Archive for Toilets
Flush for Good: Raising the Standard of World Sanitation
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Did you ever think a flush could be so powerful that it’s felt in other countries? This year, American Standard is launching a campaign to raise awareness of how plumbers protect the health of the world. Deploying the same engineering know-how that led to the breakthrough Champion flushing system, the research and development team at American Standard created a new sanitary toilet pan to help solve a health crisis where plumbing infrastructure doesn’t exist.
A small plastic sanitary toilet pan designed to be connected to a simple latrine pit provides a tight seal to keep out flies and prevent dangerous cross-contamination. These sanitary toilet pans are designed to be affordable, easy to maintain and simple to use. See the sanitary toilet pan in action here.
For every Champion toilet sold in 2013, American Standard is donating a sanitary toilet pan to a developing country. Why champion a cause that is half a world away? The bathroom and kitchen symbolize the most fundamental aspects of the human condition. Our bodies bring nourishment in and expel waste out. When we look at the bathroom, we look at the core of who we are, at our deepest roots – it’s the one thing all humans share.
It’s also the story of why plumbers are so important. Be a champion to the world in 2013, and help us provide solutions to a global health crisis.
Yes, a toilet can be that powerful. Learn more at FlushforGood.com
Read the full story in Plumbing & Mechanical Elements Showroom
How to: Earn a Ph.D. in Water Savings with Professor Toilet
Posted by: | CommentsDo you know how much water you consume on a daily basis? Every drop of water you use can have a deep impact on the water supply of your community and region! This week, Professor Toilet will be quizzing our fans on the impact of water (and the lack thereof) locally, regionally and statewide. Do you have what it takes to earn a Ph. D. in water savings? Join the conversation on the American Standard Facebook page. See the cheatsheet infographic below to quickly find out how you and your family can make a significant difference in water usage through WaterSense Certified faucets and toilets!
World Toilet Day 2012: Meeting the Global Challenge
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Today, November 19th, 2012, marks World Toilet Day – a day celebrated annually that is dedicated to breaking the taboo around the toilet discussion and spreading awareness of issues surrounding waste management on a global scale.
So why should you give a $h!t? Imagine life without a toilet or sewage system. Imagine having to defecate in the open. While this is nearly unthinkable for those of us living in the developed world, this is an unfortunate reality for the 2.5 billion people in the world who lack access to a clean toilet and the 1.1 billion that practice open defecation. Why does this matter? Illness and disease that are spread through human waste is the second largest killer amongst children living in developing countries; that’s more than HIV/AIDS, measles and malaria combined or 1 death every 20 seconds!
How can you help? The World Toilet Organization, the group that organizes World Toilet Day, offers several suggestions on how you can get involved including signing the Keep Your Promises Petition and contacting your local media to get involved in the discussion. Learn more ways to get involved here.
Learn how American Standard has teamed up with the Gates Foundation earlier this year to make the world better one toilet at a time by developing a new, low-cost yet efficient, toilet system that was exhibited at the 2012 Reinvent the Toilet Fair.
Follow the conversation; Follow @WorldToiletDay and #IGiveaShit via Twitter today!
Professor Toilet and American Standard at Orgill 2012, Visit Booth #637
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Professor Toilet and the American Standard Team will be at the Orgill 2012 Fall Dealer Market at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Las Vegas from August 16-18, 2012. Come visit us at booth #637 to view some of our latest products including the:
- Champion® 4 Right Height® Elongated Toilet
- Cadet® 3 Tall Height Elongated Toilet
- Jocelyn Bathroom Faucet
- McKenzie Kitchen Faucet
Enter to win a Toilet!
Click here to visit our sign-up page and receive the latest updates about new products and promotions straight to your inbox! You’ll be automatically entered to win our Cadet 3 Right Height Elongated Toilet.
Test your PRO Knowledge: Take the Challenge to WIN a PRO™ Toilet!
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Are you up for this PRO sized challenge?
