Choosing the toilet bowl - tips and recommendations

The toilet is a place that no home can do without, even though we spend considerably less time in it compared to other rooms. Despite the fact that most consumers absolutely do not care what the toilet looks like in their home, the choice of this sanitary device should be approached wisely. After all, you will be using it regularly for several years. Therefore, this design should be comfortable, durable and aesthetically look against the background of other plumbing.

In this article, we will talk about what varieties of toilets there are, what you need to know before buying it and try to solve the problems that arise during the operation of this device.

Despite the apparent simplicity and uniformity of the design of the toilet bowl, at a closer look between different models can reveal significant differences. Therefore, when choosing a toilet bowl, it is necessary to pay attention to the following nuances:

• Size. Choose a toilet bowl of such size that it was convenient for you to use later, but it did not take up too much space in the bathroom. Keep in mind that after installing the toilet, you must have room not only to move freely around the room, but also to sit on it comfortably, not resting his knees on the wall in front, or in the door. Therefore the distance to the opposite wall should be at least 60 cm.
• Pay attention to the noise level. If the toilet in your house is located near the bedroom or is combined with the bathroom, the sound of pouring water filling the cistern may cause you some discomfort. That's why we recommend that you look at cistern models where the water doesn't come from the top, like most older models, but from the bottom. You may overpay a little for such a cistern, but your saved nerves and peace of mind are worth it.
• Water supply for flushing can be carried out by pressing a special button on top, with a lever on the side or a lifting rod. Most modern toilets are equipped with a push-button mechanism. And the most convenient and economical models are considered with two buttons, providing a different volume of water supply.

See the video about the subtleties of selecting a toilet bowl.

The most common materials for toilets are faience and porcelain. Some manufacturers try to convince us that the products from porcelain are more hygienic and reliable, but this is not true. Both materials, as a rule, are covered with a layer of special glaze coating, which provides moisture resistance. So there is no fundamental difference between them.

In some old houses you can still find metal toilets. Now they are almost never produced, as such designs are very heavy and enamel coating is often cracked and chipped. Those models that can still be found in stores, unreasonably expensive. Chasing after the strength in the choice of toilet should not be. With their direct responsibilities well cope earthenware and porcelain models.

On sale you can find products made of natural and artificial stone, plastic or even wood. Such models, as a rule, are made to order and serve only aesthetic purposes. The choice of these models is made solely for the sake of design creativity. This does not affect the performance quality in any way.

Decide on the shape of the bowl of your future toilet bowl. Depending on how the bowl looks from the inside and how the process of flushing occurs, there are the following types of toilets.

This is the simplest and most straightforward model in terms of design features. This is an ordinary funnel, in the center of which there is a hole for the withdrawal of waste into the sewer. Although, on the one hand, such models are more hygienic, since all the waste is removed at once, on the other hand, you may face the problem of unpleasant sewage odors coming out through such a straight hole.

This is probably the most common model at the moment, but not the most convenient. This design, has another disadvantage - the possibility of splashing water when draining.

These are the toilets with a shelf, which have a small shelf inside. The contents of the toilet bowl first falls on it, and then from the shelf is flushed into the sewer. Europeans consider this model unhygienic.

However, it does have certain advantages:

• You won't risk experiencing the discomfort of splashing that funnel toilets often do.
• If you accidentally drop something down the toilet, you'll have a chance to salvage it before it disappears without a trace down the drain.

We can say that they are the pinnacle of engineering, as they combine the advantages of the two models described above. Exactly such models in recent times are preferred by most consumers.

There are also unusual forms of toilets, which will become a design highlight of the bathroom.

The first thing that catches the eye of buyers when choosing a toilet is the type of mounting. The toilets can be attached to the floor or to the wall.

Consider the classification of toilets by type of installation.

Can be found everywhere. This is the most common and familiar design, which consists of a bowl with or without a shelf and a cistern with a drain mechanism. In some models, the bowl and cistern are combined into a single unit. This is the so-called monoblocks. They are much more durable than their predecessors, but so far on sale are quite rare. Floor toilets are the easiest to fix. You will only need a small amount of cement mortar and screws.

