Posts Tagged ‘toilet testing’

Posted: 09.02.2010

Toilet Testing: What Goes into a Reliable Product?

When choosing a toilet for your home, there are a number of important things to consider. In addition to pricing – something that nearly everyone needs to worry about these days – there is the issue of maintenance and reliability: how can you be certain that a toilet will work reliably and continue to do so into the future? Then there is also the issue of water use. Toilets are by far the biggest indoor sources of water use in American households, so by choosing a low-flow toilet you can save water and save money on your monthly utility bill.

The Professor’s solution is to learn as much as possible about the testing a manufacturer performs on its toilets. What kind of tests were done, how rigorous were they, and how well did the toilet stand up to them? A video that demonstrates the tests that American Standard performed on the Champion 4, one of its newest high performance, low-flow toilets is one of the Professor’s favorite new discoveries. It not only shows the many ways that the toilets are tested for effective flushing, but also looks at product improvements that American Standard has made based on what their (engineers? designers?) have learned from earlier product tests.

Posted: 07.19.2010

For the birds: Swedish City Builds Bird Toilet to Protect Marina

Toilets aren’t just for people: officials in central Sweden’s Karlstad municipality recently constructed a special pontoon to serve as a seagull lavatory to help protect boaters at the local marina from the “unwanted deposits” the birds were dropping all over the area.

The pontoon was painted and anchored in an area specifically designed to attract the birds. It is hoped that the gulls will choose to sit on the ledge and leave their droppings on the pontoon rather than all over the boats (and boat owners) in the marina.

The Professor wishes Karlstad residents all the best in their bird toilet-training efforts and looks forward to hearing how successful the project was.

Posted: 06.12.2009

The Commencement Speech Professor Toilet Should Have Given

No one actually invited Professor Toilet to give a commencement address this year. Which is no reason not to give it.  No one asked for a toilet blog either, but here you are.

Graduate, as you head out into the world, here are 10 things you always need to remember:

1.    Finding a good flush will be easier than finding a good spouse.  Unlike spouses, toilets are independently tested to verify performance.

2.    Water isn’t endless.

3.    When you do settle down, spend less time and money on your china pattern and more on the most important chinaware in your home:  your toilet.

4.    Two words: siphonic action.

5.     For Pete’s sake, if your toilet ever does clog, don’t pretend you don’t know and let it keep going so that it ruins the bathroom, the floor, the ceiling of the floor below and 10 or more people’s days.  Take your plunger and responsibility in hand when duty, literally, calls you.

6.    You can find a lifetime commitment.  There are toilets out there with lifetime warranties.

7.    Control yourself.  You can have multiple shower heads. But you can’t have multiple showerheads, a lush green lawn in the desert and expect to wash your car every day.

8.    Regarding eating, drinking, and most anything else that is fun doing, see #7

9.    Science is good. The scientific and mechanically gifted minds who innovate and install plumbing systems in our homes and building systems  really do protect the health of our nation.

10.    Finally, before touring Europe this summer, learn the difference between a bidet and a water fountain.