Posts Tagged ‘Cadet 3’

Posted: 07.16.2010

Toilets: Get Comfy

When selecting a toilet, homeowners have the choice between round and elongated bowl designs.

Round-front toilets have been around the longest and typically extend 25 to 28 inches from the wall. Newer to the scene and designed to be more comfortable, elongated bowls typically extend 29 to 31 inches from the wall.

Because the toilet sits opposite the door in many smaller bathrooms, a regular elongated toilet can restrict the size of the door or its swing – or just make navigating small powder rooms difficult.

A third option is called compact elongated, which combine the best of both worlds: comfort and space savings. Compact elongated toilets, such as the Compact Cadet 3, offer the comfort of an elongated bowl in same 27½-inch footprint as a conventional round-front bowl.

This space-saving feat is accomplished by reengineering the trapway so that it is closer to the wall but still fits standard 12-inch rough in designs.

It is important not to confuse bowl size (distance from the wall to the front of the bowl) with a toilet’s rough-in dimensions, which denotes the distance from the wall to the center of the toilet flange in the floor).

Posted: 05.04.2010

WaterSense Products a Key Element in Green Rebuilding Efforts

On May 4, 2007, the town of Greensburg, Kansas was destroyed by an EF5 tornado. Ninety-five percent of the town was leveled by the storm and 11 people lost their lives. In the wake of this tragedy the residents of Greensburg chose to take advantage of what they realized was an historic opportunity and began to rebuild their home into the first LEED Platinum town in the country.

Today, on the 3rd anniversary of the Greensburg tornado, the Professor gives a tip of the hat to the resilient residents of Greensburg for their amazing accomplishments.

Most of the news coverage has focused on Greensburg’s wind farm, rainwater harvesting efforts, recycled building materials, and LED-powered streetlights. However, one other important feature in the town’s new, environmentally-friendly plan includes the installation of WaterSense-certified plumbing products in the reconstructed homes.

To help residents conserve water, American Standard Brands donated a number of products, including several low-flow Cadet 3 and FloWise toilets, both of which use 20% less water per flush than standard toilets. Several Greensburg homes also received water-saving Reliant 3 faucets and FloWise bath and shower kits.

Making use of clean energy technologies and reclaimed building materials are truly laudable actions, but as always, the Professor is especially pleased to see that water conservation is a key aspect of Greensburg’s low-impact lifestyle.

Posted: 05.04.2010

Dual Flush Toilet Review: Washdown vs. Siphonic Action

Professor Toilet is pleased to see enthusiasm for dual flush toilets finally catching on in the United States.

Designed more than 30 years ago by an Australian Toilet Scientist, dual flush technology can reduce water usage by up to 67%. To put this into perspective, that’s like saving an average of 9,600 gallons a day over the old 3.5-gallon behemoths, or enough water to fill three hot tubs each day when compared to a 1.6-gallon toilet.

Dual flush toilets are actually mandated in Australia and Singapore, and catching on fast in North America because of the simple premise: “push 1 for 1 and push 2 for 2,”  A number 1 flush uses less water, a far more pleasant alternative to “if it’s yellow, let it mellow.” A number 2 flush is designed to take down solids without clogging, typically using the same 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) as standard toilets like the Champion 4 and Cadet 3.

Dual Flush Washdown vs. Dual Flush Siphonic

One issue slowing more widespread adoption of dual flush toilets in the US is a technical term that toilet scientists call skid marks. The Professor assumes that you don’t need a visual on that; in short, it’s a bowl that won’t stay clean after pushing 2 for 2.  You may use other words for it when it happens.

Dual flush toilets rely on the “push” of water to cleanse the bowl in what is known as a washdown flush.  In contrast, standard toilets depend on the more popular siphonic action to “pull” waste out.

To strengthen the push action, the bowls of dual flush models are sloped more sharply than standard toilets to give the water greater momentum, which can also increase splashing.  The steeped bowls mean a smaller “water spot” or water surface area in the bowl, which makes it more likely that toilet paper or other waste will cling to the sides of the bowl, staining and generating odors.

The toilet engineers at American Standard have overcome these two hurdles with a dual flush toilet that removes every last trace of paper and waste, as well as one that offers a large traditional water surface area.

The WaterSense-certified H2Option Dual Flush Toilet is the first truly siphonic dual flush toilet, which generates strong push and pull action through forceful but quiet jetted action under the rim.  When the user flushes H2Option, some of the water is instantly diverted to the rim where there are a series of chambers.  The air in the chambers pushes the ongoing coming water forcefully out into the bowl. The resulting downhill rush of water creates an all-but-irresistible pull on the water behind it, so that every last trace of waste is removed from the bowl.

Posted: 07.13.2009

Product Reviews: American Standard Cadet 3 Toilet

Product Reviews: Installing a American Standard Cadet 3 Toilet

A motivated do-it-yourselfer films a product review of a Cadet 3 toilet installed in his home:

Posted: 06.02.2009

Flushology 101 How Toilets Flush

It may not be rocket science, but a good toilet flush is a lesson in physics.

When the toilet is flushed, water fills the toilet bowl and the upward leg of the trapway, the S-shape visibly snaking out the back of most toilets.  When water reaches the top of the trapway, called the weir gravity pulls it into the downward leg of the S.  Hence the name, gravity fed or simply gravity toilet.

The rush of water running downhill pulls waste and water out of the bowl. The stronger the push of the water, the stronger the pull of siphonic action to cleanse the bowl.