# How far do solid objects travel when the toilet is flushed. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 22, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980 "2013-10-22T23:04:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980/21 "2013-10-23T21:06:41Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > STOP…you had me at “soybean based paste.” 😃 As soon as you said that, I knew it had to have originated in Japan, where soybean paste is a pretty common food item. The Japanese toilet manufacturer you referred to is almost certainly Toto, who also make the ass-washing toilet seats that Ron White seems to enjoy so much. And they do make good toilets; we bought a Toto about a year ago, and while it doesn’t use much water, it clears the bowl very reliably. > > No clogs in the main soil pipe yet, at least not the one from our house; who knows what’s happening out under the street. :dubious: > > Ah, here’s a [soybean paste test video.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJoOINDx8s) Disturbingly lifelike. You can purchase your own soy-turds [here.](http://www.map-testing.com/content/info/menu/map-testing-protocol.html) I have both a Toto toilet and a Toto ass-washing toilet seat (also known as a Washlet), and I like them both very much. [SIDEBAR]The trouble with testing toilets using anything that is wrapped in plastic is that you do not test for the toilet’s ability to flush sticky bits off the sides. Low-flow toilets are built to have a small well of water in the bottom, so that some solid waste is likely to hit porcelain instead of water on ejection from the body. My Toto toilet does a very good job compared to my last low-flow toilet of swirling the flush water around to dislodge anything like this, but it doesn’t always get everything. Consequently, I have to do toilet bowl cleaning several times a week (instead of once a week, which is normal for me), and each time I do a toilet bowl cleaning I have to flush the toilet an extra time. To some extent, this reduces the water savings benefit of having a low flow toilet. I have not seen that anybody really tests for this. I am not sure if a better design might be possible, but they’ll never know if they aren’t testing for it.[/SIDEBAR] Roddy eta: I looked at Machine Elf’s last link after posting, and that toilet bowl does not look at all like my Toto. That amount of water in the bowl does not look to me like a 1.6 gallon flush amount (but I’m no expert). ---
**Author:** ![Grateful-UnDead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ccd318/32.png) [@Grateful-UnDead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grateful-UnDead)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980/22 "2013-10-24T02:23:45Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Any sources of more info for either a) that toilets originally had a volume specification aimed at moving solids along pipes, and not aimed at moving solids out of the toilet bowl itself; or b) that low-flow toilets have caused blockages in sewer mains? Regarding the specifications: No; I am relying on my memory from a fluid mechanics course I took when I was an undergraduate engineer more than forty years ago. And yes, included in the specification was a minimum volume and fluid velocity requirement for flushing out the bowl. Regarding the newly emerging problem of blocked pipes: based on personal experience and observations made as I earn my living. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980/23 "2013-10-24T04:32:34Z")
I doubt that there are many turds in home sewer pipes waiting to be washed out. Most sewer lines that I have had to open do not have much solids in them other than scale. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980/24 "2013-10-24T04:36:53Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Any sources of more info for either a) that toilets originally had a volume specification aimed at moving solids along pipes, and not aimed at moving solids out of the toilet bowl itself; or b) that low-flow toilets have caused blockages in sewer mains? I do not know about low flush toilets, but during one of the drought late 70’s or early 80’s some of the cities in California had some problems with low water flow in the sewer lines. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980/25 "2013-10-24T23:30:45Z")
> [@nivlac](#): > > Depends on where the toilet is located. A flush on the 2nd floor will have gravity taking the turd quite a ways in the sewage pipes going away from your house. A toilet from the ground floor may require more flushing to move “it” along. I have three toilets in my house…two upstairs, and one downstairs. They’re all the same model, and were installed at the same time (2005 or 2006). One of the upstairs toilets and the downstairs toilet have roughly the same flushing ability; the other upstairs toilet flushes like the toilet on the right in **Machine Elf’s** second video. The first press of the handle fills up the bowl, even if you’re just trying to flush a square of toilet paper; the second or third press will usually clear the bowl (very sluggishly though). I’ve had plumbers in to try and address the problem – the last one suggested that the toilet had some kind of internal defect. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Ah, here’s a [soybean paste test video.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJoOINDx8s) Disturbingly lifelike. You can purchase your own soy-turds [here.](http://www.map-testing.com/content/info/menu/map-testing-protocol.html) Yep, I’m pretty sure they were referring to Toto. They take their toilets very seriously…and it looks like they make an awesome product as a result. Both links gave me a case of the giggles, by the way. > [@Diceman](#): > > I once saw a tv show where they flushed hotdogs and golf balls to test the toilets’ performance. I’ve definitely seen the golf ball test too! I can’t remember the name of the show though. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980/26 "2013-10-25T14:33:53Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > Yep, I’m pretty sure they were referring to Toto. They take their toilets very seriously…and it looks like they make an awesome product as a result. Both links gave me a case of the giggles, by the way. I’m pretty sure the one I saw was on the Discovery Channel, and it was at the Kohler facility in Wisconsin. The guy showed the audience what looked to me like condoms filled up with soybean paste to the size of a goodly turd, and they flushed a bunch of them, ping pong balls, golf balls, etc… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-solid-objects-travel-when-the-toilet-is-flushed/671980.md?page=1)