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Have you ever really thought about toilets? Probably not, until you have to replace one. When it’s time to call for a plumbing service and you need a toilet replaced in St. Petersburg, FL you may just want to know all the options available and make the best choice for you. We’ll go over the parts of a toilet and the different types of toilets available as well as add-ons for toilets that are getting consumers’ eyes.
Toilet Types
Your plumbing service that you call to fix a toilet issue will be looking at a few parts that could fail. Under the bowl, a wax ring can leak where the toilet is attached to the floor at the flange. Inside of the bowl, or section of the toilet that would handle the water pressure you’ll have a lever or switch to send the waste down and will refill or reset the pressure behind it. A traditional bowl toilet will include a fill valve that sends the water into the tank, a flapper to initiate/stop the water flow, and a valve or floater that will indicate when to stop filling the tank.
Speaking of standard toilets, the ones you’re probably used to seeing in homes and the ones plumbing services have the most experience with are standard two-piece toilets. These have the lowest cost of toilets on the market on average and are easy to replace and get serviced or repaired when needed. The two-piece toilet is very durable and because the water tank is separated from the bowl there are fewer moving parts that could fail.
If you’re looking for a replacement toilet from your plumber that is more modern, a one-piece toilet may be for you. While the one-piece unit can be slightly more space-saving their big advantage is they are extremely easy to clean, as they don’t have extra crevices like a two-piece toilet. Installation of these can actually be easier than traditional two-piece toilets but that’s not a guarantee.
If you live in a mobile home or are in a location that doesn’t have reliable sewer service, which isn’t much of a problem in most of the St. Petersburg, FL area, you can use what is called an upflush toilet. You don’t need to hook these into a drain line and don’t necessarily need a dedicated water line either, you can just add water as needed. However, these require you to personally dump your waste in a proper spot and as they don’t have quite as large of a drain line out of the bowl can lead to clogging.
If you’re calling a plumbing service to add a half bath or to maximize the space in a bathroom you currently have you may be suggested to get a compact toilet. These don’t always have nearby tanks but are great for small houses. Alternatively, if you still want to split the difference there you could always get a corner toilet that will sit, like the name says, in a corner but will act more like a traditional two-piece toilet.
If you’re looking for more modern versions of toilets you can get your plumbing service to go after a wall-mounted toilet. These give the appearance of floating off the wall and are highly sought after in high-end homes. They aren’t truly tankless, as the tank is generally in the wall, and if you are replacing a more normal toilet the plumbing service will have to charge you for moving the plumbing around to make it work for one of these.
If somebody in your house is suffering from a disability or is overweight an elongated toilet may make the job easier for them. Elongated toilets help you sit at a location that is more comfortable and has a larger pipeline for flushing waste than other toilets. However, with the bowl being elongated so will the footprint you need for this toilet. This makes these toilets
Now, what about tankless toilets for your house? These already exist and have existed in commercial applications for decades but what about your residence? Well, a plumbing service would be able to help you but you would need to realize that you need an electric pump and battery backup installed somewhere to ensure that you can flush during a power outage and regular maintenance would be required.
Add-ons
The most popular toilet add-on recently has been the explosion of growth of the bidet. A bidet can either be built into a toilet or in a separate bowl. However in the United States, bidets built into toilets are generally more expensive than separate bowls. In a value sense, you could also hook up a nozzle similar to a kitchen sink nozzle. One of the more popular retrofits is to get an attachment that fits on your existing toilet and only requires minimal work, making a call for plumbing service quick if you go with this option. Bidets help clean you after you use the bathroom without toilet paper, driving down the cost.
The other popular add-on we’ll discuss is a dual flush system. Most dual flush systems are based on the toilet you buy but there are ways to make many current toilets a dual flush setup. Essentially, a dual flush system helps you save water by only requiring you to rinse the bowl of liquid waste instead of push down a bunch of solid waste, reducing your water usage.
Whatever you decide to use as your next toilet, or if you just need one fixed, the trained experts at Drain Flo Plumbing in Tampa, FL can cover your St. Petersburg home. Their team of highly trained plumbing service technicians will come out to your house 24 hours a day, seven days a week to resolve your plumbing situation. From clogged lines to entire house repipe jobs, Drain Flo Plumbing can do it for you.