About the cisterns we should talk separately. After all, they, too, can be different. In addition to monoblocks and familiar to us, compact cisterns, there are also cisterns corner form, which are placed in the corner of the toilet, and separated or overhead cisterns. Despite the fact that they are rarely used in private apartments, they are very popular in various public toilets. The thing is that the higher the cistern is located from the toilet bowl, the greater will be the speed of water, so the better it will flush the contents of the bowl. However, such cisterns take up much more space and do not look aesthetically pleasing.

This is more of a fad than a necessity. They have their advantages - they look interesting and do not take up floor space, so the surface under the toilet is easy to care for.

However, their installation is quite complicated.

In order to install such a toilet, you will have to mount an additional installation to the wall, which must withstand not only the weight of the toilet bowl itself, but also your weight during its operation.

Strangely enough, such a toilet bowl will take up more space in your toilet than the floor models, since it must be at least 15 cm away from the back wall. Therefore, in small bathrooms such a toilet can not be used.

Such toilets are mounted tightly to the wall. In this case, the whole drainage structure is hidden directly in the wall behind it, in a special niche. Such toilets look laconic and neat, and the lack of a cistern helps to save space in the toilet.

The first thing you should pay attention to when buying a toilet is the form of release, not its appearance, shape or color. The characteristic, in what way in the toilet is executed by the outlet system, is a determining aspect of its choice. The fact is that in different houses, the sewage system is connected to the toilet bowl in different ways. If you do not want after the purchase of a toilet remake under it or resort to the use of additional elements such as a pipe, pay attention to what form of output designed for your sewer.

• An oblique outlet Ensures that the contents of the toilet bowl drain into the sewer at an angle of 45 degrees. This outlet system is the most common in our country, as it was widely used in all buildings of Soviet times and is used everywhere until now. The main advantage of this form of release is that you will have the opportunity to place the toilet most closely to the wall and as a result, such a design will take much less space.
• Toilets with horizontal outlet Are more common in the West. But in our country they are increasingly gaining popularity due to the fact that it is easy to adapt to the sewer system with a vertical outlet.
• Vertical outlet - the rarest type of sewage system. This type of sewer is used, as a rule, in private homes, as well as in apartments of Stalinist construction. It is not possible to adapt it to a sewer designed for any other type of flush.

The main accessory that often comes with the toilet bowl or is purchased separately is the toilet seat or lid.

The two main criteria that you should pay attention to when buying a toilet seat lid, is the shape and material of manufacture.

• According to the form the seats can have: Oval, D-shaped, pointed, angular or any other shape. Here you need to start only from the shape of the bowl you choose the model of the toilet bowl.
• Materials for toilet seats on the degree of hardness can be arranged as follows: plastic, duroplast, wood, plywood and laminated, meaning the outer coating. The first two types are the most common. They have a long service life, are easier to clean, and are the most hygienic.

The seats use either plastic or rubber shock absorbers that cushion the impact when the lid is lowered.

Special child seats are sold for children, as well as footrests that make it easier for your child to climb on the toilet bowl. For people with disabilities make special soft seat with folding armrests.

In recent years, manufacturers have started to think up new and technically advanced additional functions for the toilet bowl.

When using the toilets, various problems can arise. Most of them can be solved quite well on their own. However, if you cracked the toilet bowl, you will have to go to the store for a new one - to glue or otherwise fix it will not be possible.

• The most common problem that occurs during the use of the toilet bowl - this clog. This is more likely a problem not with the toilet as such, and sewage pipes. To fight with clogs will help you special chemicals, which are sold at any department of household chemicals, the banal soda or a sanitary rope for severe clogs.
• If the toilet does not flush, then the problem is most likely in the float located inside the cistern. Check that all the components of the flush system are in order and in place. If one of the components has failed, it will need to be replaced.

• The problem with unpleasant odor from the sewer is related to a lack of air in the sewer. Try installing a special air valve for the drain - should help.