"The toilet is the most used and least understood appliance in the house," said Tom Kraeutler, cohost of the The Money Pit, a weekly home improvement radio show where potty talk is all too frequent among his callers. The crux of their queries boils down to two questions: "How do I make the toilet do what it's supposed to do?" and "How do I keep the toilet from doing what it's not supposed to do?"

Having the answers to these questions can prevent that worst-case scenario, immortalized in an ad, where one finds oneself running down the hall looking desperately for the plunger. Accordingly, in the 11 years since the 1.6-gallon flush became the law of the land, manufacturers have spent millions on design and engineering solutions. Meanwhile, manufacturers, retailers and showrooms have spent millions more to tell customers that all toilets are not created to flush equally.

Homeowners are getting the message. Dave Alley, general manager of Jack London Square Bath Gallery in Oakland, CA, has seen a distinct change in just the last year with more consumers coming to his decorative plumbing and hardware showroom asking for a specific brand based on its reputed performance. Tim O'Connell, plumbing products manager for distributor F.W. Webb and the Frank Webb decorative plumbing showrooms across New England and upstate New York, has also taken notice. "They do their research," he said. "They walk in with printouts from the Internet and say, 'I want one of these, because I know it works.'"

Flushology 101

So what makes a toilet work? Those of us who have spent our careers in the bathroom know the basics. When the trip lever is pushed, the water stored in the tank rushes down, forcing waste, gases and odors out through the trapway. As the water height rises in the bowl, gravity pulls it down, pushing the water into the up-leg of the trapway.

When the first 1.6 gpf toilets were introduced to the U.S. market, the earliest complaints were dirty bowls. By and large, Europe and Asia had learned to include bowl brushing as part of toilet flushing, but Americans were less keen on that idea.

So manufacturers narrowed the trapway. Narrowing the trapway increased the suction, improving the scouring action with less water. That solved the flush brush issue, but created clogging problems. Or as Realty Times columnist Broderick Perkins wrote last year, toilets became "constipated."

Pressure-assist toilets solved the clogging, but the turbulence created by blasting water through narrow passageways is loud enough to wake multiple households in some neighborhoods.



Balancing Form and Function

Master plumber Rex Cauldwell wrote Remodel Plumbing for the Taunton Press this year, in part to guide plumbers in choosing and installing the best toilets for their customers. Cauldwell advises:

Select toilets with a fully glazed trapway and the largest possible trapway diameter. Glazing prevents the natural roughness of kiln-fired vitreous china from slowing down or snagging contents as they exit the bowl.

Find the largest possible flush valve, the opening where the water from the tank enters the bowl. More water incoming means more power outgoing.

Go for a quiet flush or insulate the bathroom walls to reduce the noise.

Check the weight. According to Cauldwell, low-cost toilets can cut corners in manufacturing, such as using less china.

Look for an insulated tank to prevent water condensation on the outside surface.

Of course, aesthetics are also key. As Cauldwell notes in his style and comfort guidelines, the desire for a good-looking toilet did not get flushed away with the 1.6 gpf legislation. Similarly, O'Connell noted, "We're always evaluating our design mix; some of our customers don't like the way some of the best-performing toilets look." In some cases, appearance can be the deciding factor. Connie Gustafson, ckd, designer for Sawhill Custom Kitchens & Design, Inc., in Minneapolis , recently installed one of the more unique low-profile designs in a job. "My client chose it specifically for the sleek look," she said. "I expect to see more designs like that."

Along those lines, as consumers expect more high-performance and attractive toilets, manufacturers are hard at work to combine beauty and brains. Kohler introduced the stylish Purist Hatbox toilet, a minimalist 1.6 gpf electric design; Toto introduced the Neorest 500, a high-tech dual-flush model; and American Standard came out with the FloWise elongated toilet, which is a high-efficiency model.

And while we're on the topic, let's not forget comfort. Besides having to perform flawlessly and look good, toilets also have to be easy to use. That's why many manufacturers are offering "comfort height" models that measure just over 17 in.—about the height of an average household chair—to make it easier to sit down and stand up for all family members.



The Future: Even Less Water?

Before recent engineering advancements hit the market, Congress had briefly considered reinstating 3.5 gpf. That talk didn't last long, especially because the industry was already looking at ways to use even less water. New high-efficiency toilets, or HETs, use 20 percent less water than 1.6 gpf toilets.

Why the push to go with a flow that's even lower? Most of it is green-driven—not green as in conservation, but rather green as in money. Many municipalities provide rebates for consumers to trade in their old 3.5 gpf flushers for 1.6 gpf models, and some double that rebate for HETs. "Consumers like the money they save on sewer bills," O'Connell said. "They just need to know it will work."

So, what's the best advice on the subject? Krauetler said,"Don't underestimate the value of promoting the mechanical and functional systems—it's a selling point."



—Nora DePalma, partner and principal of Building Profits, Inc., a public relations and marketing agency based in Atlanta, has many years of experience in the kitchen and bath industry. DePalma counts the NKBA among her many clients. For more information, visit her website at www.building-profits.com.