New $150 Toilets going for $9.00 in southern CA

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

Because of the continuing drought in southern California, regional and local water districts are pretty much giving away new toilets via rebates to get rid of old water wasting toilets.

One just goes to Home Depot and buys a particular type of toilet that costs around $150. Then applies online for the local water district’s $40 rebate and the regional rebate of $100. The $140 is deducted from your water bills.

I am no handyman, but installation was fast and easy. And the flush is strong. The old one went into the trash fitting easily in the container. HD wanted $50 to take away the old one and $150 to install the new one.

Anyone else taking advantage of this offer?

#2

Damn, I’m in the market for a couple new toilets. Just moved into a house with 3 high volume toilets and would like to replace them. Unfortunately, we have an excess amount of water here in the Northwest at this time.

#3

I can totally endorse this. I have a Gerber Powerflush toilet that has an EcoFlush mechanism in it - down for pee, up for poop, .7 gallons for one, 1.2 gallons for the other.

Unlike the dreadful first attempts at a low water use toilet, this sucker is the most effective toilet I’ve ever used. I joke that the bowel movement setting could flush a baked potato!

It has a sealed pressure vessel inside that uses water pressure to build up a reservoir of air pressure which is then used to fire the water into the tank. It’s like flushing with a fire extinguisher.

I’d never go back to a five gallon gravity toilet if you paid me.

#4

I’m flushed with enthusiasm.

#5

Glad to hear they’ve come a long way. What make/model of toilet is it?

If anyone else else can recommend their low-water toilet, post that too. And thanks to **gaffa **for his recommendation!

#6

Boy, it used to be that it cost you $600 for the toilet seat alone

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-02-05/news/8501070733_1_toilet-seat-pentagon-lockheed

#7

If you don’t, you’ll just be pissing it all away.

#8

On the off-chance that it doesn’t fit, a couple of hammer blows will break it into manageable chunks (BTDT). Porcelain is remarkably fragile when it comes to hard impacts like that; you don’t have to hit it terribly hard to crack it (just wear eye protection).

#9

…and very thick gloves. Broken porcelain chips are as sharp as scalpels.

#10

Water districts in Northern California were giving them away completely free ten years ago. All I had to do is say how many toilets were in the house and they sent me a voucher to pick up that many at a plumbing supply warehouse.

About a month later, they contacted me to schedule a quick inspection appointment to verify that I did in fact have their toilets installed in my house.

No idea what’s being handed out now, but ten years ago, they gave me Toto toilets. Wish I knew what model as they were some of the best ones I’ve ever had, regardless of price.

#11

My guess is that the model doesn’t matter. We bought a Toto a couple of years ago, and it flushes amazingly well, despite using a tiny amount of water. Toto pretty much blows everybody away when it comes to toilet performance.

Interesting aside: toilets are tested with artificial turds, more politely referred to as “toilet test media.” Test video here.

#12

The one I got at HD is a Niagara, but there are about 20 different low water use toilets from several different companies that you can choose from to get the rebate.

The one I got has a “button” on top of the tank to flush with instead of the more common handle on the side.

#13

My brother the plumber is very fond of Toto toilets. The Gerber brand I mentioned is usually only available to professionals.