Designing your dream bathroom » Toilets

Saniflo Upflush Toilets

David — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:35:08 +0000

Install a Toilet Anywhere You Want.

Installing a bathroom where you want is often difficult and sometimes even impossible. The main drainpipe is either too far away, or the new bathroom or sink will be lower than the drainpipe, making conventional installation unworkable. The Saniflo Sanitop up flush toilet is a system that is used to install a complete bathroom up to 12 feet below the sewer line, or even up to 120 feet away from a soil stack. It can handle the effluent from a toilet and sink.

A normal operating cycle for Sanitop takes about 10 – 15 seconds depending upon the discharge pipe run configuration; power consumption is therefore minimal. A non-return valve, which comes already assembled on the discharge elbow, prevents back flow into the unit. The design of this model consists of vibration absorbers which enable the reduction of operating sound by reducing the transmitted sounds from any location where such resonance transmission could occur. This new design reduces the operating sound of this pump by 10dB.

The Saniflo upflush toilet is simple to install; there are just four connections.

The macerator/pump is connected to the spigot of a horizontal rear discharge toilet.
The toilet tank is connected to the water supply.
The macerator/pump is connected to the small diameter discharge pipe work.
The macerator/pump is connected to the electrical supply.

The Sanitop has been certified to American and Canadian Standards.

The TOTO Clayton Traditional Widespread Lavatory and Bath Faucet

David — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 20:59:05 +0000

TOTO is the world’s largest plumbing products manufacturer. They offer a complete line of commercial and decorative plumbing fixtures and fittings, faucets, accessories, shower and flush valves, as well as lavatories, toilets, Air Baths and urinals. More than 1,500 TOTO engineers and their colleagues are committed to achieving the seamless integration of performance, conservation, technology, and innovation.

For over 90 years, TOTO have been producing superbly designed, high performance lifestyle enhancing plumbing products for residential bathrooms and commercial restrooms. While they understand customers want products that have great design, they concentrate on creating a more enjoyable bathroom experience through products that infuse sophisticated style with substance, optimize water conservation and provide consistent, exceptional performance.

The TOTO Clayton Traditional Widespread faucet is available with a maximum flow rate of 2.2 gpm or 1.5 gpm and is ADA Compliant.

Durable Brass construction

Washerless ceramic disk valve cartridge

Accommodates 8″-16″ spread

The Most Expensive Bathroom Ever Created: The Space Toilet

David — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:54:55 +0000

Think your luxury bathroom renovation cost a pretty penny? Then you need to lay your eyes on easily the most expensive bathroom ever: the space toilet. This zero gravity toilet designed for space shuttles was bought by NASA from Russia for $19 million for the international space station. That may seem like an astronomical sum for a commode, but considering how much brand new technology had to be developed and implemented, it would’ve actually cost much more for the U.S. government to create its own space toilet. This latest space age (literally) bathroom has been shared amongst 13 astronauts and cosmonauts and is an improvement on previous space toilets in that it offers more privacy and has a surprising water conservation feature that we’ll talk about later.

Because these toilets are used in space, there are some special considerations, both in how the toilet works and how it’s used.

Strapping In

Gravity is more useful in the bathroom than you may have expected. For instance, it keeps you on the toilet. In space, without the luxury of gravity, astronauts have to literally strap themselves to the toilet using ankle straps and thigh braces. Otherwise, they’d float away!

Vacuum Powered

You may have heard that toilets flush clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere (which may or may not be true), but what direction do they flush in space? The answer: they don’t. Space toilets are completely vacuum powered. The vacuum both serves to move waste into storage as well as kill bacteria to control odor.

Aim Carefully

Because space toilets are vacuum powered without water, accuracy is extremely important. To help you hit your mark, there are cameras in the commode that help you aim.

Waste Not

Space shuttles are like little self-contained ecosystems and nothing can go to waste. You may remember in the movie Apollo 13 when liquid waste was jettisoned into space, but today’s space toilets are geared more towards recycling and conservation. Liquid waste is distilled by the space shuttle into purified water that’s suitable for drinking (though most astronauts prefer not to!). In most cases, the recycled water is used in the Electron unit, which separates the liquid into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is expelled into space while the oxygen is added to the atmosphere in the shuttle. So, if you don’t drink recycled waste, you end up breathing it. Still want to be an astronaut when you grow up?

Robert Thirsk – Space Plumber

Move over Mario Brothers, there’s a new super plumber in town. Robert Thirsk, a Canadian astronaut, has the honor saving the day with his space plumbing when the $19 million space toilet broke down. The toilet flooded one fateful Sunday, prompting Mission Control to advise that the astronauts hang an “out of order” sign on the door. Thirsk and a few other astronauts worked round the clock to get it up and running again. Coincidentally, Thirsk’s heroic repair was completed on July 20, 2009 – the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.

So, what lessons have learned from the multimillionaire space toilet? Here are a few:

Commodes don’t have to talk up a lot of room – the less room the toilet takes up, the more room you have to decorate, expand your bathroom vanity or make way for a whirlpool or air tub.
Space age technology’s got to be green – while we don’t recommend recycling liquid waste in your own home, a low-flow toilet or a gray water toilet that uses shower water to flush is a good start!
Even expensive bathroom fixtures breakdown – find a good plumber and keep him on speed dial! Also, it wouldn’t hurt to have a spare bathroom – just in case.

Apollo 11 Bathroom and Shower

All-about-vanities — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:18:47 +0000

Ever wondered how astronauts go the bathroom in outer space. With zero gravity everything should just float around them. That sounds very gross. But don’t worry those brainy guys at NASA have solved the bathroom problem as well. Check out the bathroom and shower that they used on Apollo 11.

A wide-angle view of the Orbital Workshop waste management compartment. The actual toilet’s down the hall, to your right.

Apollo 11 bathroom

Astronaut Charles Conrad Jr. smiles for the camera after a hot shower.

Apollo 11 shower

To read more about how the bathroom works check out howstuffworks.com.

Neo-Metro Metaal Stainless Steel Toilet

All-about-vanities — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:06:29 +0000

Neo-Metro Metaal Stainless Steel Toilet

One piece cistern flush toilet with unique P-Trap.

Water saving toilet-averages 1.2 gallons per flush
Punched for under-mounted toilet seat (5.5″ spread)
12″ roughs
15″ rim height, optional ADA Compliant Bowl with 18″ Rim Height
Satin Finish with decorative Mira finish on trap
Must use the Geberit In Wall Carrier

Scarabeo Planet Water Closet with Wall Cistern

All-about-vanities — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:59:57 +0000

Scarabeo Planet Water Closet with Wall Cistern

Includes:

Toilet Bowl with Floor or Wall Trap-please specify a version
Geberit Dual Flush Wall Cistern