Since its introduction, The PRO™ Series has received a tremendous response from homeowners that were frustrated with their older, clog-prone and water inefficient toilets. The PRO Series is American Standard’s latest line of toilets that combines the powerful flushing systems of the popular Champion and Cadet toilets while using a WaterSense® Certified (pending) water saving flush. While the switch to the PRO line may be a no brainer, we want to test your PRO knowledge for the chance to win your very own! Read more for details…
Edit (8/8/12) : Congratulations to David Paige and Brian Necessary who will both be receiving a brand new PRO Toilet and retiring their plungers! Thank you to all of our participants in the PRO Talk and Test your PRO Knowledge challenge.
A Place of his Own: The Ultimate Man Cave for Dad & Giveaway – Happy Father’s Day
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes it’s called a man cave, a man space or even a mantuary; it’s a place to unwind, indulge in a favorite hobby, play pool or gather with friends to watch the game. In honor of Dad this Father’s Day, we’ve put together some ideas for the ultimate man cave with cues from some of our favorite TV shows. Can you spot the American Standard products we snuck in?
How To Enter:
Does your Dad have a special space where he goes to get away from it all? For father’s day this year, Professor Toilet is giving away your choice of one of our powerful new Champion PRO or Cadet PRO Toilets or a Decorum Urinal to outfit your dad’s space. Just tell us what your dad’s ultimate man cave would be and why you think he’s deserving of a new toilet or urinal. Professor Toilet and his team will pick their favorite response on Sunday, July 1st, 2012 and announce the winner on July 2nd, so submit your entry today. Happy Father’s Day!
Edit: Congratulations to Gerald McCarty whose hilarious poem, “An Ode to Dad”, made us laugh. Gerald’s father must’ve had a huge part in instilling a sense of humor to his children! Read the winning comment below:
An Ode to Dad.
My Dad is an endearing guy, but I fear his water bill is way too high.
His toilet flushes way too much and the old porcelain is unpleasant to the eye.
A new American Standard toilet would be such a great big rush,
And the lower water bills would be a bonus reminded with every flush.
My dear father just turned eighty eight
and a new toilet for him would really be great.
If he wins I could not be prouder
but for his merits I’ll just have to scream louder.
Thanks Dad
Thank you to everyone who entered our “Ultimate Man Cave” Giveaway! Stay tuned with us as we introduce new givaways and more all summer long!
Demands for global change this Earth Day, taking place this year on Sunday April 22nd, starts with small actions that create a bigger picture of worldwide conservation. For example, did you know that a leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day? Or that an average 8 minute shower can use up to 24 gallons of water? Detecting and fixing leaks and replacing older faucets with newer models that are Water Efficient or Watersense® Certified can save you hundreds of dollars a year! That’s money we think can be better spent elsewhere (think down payment on a new, fuel-efficient car).
Together, we can make a world of difference. See what Water Saving Rebates you qualify for and calculate your water savings with our interactive water savings calculator to estimate how much green you can save by going green.
Join us in Pledging for a Greener World, You Could Win a Toilet, Faucet or a Showerhead!
Take the challenge with us and Pledge for a Greener World at American Standard’s Facebook, Twitter and right here on the Professor Toilet Blog – you could win one of the Cadet Décor Toilet, Williamsburg Faucet or FloWise® Showerhead! Each time you pledge by tagging yourself on our pledge photo or share with your friends through Facebook, you increase your chance to win one of these water-efficient products so share and post your tips away!
In the NYC area? Join us for a live demonstration of the a Cadet Toilet‘s amazing flushing capabilities on 43rd Street and Broadway as we flush down golf balls and more at Earth Day New York in Times Square on April 20th. Take your picture with Professor Toilet, join us for some fun games and win some giveaways at the day-long event. Who knows? Maybe you will end up the star of our next video!
To enter for our Toilet, Faucet or Shower head drawing, pledge with your top water saving tip as a comment until April 27 5pm EST. To increase your chance to win, pledge via Facebook for additional entries! Only three entries will be picked randomly. First picked name will receive the toilet, second picked name will receive the faucet and last picked name will receive the shower head.
