# Those who voted for low-flow toilets must be punished! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032 "2004-05-07T16:22:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/1 "2004-05-07T16:22:02Z")
Low flow toilets are the most useless things on the planet. Last night my 22 month old managed to clog our new toilet with her first on toilet poop. She’s a good eater and all but man, you’d expect a toilet to be able to handle anything that came out of a toddler. For myself, I have to flush a minimum of 3 times - once halfway through, once upon completion, once for the paper. Anything less risks a clog. Boy, that sure saved a lot of water. These toilets are the most useless goddamn appliances on the planet. And can I go to my local plumbing supplier and buy a new toilet that dares to use a 3 gallon tank? Of course not. Because some tree-hugging, earth-loving, water-saving, thought-avoiding congressmen voted 25 years ago to **REQUIRE** that the rest of us peons use these low flow pieces of shit. Everyone who voted for these porcelain poop pluggers should be forced by law to spend the rest of their days travelling door to door, unclogging our shit, WITHOUT TOOLS. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/2 "2004-05-07T16:38:15Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > …some tree-hugging, earth-loving, water-saving, thought-avoiding congressmen voted 25 years ago to **REQUIRE** that the rest of us peons use these low flow pieces of shit. I dunno about that one. My toilet at home is a good ol-fashioned could-suck-down-the-dog-if-you’re-not-careful behemoth, bought less than a year ago. The ones at work, on the other hand, just seem to rearrange whatever’s in there. I gotta spend my whole lunch break just trying to get shit to go down. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/3 "2004-05-07T17:04:44Z")
When we were buying our home, the building inspector made the prior owner replace a cracked toilet bowl. He replaced exactly that: the bowl and nothing else. Consequently, we have what I refer to as a “little girl’s toilet” attached to a manly 1950s-era toilet tank. There’s so much water blasting through that thing that it kicks up a stiff breeze and will _attempt_ to flush down anything. The problem is that the hole is so small that if any blockage doesn’t succumb to the high flow jet, the bowl fills at an alarming rate, providing little chance of getting the plunger going before disaster. ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/4 "2004-05-07T17:11:09Z")
WORD!!! {pumps fist in air, Huey Newton style) Just be thankful that you don’t live in Germany. Hey Deutschendoperen, what’s the deal with your toilets and their shelves? Normal toilet, three gallons, one flush. 3x1=3 No-flow toilet, one and a half gallons, three flushes. 1.5x3=4.5 Gee, no-flow seems like a GREAT idea. Just like the Susan B. Anthony dollar. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/5 "2004-05-07T17:18:00Z")
> [@htns](#): > > … what’s the deal with your toilets and their shelves?.. I always heard that it was a secret plot to force men to pee sitting down 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/6 "2004-05-07T17:19:40Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > For myself, I have to flush a minimum of 3 times - once halfway through, once upon completion, once for the paper. Anything less risks a clog. Boy, that sure saved a lot of water. > > These toilets are the most useless goddamn appliances on the planet. And can I go to my local plumbing supplier and buy a new toilet that dares to use a 3 gallon tank? Of course not. Because some tree-hugging, earth-loving, water-saving, thought-avoiding congressmen voted 25 years ago to **REQUIRE** that the rest of us peons use these low flow pieces of shit. [Meet the Champion](http://www.americanstandard-us.com/planDesign/performance/BestFlush/best_flush.asp). With “America’s Best Flush System”. Be sure to check out the “See the Champion in action” feature. Or just look into “pressure assisted flush” toilets for a [wider selection and price range](http://www.americanstandard-us.com/ProductThumb.asp?prodCatID=3&kw=&brandID=&style_id=&options1=&options2=&options3=55&options4=&x=35&y=8). Be prepared to spend a bit of cash, but you can save money and waste by using a good quality toilet. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/7 "2004-05-07T20:12:48Z")
Wow! The Champion truly is a champ. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/8 "2004-05-07T20:20:45Z")
What I really want is “The Ferguson”, Al Bundy’s majestic toilet. That was something a man can be proud of. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/9 "2004-05-07T21:14:47Z")
Feh. It’s not the toilet, it’s what you _attach_ to it that makes it happen!! [Here’s](http://www.homeclick.com/showpage.asp?itemid=120706) what everyone needs!!! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/10 "2004-05-07T21:48:06Z")
My pressure-assist toilet (which I posted in MPSIMS about installing maybe two years ago) only uses 1.5 gallons, and has never clogged. Every time you flush it your ears pop, papers fly into the room, and you have to count the cats. It can certainly defeat that silly “Champion” toilet. Harumph. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/11 "2004-05-07T21:53:14Z")
