10 flushable facts about the toilet
You get what you pay for with toilets, says Frank Chaney, field supervisor with highly rated Hallam’s Mr. Plumber in Carmel.
“More expensive toilets typically have larger trapways so more stuff goes through them,” he says. Also, more money typically buys a larger toilet flush valve for a more forceful flush.
Chaney says a quality, midrange toilet will cost about $480 to $700, including removal and installation. Tell your plumber what you want, be it more flow or less noise. “Any good plumber should be able to guide you to the proper toilet,” he says.
222 million — Number of residential toilets in the U.S. in 114 million households. By contrast, India has 89.8 million toilets in 247 million households.
20 — Percentage of occupied homes with septic systems, down from 28 percent in 1973.
4 — Number of weeks salmonella bacteria survived in a toilet despite the use of cleaning fluids, according to one study.
102,000 — Estimated number of housing units occupied year-round without a flushing toilet.
737 — Number of E. coli bacteria scientists planted in toilet bowl that were found scattered throughout a bathroom up to two hours after flushing with the toilet lid open.
1.5 million — Child deaths worldwide each year due to food/water tainted with fecal matter.
30 — Percentage of indoor residential water use attributed to toilets.
300 — The industry-standard weight-bearing capacity in pounds of a residential toilet seat.
$3 — Millions of dollars given by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its Reinvent the Toilet Challenge to improve sanitation in third-world countries.
$6,390 — Retail price of Kohler’s Numi, one of the most expensive retail toilets, with features such as a deodorizer, bidet, heated seat, built-in speakers and motion-activated lid.
Sources: American Housing Survey 2009, 1973; Journal of Applied Microbiology; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Kohler USA; Environmental Protection Agency; Census of India 2011
You get what you pay for with toilets, says Frank Chaney, field supervisor with highly rated Hallam’s Mr. Plumber in Carmel.
“More expensive toilets typically have larger trapways so more stuff goes through them,” he says. Also, more money typically buys a larger toilet flush valve for a more forceful flush.
Chaney says a quality, midrange toilet will cost about $480 to $700, including removal and installation. Tell your plumber what you want, be it more flow or less noise. “Any good plumber should be able to guide you to the proper toilet,” he says.
222 million — Number of residential toilets in the U.S. in 114 million households. By contrast, India has 89.8 million toilets in 247 million households.
20 — Percentage of occupied homes with septic systems, down from 28 percent in 1973.
4 — Number of weeks salmonella bacteria survived in a toilet despite the use of cleaning fluids, according to one study.
102,000 — Estimated number of housing units occupied year-round without a flushing toilet.
737 — Number of E. coli bacteria scientists planted in toilet bowl that were found scattered throughout a bathroom up to two hours after flushing with the toilet lid open.
1.5 million — Child deaths worldwide each year due to food/water tainted with fecal matter.
30 — Percentage of indoor residential water use attributed to toilets.
300 — The industry-standard weight-bearing capacity in pounds of a residential toilet seat.
$3 — Millions of dollars given by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its Reinvent the Toilet Challenge to improve sanitation in third-world countries.
$6,390 — Retail price of Kohler’s Numi, one of the most expensive retail toilets, with features such as a deodorizer, bidet, heated seat, built-in speakers and motion-activated lid.
Sources: American Housing Survey 2009, 1973; Journal of Applied Microbiology; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Kohler USA; Environmental Protection Agency; Census of India 2011