Last year, I began a project to replace the four toilets in my home that were original “builder’s grade” from 1991. They consumed at least 4-5 gallons of water with each flush and were prone to leaking water in the bowl even after updating the hardware.
I did some research and narrowed my choices down to two ratings of toilets. 1.6gpf toilets and high efficiency 1.28gpf toilets. Both types I considered were single flush units. Since I have three teenagers in my home, I opted not to consider the dual flush models that use less water.
I bought two toilets from my local home improvement store that were the store brand Glacier Bay 1.28gpf model. After replacing two of the four toilets as a test, I was happy with the flush power and operation of both toilets. Based on this information, I purchased two additional Glacier Bay 1.28gpf toilets and installed them in the last two bathrooms in the home.
To my dismay, I discovered that one of these two toilets had completely different hardware in the tank and a smaller flush hole. After checking the model number on the box, all four toilets were of the same model. It appears that the store brand toilet can come from different suppliers or with different hardware but will have the same brand and model number.
The toilet with the different flush hardware and smaller bowl began to leak water into the bowl from the tank after about a week of use. I removed it from the bathroom and returned it to the store. (thankfully they allow returns on toilets) After getting permission from the store clerk, I went to the toilet section and opened boxes until I found the same model as the other toilets installed. I replaced the defective unit and have been happy with the toilets’ performance over the past year.
I published a series of blog posts on Mapawatt Blog describing in detail my experience with the toilet upgrade. In summary, I cannot recommend the Glacier Bay 1.28gpf toilets for two reasons:
- Inconsistent Parts and Function – Since the store does not change the model number when they modify the parts of the toilet, I can’t make a recommendation on this model.
- The Newer Hardware doesn’t work well – From what I can tell and through testing, the new hardware in this model toilet is not of the same quality or capability as the older flushing hardware. It is likely that the newer hardware is less expensive to produce but this doesn’t help the consumer if it fails to perform well.
After several discussions with other community members and after installing two American Standard 1.6gpf toilets in a beach condominium, I have the following findings:
- 1.28gpf Flushing Mechanisms have more Power than 1.6gpf flushing hardware – Even though I had trouble with the Glacier Bay 1.28gpf toilets, they still have more flush power than the 1.6gpf flushing hardware. The action appears to be different since there is more water per flush.
- Now that I’ve completed this research, if I could start over, I would choose the following toilet: American Standard Cadet 3 Right Height FloWise Elongated Toilet. This has the most powerful flush in its class and is comfortable due to the higher seat and elongated bowl.
I hope you find this helpful. A couple of last notes: you should measure your bathroom to make sure the elongated bowl will fit if your existing toilet is a round bowl. If you prefer the comfort of a wooden toilet seat, make sure to buy one when you purchase the toilet. The American Standard Cadet and Champion series toilets come with a plastic toilet seat.
We want to hear from you about your toilet upgrade. Did you find similar results or do you have a story to share with us?