American Standard recently made toilet history with a new line of high efficiency commercial toilet flushing systems that conserve nearly one-third the amount of water used by a standard toilet. This new line is the first to offer this degree of water savings in a “single flush” flushometer toilet system.
The high-efficiency toilet (HET) system combines FloWise water-saving technology and innovative hands-free Selectronic controls – ideally suited to the American Standard Madera or Afwall commercial toilets – to efficiently clear the bowl using just 1.1 gallons per flush (gpf), a savings of 31 percent over a standard 1.6 gpf toilet. Compared to a standard 1.28 gpf HET, these new systems yield an additional 11 percent water savings.
Engineered to deliver a powerful flush, these 1.1 gpf flushometer toilet systems have been third-party certified to flush 800 grams of solid waste in the Maximum Performance (MaP) test, an independent report of toilet bulk removal performance, while also attaining the maximum drain line carry.
For more information on this announcement, view the complete press release for the 1.1 gpf High Efficiency Flushometer Toilet Systems.
Are Water Saving Toilets Stopping Up Sewers?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the Professor talks water-saving toilets, the focus tends to be on whether or not it has the flushing power to effectively clean the bowl and avoid household clogs. But every now and then there is a reminder that all that waste has to GO somewhere. A toilet flush not only needs to clear the bowl, but also keep waste moving through the sewer system.
Older 3.5 gallon per flush (gpf) toilets used plenty of (you might even say too much) water to move waste through drainlines down to the sewer system, but as 1.6 and even 1.28 gpf toilets become the norm, some reports emerged questioning whether the reduced amount of water was enough to power waste effectively through the pipes underground.
Studies to date have found that the reduced water flow is not to blame. A drainline carry study performed in Australia at locations deemed to be of “above average” difficulty in terms of drainline length and slope (or lack there of) found that water saving toilets caused no blockages. Other studies have demonstrated that poor drainline installation is the main cause of sewer back-ups, including rough joints, debris from construction being left in the pipe, and even lengths of pipe that slope the wrong way.
A new study by the Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition is scheduled to begin early this year, thanks in part to a generous donation of test apparatus by American Standard Brands. With water shortages critical in many parts of the world, and drought forecast for the entire southern tier of the US in 2012, any study that helps build end-user confidence in high-efficiency plumbing will enable this significant water savings to continue, rather than literally sending technical advances in flushing performance “down the drain.”
World Toilet Day: Better Toilets and Better Toilet Flushes
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday the Professor was thrilled to tune in to NPR’s Science Friday to hear toilet experts discuss a favorite issue: building a better toilet. Participants included Jim McHale, vice president of engineering at American Standard; author Rose George; Frank Rijsberman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and Daniel Yeh, engineering professor and toilet inventor.
The topic of the day was World Toilet Day, an event designed to raise awareness about the 2.6 billion people on earth – that’s 1/3 of the world population – who do not have access to proper sanitation. Lack of access to toilets lead to diarrhea, disease, and death, and represents a serious problem in the developing world.
This is why engineers are working on “reinventing the toilet” to create a commode that does not require access to a sewer system or clean drinking water for flushing. The Gates Foundation has also created a special program offering grants to engineers to create new toilet prototypes. Dr. Yeh is currently working on a model that uses anaerobic bacteria to digest waste, for example.
The Professor also appreciated the discussion
on the challenges faced by toilet designers in the U.S. McHale explained that the main concern at American Standard was to conserve water without sacrificing performance, and discussed the company’s participation in the EPA’s WaterSense program, which promotes water efficient products and encourages water-saving behaviors. The Professor particularly enjoyed McHale’s description of the H2Option siphonic dual flush toilet, an “engineering miracle” that uses smart science on the inside and an EverClean glaze on the outside to ensure that a wasteful “double flush” is never necessary to clean the bowl.
If you missed the original broadcast, you can listen in on the Science Friday podcast page.
Want to do more to support the fight for better sanitation around the world? Donate to the World Toilet Organization now!
