Showerheads

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by SField

I live in a fairly posh building on Michigan ave, it doesn't exactly have standard fittings.
Posh or no, the bathroom is one of the most obvious places that builders cut corners to save cost. Most people can't tell the difference, or care, whether they have a $119 Kohler Wellworth elongated bowl toilet or a $300 Toto Drake as long as it flushes and looks decent.

Kohler

Toto

 

[BrianVarick]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Posh or no, the bathroom is one of the most obvious places that builders cut corners to save cost. Most people can't tell the difference, or care, whether they have a $119 Kohler Wellworth elongated bowl toilet or a $300 Toto Drake as long as it flushes and looks decent.

Kohler

Toto

Why do you know so much about toilets? That seems like an odd item to be knowledgable about

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

Why do you know so much about toilets? That seems like an odd item to be knowledgable about

Tokyo Slim knows everything. He just picks and chooses which knowledge to drop on us each week.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I have worked in residential plumbing in both the sales and construction side of the trade. Before I started my current warehouse job, I had done mostly plumbing for about seven years. (pizza delivery, computer building, movie theater managing are my other immediate areas of work related expertise) Its not just toilets, I do all bath and kitchen fixtures and both hard plumbing and PEX. I do sewage, drainage, and natural gas. Garbage disposals, appliances, electrical, minor carpentry, drywall, windows, doors, roofing, skylights, flooring (vinyl, carpet, hardwood, poured, and tile) I can drop knowledge on a lot of subjects. I soak up information like a sponge.

I am not liscenced nor am I bonded. And I try not to give people advice about pipes, leaks, or electrical or gas issues. Hire a professional. I will talk fixtures all damn day though. I love me some fixtures!

 

[Ludeykrus]

Originally Posted by zjpj83

Can anyone recommend good showerheads? The adjustable kind, not the "rain" kind.

Thanks in advance.

Let me check with my girlfriend, she's got an adjustable massage showerhead with lead that she loooooves...

 

[Tokyo Slim]

As to the toilets pictured above - The Toto Drake is one of the best 1.6 gallon gravity flush toilets on the market, and the Kohler Wellworth is... not.

Just so you know - its worth it to get the Toto. here's a video of the Drake flushing what is supposedly 1/2 a roll of 2 ply toilet paper.
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[SField]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

As to the toilets pictured above - The Toto Drake is one of the best 1.6 gallon gravity flush toilets on the market, and the Kohler Wellworth is... not.

Just so you know - its worth it to get the Toto.

I just looked and I have something called a Toto. What makes it so good?

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by SField

I just looked and I have something called a Toto. What makes it so good?
Well it depends on which one you have, of course. Most Totos have either a G-Max or E-Max (proprietary) flushing system which incorporates three very important things for one purpose. Water force. A 3" flush valve. (the "flapper") the standard in most lesser toilets is 2 inch. A 2 1/8 inch fully glazed trapway (The pipeline from the bowl to the sewer) Super cheap toilets sometimes are not fully glazed or inspected, and hve irregularities - causing things like toilet paper and waste matter to get stuck - thereby decreasing the water flow. An exceptional computer mapped flow system the keeps the water force (speed) throughout the flush cycle. The faster the water gets from the tank through the bowl, into the sewer - the "better" your flush is going to be. Toto is at the leading edge of this technology. Some of their gravity flush toilets outperform power assisted (pressurized) toilets. Thats pretty impressive. You likely have a pretty basic Toto Model. They get... um... complex. Expecially when paired with the matching "washlet" as they often are in Japan.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: No media files are hosted on these forums. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website. We can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. If the video does not play, wait a minute or try again later. I AGREE

TIP: to embed Youtube clips, put only the encoded part of the Youtube URL, e.g. eBGIQ7ZuuiU between the tags. This is the toilet I have. http://www.amazon.com/Ultramax-Piece...2427559&sr=8-7 It is very nice. Someday maybe I'll get the washlet for it.

 

[otc]

I was inspired and tried to remove the flow regulator on my crappy moen shower head...

I removed what appeard to be regulator (little rubber thing with three small holes) but the shower seemed about the same...must be the ****** 3rd floor pressure.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

I would say this thread was successfully derailed.

Job done!

 

[Tck13]

I went to an old hardware store and bought an old fashioned shower head. It's the best shower head ever... No water saving for me and it's a damned good shower...

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by otc

I was inspired and tried to remove the flow regulator on my crappy moen shower head... I removed what appeard to be regulator (little rubber thing with three small holes) but the shower seemed about the same...must be the ****** 3rd floor pressure.
I don't remember Moen's being rubber. I think they use a hard plastic orange washer. Like this one:

But they might have changed things since I looked last. Also, if you have a cheaper valve (PosiTemp) they tend to suck at giving good pressure. Its just something I've noticed. The Moentrol valve is much better. Its already in your wall, so there's not much you can do now.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by Tck13

I went to an old hardware store and bought an old fashioned shower head. It's the best shower head ever... No water saving for me and it's a damned good shower...

Define old fashioned shower head. A 1990 model? Every showerhead sold in the US since late 91 has a flow regulator. Thank the EPA. Its Federal law. People like Zoe Industries have been sued for trying to sidestep it, though since they are exploiting technical loophole in the law they are getting away with it as of right now. (each shower head puts out less than 2.5GPM to comply with the law, but they have 3 heads feeding off one pipe for a total output of over 6GPM)

Next thing you know, they are going to start building timers into shower heads that shut the water off after 20 minutes or something. Fascists.

 

[KBW]

My shower head at my condo off campus most definitely puts out a lot more than 2.5 gallons per minute. At times even on the most spread out setting it hurts. I HATE taking showers without much water pressure. Our house we closed on last week at the beach had only decent water pressure and I wasn't very happy. Is there any way I can upgrade the water pressure?

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by KBW

My shower head at my condo off campus most definitely puts out a lot more than 2.5 gallons per minute. At times even on the most spread out setting it hurts. I HATE taking showers without much water pressure. Our house we closed on last week at the beach had only decent water pressure and I wasn't very happy. Is there any way I can upgrade the water pressure?
You should get a gallon milk jug and cut a hole in the top the size of your shower head, and see how long it takes to fill it. I'm curious (and I bet you'll be surprised)

Aside from removing the flow regulator (assuming it has one) you could re-pipe your new beach house.

Do you know if it has steel, copper, CPVC, or PEX plumbing? By the way, removing the regulator is not against the law. Its just against the law to sell the shower head after you remove it.