> [@bizzwire](#): > > Feh. It’s not the toilet, it’s what you _attach_ to it that makes it happen!! > > [Here’s](http://www.homeclick.com/showpage.asp?itemid=120706) what everyone needs!!! No way…as a medievalist, THIS is what I need=) [http://www.homeclick.com/showpage.asp?itemid=4038](http://www.homeclick.com/showpage.asp?itemid=4038) where a persons home is their castle and this is perfect for the throne room! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/12 "2004-05-07T21:54:09Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > My pressure-assist toilet (which I posted in MPSIMS about installing maybe two years ago) only uses 1.5 gallons, and has never clogged. Every time you flush it your ears pop, papers fly into the room, and you have to count the cats. It can certainly defeat that silly “Champion” toilet. Harumph. I’ve got one of those, too. My sister came to visit a few weeks ago, and she apparently used the toilet sometime in the night. I haven’t seen her since. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/13 "2004-05-07T21:57:01Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] My toilet at home is a good ol-fashioned could-suck-down-the-dog-if-you’re-not-careful behemoth, bought less than a year ago./QUOTE] Where did you get it? The toilet we have is a piece of shit. (literally, you are what you eat type deal). What I want is a “whooosh-type” shit-eater. Other than Canada, can I get one of these? I’m talking about the type that has a virtual jet-engine for “downloading”. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/14 "2004-05-07T21:59:04Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > What I want is a “whooosh-type” shit-eater. I’m with **Una Persson** on this one - go “pressure-assist,” and you’ll never go back! ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/15 "2004-05-07T22:14:17Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > I’m with **Una Persson** on this one - go “pressure-assist,” and you’ll never go back! Where can I get one, or at least see what it is? I’m serious about getting a decent shitter. I want one that could handle a dead moose. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/16 "2004-05-07T22:25:26Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > My pressure-assist toilet (which I posted in MPSIMS about installing maybe two years ago) only uses 1.5 gallons, and has never clogged. Every time you flush it your ears pop, papers fly into the room, and you have to count the cats. It can certainly defeat that silly “Champion” toilet. Harumph. I don’t know, I’ve seen live videos of the Champion at the local Home Despot and it is pretty damn impressive. Something like 14 of those little [water snakes](http://www.toys2wish4.com/watsnakclear.html) and a dozen golf balls(or ping-pong balls, don’t remember which) at the same time with a single flush. The Champion website has a feature under “Explore the Champion’s Features” -\> “Tested to be the Best” and then expand the arrow at the bottom right of the text. It shows four tests conducted by an independent labratory(SGS) in a grid with four other toilets, including a pressure-assist model from . Wet cloth napkins, rubber tubes, balls of toilet paper, and synthetic sponges. The pressure-assist toilet performed very well, but not as well as the Champion. Of course I have no idea if they ran other tests and didn’t report the results because the Champion didn’t come out on top, or if the toilets they compare to in their chart are the worst of the lot from their manufacturers. I couldn’t find the original report from the testing lab(I poked around a bit). In any event, I think either of these options, Champion or pressure assist, would work fine for the OP. Both are commercially available and meet water usage standards. Heck my link about pressure assist toilets in my first post takes you to an online catalog for American Standard(hard to go wrong with them, they’re really good) pressure assist toilets. You can buy online from there or just get the model names/numbers for what you like and head down to the hardware store to see what your options are. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/17 "2004-05-07T22:34:28Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > Where can I get one, or at least see what it is? I’m serious about getting a decent shitter. I want one that could handle a dead moose. Here you can see a listing of several, along with others: [http://www.americanstandard-us.com/ProductThumb.asp?prodcatID=3&brandID=1,2,3](http://www.americanstandard-us.com/ProductThumb.asp?prodcatID=3&brandID=1,2,3) Here, you can see a video of it in action: [http://www.flushmate.com/SeeItWork/default.asp](http://www.flushmate.com/SeeItWork/default.asp) There are many different manufacturers who make PA toilets. You can get them at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc. They sometimes have to be ordered, however, as they typically keep very few in stock. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/18 "2004-05-07T22:45:21Z")
Since I will someday get around to replacing my hybrid '50s/'90s toilet, those pressure-assist jobs are looking pretty attractive. I am full of curiosity – I have never actually seen _functioning_ toilets on display at Home Depot, available for the general public to plop their cheeks on. Do pressure assist toilets sound like those high-power toilets found in public places? Do unprepared houseguests panic when they visit the WC? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/19 "2004-05-07T22:51:24Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Do pressure assist toilets sound like those high-power toilets found in public places? > Do unprepared houseguests panic when they visit the WC? Very similar - they’re noisy, but they work. And yes, I generally warn my houseguests before their first visit to the euphemism! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032/20 "2004-05-07T22:56:00Z")
More pluses to the pressure-assist beasties are that, at least in my experience, they never run (like a regular toilet does if the flapper doesn’t seat properly, or if the float fails to shut the valve), and they refill very quickly. Mine has never needed any sort of adjustment or maintenance, and I think it’s coming up on ten years, now. Of course, there’s always the possibility that a failure, when it does occur, will be spectacular, since the tank is under pressure! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-who-voted-for-low-flow-toilets-must-be-punished/244032.md?page=2)