Modern Euro One Piece Dual Flush Toilet

Toilet History:
The concept of a toilet first originated around 31^st century BC in Skara Brae, Great Britain and but was not revitalized and advanced until the 1^st Century A.D. by the Roman Empire. Through the many years, the flush toilet went through many changes by different people in Europe.

The official “flush toilet” was invented by J.F. Brondel in 1738, while advancements such as the S-Trap, toilet plunger closet, siphon discharge system, and hinged valve all took place until the 1880s.

Toilets did not make the big leap in history and around the world until 1880 when Thomas Crapper’s plumbing company started to mass produce flush toilets. By then, major improvements on the toilet were made (floating valve and siphonic flush) and these were good enough to meet the standards of sanitary waste disposal at the time.

Though most people believe the word “crap” originated from Thomas Crapper’s toilet concept, it was actually had no relation to Thomas Crapper since it was an older word used in Great Britain before Crapper’s toilets were produced.

The “water closet”, “John”, or “commode” are all also known as toilets here in the United States. Toilets have made improvements (mostly in aesthetics) the past 10 years. Some of the improvements are the slow closing seat, one piece toilet, elongated toilet seats and bowls, and pressure assist flush.

The most notable change was the introduction of dual flush toilets, which still hasn’t gained enough popularity here in a land of “no limits” when it comes to resources.

Dual Flush Toilets:
The Dual Flush toilet orginated in Australia back in 1980 by a worker for Caroma named Bruce Thompson. These types of toilets originally had a Duoset cistern in the middle of the town with two buttons on the top, one for half flush (liquid waste) and the other for full flush (solid waste).

These were proven to save an average household up to 67% of water usage. The half flush feature requires less water to operate and thus lacks the siphoning power of the full flush feature. The half flush generally consumes 0.8 gallons of water while the full flush consumes 1.6 gallons of water.

These toilets were promoted under the Australian government with Target 155 campaign. These toilets are more dominant in Australia and were very well known in Asia and Europe. Here in the United States, these toilets are still unheard of to most people until they have to shop for a toilet and notice that there are some dual flush toilets on the aisles of major retailers such as Home Depot or Lowes.

The biggest gain in popularity in the recent years can be attributed to the Dual Flush conversion kit that only costs about $20 and are sold are different home improvement stores. This is a quick and cheap alternative than spending about $300 on a new dual flush toilet and having to install it.

Recently, the New York City Counter has passed a law for all new toilets to be either high water efficient or “dual flush. This will take effect in the city plumbing code in July of 2012 and it also includes strict water efficiency standards that will apply to shower heads, urinals, and sink faucets. Don’t be surprised if more cities or states start passing out laws for water efficiency on plumbing fixtures.