Don Vandervort, Head Homeboy, has written more than 30 DIY home improvement books, been a segment host on HGTV, served as MSN.com's home improvement expert and written countless magazine articles.
Toilets come in a number of styles, colors, and prices, but how well a toilet will do its job has nothing to do with these factors. Because federal law now stipulates that new toilets must use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush—compared with the 3 to 7 gallons used by older models—a reliable toilet will be one that generates enough power to clean the bowl.
A traditional gravity flush system, which uses the weight of the water to provide flushing pressure, is more apt to clog and less likely to rinse thoroughly with the new water limits.
A better alternative is a pressure-assisted flush system, a style that uses pressurized air to force water into the bowl. This system is, however, noisier than gravity flush toilets and can require more frequent repairs. Some models must be plugged into an electrical socket.
Toilets come in one- or two-piece construction. Two-piece toilets employ a separate tank and bowl. One-piece toilets, also called "low profile," merge the tank and bowl into a single unit. A two-piece model will cost less, but a one-piece toilet is easier to clean because it does not have the crevice between the tank and the bowl.
One-piece toilets often include a seat with the unit, while most two-piece units do not. For small baths, wall-mounted toilets are available, but they can be hard to find and expensive to buy and install.
Toilet bowls are either round or elongated (the latter are 2 inches longer and have a larger water surface). Seats, which come in different materials—including wood, plastic, and polypropylene—must match the bowl's shape. Some seats are cushioned, contoured, or heated for extra comfort, and some automatically trigger the flush mechanism when the top is closed.
Factors that influence a toilet's tendency to clog or flush sluggishly include the size of the trap, which carries away the bowl's contents, and the flush valve, which sits at the inside base of the tank and regulates water flow into the bowl. The general rule in both cases is "the larger, the better." Before shopping, be sure to measure the "rough-in," or the distance from the wall to the center of the toilet drain. A 12-inch rough-in is standard, but some are 10 or 14 inches.
