Your toilet might be the most important fixture in your home, so when it’s time to buy a new toilet, you want to make the right choice. You’ll use your toilet multiple times a day for 20 or 30 years – or maybe even longer. A good toilet can last 50 years if well maintained and cared for, so buying one you can live with is important. Lets see what you should consider and How to Shop for a Toilet.
And, these days, you have a lot of choices when it comes to buying a new toilet. You can choose an elongated bowl or a round one, a comfort-height toilet or a lower one, a wall-mount toilet, or a traditional toilet. You can choose a dual-flush or single-flush toilet, a pressure-assisted toilet, or a gravity toilet, and you can even choose single- or two-piece toilets. You need to make sure the toilet you choose meets your needs. Here’s How to Shop for a Toilet making sure you choose the right toilet.
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Measure Your Rough-In Size
Before you head to the home store or your local bathroom outlet to go shopping for a toilet, you need to measure your existing toilet’s rough-in size. When replacing a toilet, it’s easiest to buy a toilet the same size as your old toilet, so you don’t have to move the flange or redo any of the plumbing on your floor.
Measure the distance from the wall behind your toilet to the middle of the bolts on either side of the base of your toilet. Remember to measure from the wall, not the baseboard or trim. This will give you the rough-in measurement for your toilet, which should be 10, 12, or 14 inches. A toilet the same size should fit right over the bolts on your floor.
Consider the Size of Your Bathroom
When buying a new toilet, you must ensure it will fit in your bathroom. A wall-mounted toilet will save the most space if you have a very small bathroom. Otherwise, round toilet bowls fit best in small bathrooms, while elongated toilet bowls are best for bathrooms with a little more space.
Get the Powerful Flush You Need
When it comes to buying a toilet, functionality is key. You don’t want to end up having to flush your toilet two or three times to empty the bowl. Fortunately, today’s efficient low-flow toilets are much more powerful than they were in the past.
Read reviews for gravity toilets to find one with a consistently powerful flush. These days, gravity toilets have larger traps to prevent clogs and larger flush valves so that water rushes more powerfully into the bowl. Pressure-assisted toilets keep water for flushing in a pressure-filled tank, so they can produce a very powerful, if very loud, flush.
Toilets account for a large percentage of your home’s total water usage, so if saving water is a big concern, you may want to try a dual-flush toilet. A dual-flush toilet has two flushing buttons or levers – press one button to flush liquid waste with half as much water as a full flush, and both buttons to flush solid waste with the full amount of water.
Make Sure Your New Toilet Is Comfortable
The height of your toilet can significantly affect its comfort and functionality. Toilet heights range from 10 inches tall (for children) to 21 inches tall (for taller individuals or those with disabilities). Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a toilet should be 16 to 18 inches tall to accommodate those with disabilities. If you’re unsure whether a toilet will be a comfortable height for you and your family members to sit down on and stand up from, try sitting on the toilet in the store.
Buy a Good-Looking Toilet
Of course, you’ll want to buy a toilet that looks good in your bathroom. Wall-mount toilets are sleek and stylish but can be expensive to install and repair. Single-piece toilets have fewer nooks and crannies, making them easier to keep clean. And you’re better off buying a white toilet because if you ever want to sell, a custom-colored toilet will be a hard no from most potential buyers.
Conclusion – How to Shop for a Toilet
Buying a new toilet is more complex than it might appear at first. You must consider what you need from a toilet and choose a model that will fit your bathroom and look great, too. The right toilet will give you years of service without too many hassles, so you can focus on living your life instead of constantly fixing your toilet.
