Do you know what a dual flush toilet is? Did you know that the average person spends about three years of their life on the toilet? Considering that statistic, no wonder people are investing in quality toilets these days.
Today, we’re going to talk about a very specific type of toilet and determine why it might be the best choice for some of our readers. Without further ado, let’s dig into the topic of dual flush toilets.
Our Top 3 Pick Dual Flush Toilets
Best Smart Toilet: Ove Decors Two-Piece Toilet
With plenty of functions designed to offer a comfortable and effortless toilet experience, this Ove Decors model even equips a remote control for easy operation.
Best Value: Kohler Dual Flush Toilet
When it comes to delivering excellent quality for the price, few products can beat this Kohler toilet.
Customer’s Choice: Swiss Madison One-Piece Toilet
“The toilet is very nice. Great flushing power. Looks great. Very happy. And it was delivered so fast. And it was a great price. Thank you.” (Customer review)
What Is a Dual Flush Toilet?
A dual-flush toilet uses two buttons or a handle to flush different amounts of water. The TOTO-style hand-washing system was first introduced in 1960. It was the first system to feature a built-in hand-washer. In 1976, American designer Victor Papanek suggested the dual flush system, which uses both a low and high flush. The system was first implemented in 1980 by Australian company Caroma.
The dual-flush toilet has become widely used in several countries, such as Australia, Singapore, and Israel. Its simplicity and cost-effectiveness make it an excellent choice for new buildings.
Pros & Cons of a Dual Flush Toilet
As with every other product in the world, dual flush toilets brings forth a series of advantages, but also some drawbacks that every customer should know about in order to establish whether these toilets are the right choice for them:
Pro: They save water. This is one of the biggest advantages of owning a dual flush toilet. We don’t want to get into the specifics that we already talked about in this article, but we’re going to underline the fact that a dual flush toilet allows you to use less water for flushing liquids, and that’s something that a traditional single flush model can’t do.
Con: They’re expensive. Yes, dual flush toilets cost more (the product and the installation are both expensive compared to getting a regular toilet up and running).
Pro: They don’t clog as much. That’s because they use gravity to aid in waste removal and are designed with a large trap-way to be more efficient in this area. This eventually leads to fewer clogs compared to those you get to experience when you own a traditional toilet down.
Con: They are more difficult to clean. With every flush, these toilets will have less water in the bowl, making them look dirtier compared to traditional models. Unless you opt for a smart self-cleaning dual flush toilet, you’re going to have to clean the bowl more often.
Pro: They have more powerful flushes. If you invest in a highly-efficient model, you will be the owner of a toilet with a very powerful flushing mechanism that you only have to use when necessary.
Types of Dual Flush Toilets
There is more than just one type of dual flush toilet available out there, and here are the three main categories that you’re bound to come across.
One-piece
In contrast to the more usual two-piece toilet, which comes with a separated bowl and tank, a one-piece toilet has these two components merged into a single unit. Despite the fact that two-piece toilets are more widespread, one-piece toilets are gaining popularity due to their distinct advantages. To begin with, one-piece toilets are simpler to clean. Because they don’t have as many nooks and crannies compared to two-piece systems, bacteria and germs have less room to hide. They also have a sleeker appearance that may go in better with the current decor in a modern bathroom. One-piece toilets have internal components that are less likely to leak and don’t require that many repairs in the long run. They also tend to be heavier, more difficult to install and maintain, and more expensive. The aesthetic appeal, simplicity of cleaning, and the enhanced durability, on the other hand, may compensate for the heavier weight and higher price.
Two-piece
The most common toilet design is a two-piece toilet. It is made up of two parts: the tank and the bowl. Some of the advantages that this model brings forth is the ease of repair and the ease of moving, compared to a single-piece. Because the parts are more accessible, these toilets aren’t as durable. Two-piece toilets have the advantage of being available in a variety of sizes and shapes. As a result, they can accommodate a greater range of interior design elements and bathroom areas. They’re also usually less expensive than one-piece toilets.
Wall-mounted
The two models we looked at earlier are considered floor-mounted, but there is another option worth considering and that category is represented by wall-mounted toilets. As opposed to floor-mounted models, this one comes with its components hidden inside the wall. As a result, you have about 10 extra inches of small space to work it, making these models particularly suitable for small bathrooms. The bowl is also suspended from the wall, leaving free space beneath it. This feature makes your bathroom floor more accessible and, therefore, easier to clean. You can also modify the floor-to-seat height with wall-hung toilets, which can be installed from 15 to 19 inches above the floor. They are typically more costly, more difficult to maintain, and more complex to install than their floor-mounted equivalents.
