Not too many years ago the federal government decided that we needed to start conserving water. One of the ways to do this was to dictate new standards to companies that produce toilets. Instead of the old style toilets which used 5 to 7 gallons of water per flush, they mandated a new standard of 1.6 gallons per flush. This new standard saves billions of gallons of water each year, but creates a big new problem: clogged toilets.
The amount of water needed to flush waste down varies with the amount of waste being flushed. If just liquid is being flushed, then almost no water is needed, but if quite a bit of solid waste is being flushed then much more water is needed for the waste to clear the toilet trap properly. 1.6 gallons or less is very little water to make many items go down properly. Manufacturers are doing new and inventive things to add more power to the flush. There are now toilets that have sealed pressure tanks which use the house water pressure to assist the flush, there are also toilets that have electric pumps to add more pressure too.
NOTE: In a standard toilet, home water pressure does not affect the power of the flush.
These new ideas do work better than a standard 1.6 gal. toilet, but they're noisy (just like public restroom toilets), and very expensive to purchase and repair. Once the standard is set, and these power assist toilets are more mainstream the prices will drop, but until that time most people will need to keep a plunger handy, or rebuild that old toilet you've been using for years (visit the site advertised above for more information on restoring your old toilet).
To unclog a toilet there is one basic tool which will make life easy....a good plunger.
Toilet bowls have a very peculiar shape at the throat where the waste exits, so a special plunger is needed to clear clogs easily. There are two basic plunger designs: Standard with a flat bottom, and one with a semi-cone shaped bell on the bottom. The standard plunger is best for sink drains, and the other is best for toilets. Many new plunger designs have appeared in the last few years due to the increased need for them, most are pretty good at providing more pressure than a normal plunger to push the clog through. However...be aware that the potential to get a face full of toilet water increases along with the pressure. If you have a serious clog that refuses to move, then the pressure needs to go somewhere else...usually blowing the water right at you!
In the event of an extreme clog which will not break free with a plunger, there is one more tool which may save the day....a toilet auger. A toilet auger is a kind of special snake made just for toilets. It has a special design to aid in getting into the tight toilet traps without damaging the porcelain in the bowl. A typical auger will cost about $20 U.S. at the local hardware store. |
