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COPYRIGHT 2002 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.
You should be able to take certain things for granted, such as a toilet's ability to do its job the first time you move the lever. Since Congress mandated low-flush toilets as a water-saving measure in 1994, though, people have learned that two flushes or even three may be needed with a poorly designed toilet--negating any water-saving. (Toilets on the market now can use only 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Older toilets used 3.5 to 7 gallons.)
Some members of Congress recently proposed rescinding the requirement for low-flush toilets, but that's not likely to happen anytime soon. There's also less reason than ever to do that, judging from our tests.
The photo shows nearly all the 28 toilets we tested. They represent all the major manufacturers. Most are part of extensive model lines that give you a choice of round-front or elongated bowl, different tank designs, and so on. Most are two-piece designs, with a tank that bolts onto the bowl. The more expensive toilets tend to be one-piece designs. Nearly all come in several colors. They range in price from $100 to more than $600. The $600 Kohler San Raphael was judged very good, but it wasn't as good as the top-rated Briggs Vacuity 4200, A CR Best Buy at $190.
HOW THE MAIN TYPES FARED
Vacuum. The Briggs Vacuity 4200 is one of two we tested that use vacuum chambers inside the tank to help pull water and waste down the drain. Vacuum-assist toilets aren't the most common design; it would be good if more appeared on the market. The pair we tested performed very well, and both are moderately priced. We have found that vacuum-assist toilets are as quiet as some gravity-flush toilets, the more common variety. Vacuum-assist toilets use the same kind of early-closing flush and fill valves that gravity-flush toilets do, so they're simple to maintain.
Gravity-flush. These toilets work the old-fashioned way, using water pouring from the tank to start a siphoning action that clears the bowl and pushes waste down the drain. The gravity-flush toilet is the type used most often for home installations. The performance of some gravity-flush toilets no doubt contributed to the conventional wisdom that low-flush toilets generally clogged or needed two flushes. As the Ratings indicate, many gravity-flush toilets weren't very good at removing solid waste. However, we did find seven that performed well.
Many gravity-flush toilets cost less than...
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