How to Choose a Dual Flush Toilet for Your Home
If you’re ready to make the transition from a single flush to a dual flush toilet, here are the main features that you need to look for in order to determine which products are best suited for your needs:
Materials
The majority of dual flush toilets are composed of plastic or porcelain. The most prevalent material used in the manufacture of toilets is porcelain. This is due to the fact that porcelain is durable, provides a watertight seal, and the manufacturing process isn’t that expensive. Plastic toilets aren’t that common due to the difficulty of producing a plastic that is equal to porcelain in terms of quality.
Colors
White is the most common toilet color you’re going to find because it’s a pretty standard choice that matches almost every bathroom style and design out there. Naturally, there are also other color and finish options, but if you have a white bathroom sink, paring it with a chrome toilet isn’t exactly recommended. In terms of colors, you want to choose something that matches the rest of your bathroom decor.
Size
Round bowls are more compact and less expensive than their elongated counterparts. That makes them a better choice for a smaller bathroom where you want to maximize floor space as much as possible. To comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) rules, most construction codes demand the existence of a minimum of 21 inches of floor space in front of the toilet.
Shape
The two most common shapes for toilet bowls are round and elongated. Round toilets are not as expensive as elongated models, as the latter are generally considered to be more comfortable. Elongated toilets are the most popular since they provide more comfort, which is why they are often advised for bathrooms with enough space.
Flushing Mechanisms
Dual flush toilets are distinguished by their flushing mechanism. Unlike the standard single flush model, dual flush toilets use two types of flushes to get rid of solid and liquid waste. Liquid flushing utilizes about half the amount of water that solid waste flushing does. This nearly-gallon-per-flush figure can save thousands of gallons of water annually. Toilets that have a dual flush mechanism do so due to a particular flush valve that limits the volume of water exiting the tank. On the other hand, single flush toilets will remove all the water from the tank each time you flush.
Water Usage
Did you know that about 30 percent of the water you use in your home every day goes into flushing the toilet? In other words, it is the main source of water consumption in your home. Most healthy people dispose of liquid waste three to four times more frequently than solid waste, but they use nearly twice as much water to do it. You can stop wasting water by installing a dual flush toilet. When you use the flushing mechanism that uses less water, you can save up to 67 percent more water compared to people that use a single flush toilet with the same amount of water usage each time they flush.
Price
The starting price for a decent dual flush toilet is $150, but to get a really good price-to-quality ratio, you have to be willing to spend about $250 to $350 (naturally, there are toilets that are even more expensive). The installation cost for dual flush toilets is between $200 and $350.
Dual VS Single Flush
If you ask pretty much anyone to name the two main categories of toilets they know about, most people would label them as single or dual flush. But what are the differences between these two types of toilets, exactly?
The most prevalent form of toilet found in old homes is the single-flush model. The name derives from the fact that these units come with a single flushing mechanism that uses all the water in the tank regardless of the waste the needs flushing (which can be up to five gallons).
Dual flush toilets have two of these mechanisms which are typically represented by two buttons located on the top of the tank. One button activates a flush that uses less water (about 0.8 gallons) and is exclusively for liquid waste, while the other activates a flush that is for solid waste (about 1.6 gallons).
Because they have fewer parts, single flush toilets are typically cheaper to repair when parts of them break down. Furthermore, some people believe that it’s more difficult to use a dual flush toilet because the buttons that one needs to press to flush the toilet are one next to another, relatively small, and require more pressure to push. On the other hand, dual flush toilets consume way less water, which is more cost-effective in the long run.
Best Dual Flush Toilets
K-3989-RA-0 Highline Comfort Height 2-Piece Elongated Dual-Flush Toilet
The Kohler toilet offers one of the best price-to-quality ratios on the market in 2021. It delivers a powerful flush performance while also conserving water due to its construction and flushing mechanism. One of the flushes uses 1.1 gallons of water, which is 30 percent less compared to what other similar products have to offer. When you do the math, you could be saving up to 4,000 gallons of water every year. The second lever flushes the toilet using 1.6 gallons of water.
Since this is an EPA WaterSense® certified product, it uses up to 20 percent less water compared to current federal regulations. The Comfort Height® feature is here to make sure that you can sit down and stand up comfortably because the height of the toilet is similar to the height of a regular chair. Naturally, that also makes sitting on the toilet more comfortable overall. Also, the elongated bowl contributes to this comfortable seating space.
