishing I had put one there 30 years
ago. Amazing eaze of getting uop.

My loo is set into an "alcove" at one end of a mostly small L-shaped
bathroom - which means that I have an external corner to the right of the
loo and a door frame to the immediate left - giving a couple of impromptu
hand holds.

I'm only 45 but recovering from a hernia operation last year, those hand
holds where bloody useful for a couple of weeks!

It's hard to appreciate how it feels to be old and weak until it happens, or
you get a short reminder like I did.

+1 to hand holds, if the person in question might need them.
--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://www.dionic.net/tim/

"It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent
moral busybodies."

On Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:59:06 -0500, George
wrote:





I always wondered why toilets were designed with such a low seat height.
I just measured out typical wood kitchen chairs and the seat is 17 1/2"
high.

I think some of it has to do with the way the body works. I saw
something recently that women often have difficulty using the higher
seats and should put a step stool in front so they can bring their
knees up a bit.

We had some short oriental women working for us and they would stand
on the seat and squat. I've also seen toilets that were little more
than a tray at floor level. At least they had hand rails to hold on
to. It was in a public toilet and they gave you a ration of tissue
too.

Ed Pawlowski wrote in
:

On Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:59:06 -0500, George
wrote:





I always wondered why toilets were designed with such a low seat
height. I just measured out typical wood kitchen chairs and the seat
is 17 1/2" high.

I think some of it has to do with the way the body works. I saw
something recently that women often have difficulty using the higher
seats and should put a step stool in front so they can bring their
knees up a bit.

We had some short oriental women working for us and they would stand
on the seat and squat. I've also seen toilets that were little more
than a tray at floor level. At least they had hand rails to hold on
to. It was in a public toilet and they gave you a ration of tissue
too.

That's the type they had in a camping on Lahe Garda when I was there as a
kid circa 1960. We went there 2 years in a row. The second year the
German visitors had complained about the toilets so much they were
replaced with for us "normal" thrones.

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

My dad's toilet in his condo keeps getting clogged. He's elderly and it
is becoming a big problem for me and my siblings. We don't live so close
and it is a real mess to clean up after an overflow.

His toilet is old and it looks like it has a narrow opening in the
bottom.

My sister wants to get a super flush toilet. I don't know anything about
them so I wanted to get some feedback here.

Are the super flush toilets good? I think our problem might be solved
just as well by purchasing a toilet bowl with a bigger outlet at the
bottom. I think that part is called the trap.

I would appreciate any advice on the type of toilet that will best solve
our problem. Brand names and model numbers appreciated if you have them.

We have three Toto Drakes, and I thought that they would never clog, but
that was not the case. Even without a lot of paper and waste they clog
occasionally. The Toto Drake does not have a glazed trapway, despite their
claims to the contrary. The Toto Drake has only a 2 1/8" trapway. I would
not buy this model again.

I would get a toilet with a 4" trapway if you want to avoid clogs, the
Caroma 270 or 305.



*I am very surprised that your Drakes clog. I never had a clog with mine.
It does have one pecularity in that the handle must be held down for a few
seconds to get the full 1.6 gallon flush.





At my mother-in-law's house she has one of those pressure assisted toilets
with the flushing system (Flushmate III) that was recently recalled
because the tanks were bursting, causing the toilet tank top to fly into
the air. But I don't think her toilet ever clogged.
http://commonlaw.findlaw.com/2012/06/exploding-toilets-prompt-recall-of-2-million-sloan-flushmates.html.
The sent out a retrofit kit that is supposed to prevent injury if the air
tank fails, but I can't imagine most homeowners being able to install it
themselves.

I have a rental unit with three bathrooms and I installed Niagara
Flapperless toilets. I did this after I had a tenant who was helpless to
fix anything--if the chain came off the flush handle I would have to go
there to put it back on. I have not heard of any clogs from my tenants,
but they may just be plunging if a clog occurs and not telling me. I have
now heard that the Niagara Flapperless have gone down in quality though.

On Sun, 3 Feb 2013 12:27:20 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:




*I am very surprised that your Drakes clog. I never had a clog with mine.
It does have one pecularity in that the handle must be held down for a few
seconds to get the full 1.6 gallon flush.


But could it be designed that way? Tap to get rid of liquid only and
save even more water. Hold down if you have to remove solids.

*I am very surprised that your Drakes clog. I never had a clog with mine.
It does have one pecularity in that the handle must be held down for a few
seconds to get the full 1.6 gallon flush.


But could it be designed that way? Tap to get rid of liquid only and
save even more water. Hold down if you have to remove solids.


*I'm sure it was designed that way, it just took a few flushes in the
beginning to realize that.

On 2/2/2013 10:58 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sat, 02 Feb 2013 10:59:06 -0500, George
wrote:





I always wondered why toilets were designed with such a low seat height.
I just measured out typical wood kitchen chairs and the seat is 17 1/2"
high.

I think some of it has to do with the way the body works. I saw
something recently that women often have difficulty using the higher
seats and should put a step stool in front so they can bring their
knees up a bit.

We had some short oriental women working for us and they would stand
on the seat and squat. I've also seen toilets that were little more
than a tray at floor level. At least they had hand rails to hold on
to. It was in a public toilet and they gave you a ration of tissue
too.


You are describing a typical older "oriental" toilet. First time I saw
them was in Japan. The usual toilet in anything but the most modern
construction was set in the floor with a raised rim.

On 2/3/2013 9:27 AM, John Grabowski wrote:

*I am very surprised that your Drakes clog. I never had a clog with
mine. It does have one pecularity in that the handle must be held down
for a few seconds to get the full 1.6 gallon flush.

None of ours require holding the handle down for a few seconds. They are
about seven years old. Maybe they've changed something.

On Feb 4, 3:59*am, "John Grabowski" wrote:
*I am very surprised that your Drakes clog. *I never had a clog with mine.
It does have one pecularity in that the handle must be held down for a few
seconds to get the full 1.6 gallon flush.

But could it be designed that way? *Tap to get rid of liquid only and
save even more water. Hold down if you have to remove solids.

*I'm sure it was designed that way, it just took a few flushes in the
beginning to realize that.

I've had a Drake so long I'm on the second flush valve. Neither of
them work(ed) the way yours does.

Harry K