So, when you spend money on this Kohler dual flush toilet, you’ll get a product that measures 18” W x 29.75” D overall, has a seat height of 16.5”, and weighs a little under 91 pounds. It does come with the bolts required for installation, but it doesn’t include the toilet seat and the wax ring kit.
American Standard h2option dual flush
If you’re looking to purchase a dual flush toilet tank and use it with another bowl (perhaps one that you already have and you just want to change the flushing mechanism you’re using), here is an option that’s worth considering. This is a simple white tank, but it’s also available in other neutral colors. The unit is a top-mounted product with the flushing buttons located on the top as well. That makes it easily accessible, which could be important in various situations.
The tank includes a chrome-finish trip lever, offering everything you can expect to get from a solid toilet tank. It meets the WaterSense requirements so it’s been regulated not to exceed the average water consumption in the industry. It is designed with a surface that’s meant to prevent mildew and is looking to inhibit unpleasant odors that are normally formed inside a toilet tank. It consumes 1.1 gallons of water per flush, measures 15 x 8.5 x 15 inches, and has a total weight of 26.9 pounds.
Woodbridge 128 gpf water-efficient elongated one piece toilet seat
If you fancy the idea of owning a black toilet, this is your chance. The WoodBridge toilet has a luxurious design that fits modern bathrooms like a glove. It offers quiet flushing and chair-height seating for the ultimate comfort of the user. It uses a maximum of 1.28 gallons of water per flush and comes with a quality seat with stainless steel hardware. The package includes floor bolts, a wax ring, a pre-installed water fitting, a pre-installed toilet seat, and the toilet itself.
St. Tropez® 1.28 GPF (Water Efficient) Elongated One-Piece Toilet by Swiss Madison
Another toilet with an elongated bowl that you’re bound to love is this one brought to you by Swiss Madison. You can select between a glossy white and a matte black finish, and you also have the possibility to choose where the lever is located: on the top or on the left. The dual flush mechanism uses either 1.1 or 1.6 gallons per flush, helping save a lot of water in the long run. It also includes a seat, the bolts, and a wax ring kit for fast installation.
Jimsmaison dual flush elongated one piece toilet seat included
This device features a variety of cleaning functions, such as automatic slow drop, anti-bacterial, and water-saving. It will help you to maintain a healthy and comfortable bathroom. The tornado flush mode works by swirling back and forth in a continuous fashion. It can get rid of the waste quickly and effectively. The wide water flow from all sides of the toilet makes it difficult to clean the inner wall. The height adjustment allows the user to use the seat height to their comfort.
Ove decors dual flush elongated two piece toilet seat included
The Nova is a modern, full-featured bathroom suite that features a variety of features and options, including its own self-cleaning function. It’s also easy to control with an intuitive remote control. It comes with a heated antimicrobial seat that senses your presence and automatically closes when you leave, offering a completely hands-free experience. It integrates a rear bidet function and uses a maximum of 1.27 gallons per flush. It comes with everything you need from a smart dual flush toilet.
Scarabeo 5522 Moon 1.3 GPF Elongated Back to Wall Toilet
With a very modern design and specifications that offer a great bang for the back, this elongated toilet comes with a maximum of 1.3 gallons per flush, offering you the possibility to save a lot of water each year. It sports a quality ceramic construction and is delivered in a single-piece unit that doesn’t weigh more than 50 pounds.
FAQ
Is a dual flush toilet worth it?
Yes. A dual flush toilet consumes way less water in a 24-hour span compared to a single flush model. When you use a traditional toilet, you are using the same amount of water for liquid and solid waste, which isn’t necessary. A dual flush toilet helps prevent that and uses less water when there’s not that much waste to flush.
What happens if you push both buttons on a dual flush toilet?
Pushing both flush buttons at the same time will lead to a larger water consumption and water being released with a lot of pressure.
Which is better single or dual flush toilets?
Even if dual flush toilets are more expensive and cost more to repair in case of damage, they also save up a considerable amount of water. To determine which is better, you’re going to have to prioritize what it is you hope to obtain from such a product.
Conclusion
There are plenty of reasons why you should choose a dual flush toilet. Even if it requires a higher upfront investment (even installation costs more for these models), it can help save a lot of water. When you look at the statistics, it’s troublesome to think about how much water is wasted when using a single flush model, so investing in a dual flush toilet seems like the responsible thing to do.
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