Honestly, I get the frustration with old plumbing, but I still think newer toilets are worth it in the long run. Sure, you might have to deal with some clogs if your pipes are ancient, but that’s more of a sign the pipes need attention anyway. Water-saving toilets can be a pain if you’re not careful, but I’d rather deal with an occasional backup than waste gallons every flush. Just gotta make sure the system’s up to it before swapping things out... learned that the hard way once.
That’s a fair point about the pipes—sometimes it’s not the toilet’s fault at all. I’ve seen folks swap in a low-flow model thinking it’ll solve everything, only to find out their 60-year-old cast iron lines are half blocked with buildup. In those cases, even the best water-saving toilet will struggle. It’s worth checking the whole system before making the switch. Still, when everything’s in good shape, the water savings do add up over time... just gotta be sure you’re not trading one headache for another.
Had a similar situation in one of my older rentals—swapped in a fancy dual-flush, but tenants kept complaining about clogs. Turns out, the main line was so gunked up that even a regular toilet would've struggled. Lesson learned: always scope the pipes first... new toilets aren't magic fixes.
Lesson learned: always scope the pipes first... new toilets aren't magic fixes.
That hits the nail on the head. I put in one of those “efficient” toilets to save on bills, but honestly, it didn’t matter much when the old cast iron pipes were half-closed with buildup. Ended up spending more on a plumber than I saved on water. Sometimes I wonder if these new models just shift the problem somewhere else… especially in older houses like mine. Maybe worth it for new builds, but for the rest of us, it’s not always a straight upgrade.
Sometimes I wonder if these new models just shift the problem somewhere else… especially in older houses like mine. Maybe worth it for new builds, but for the rest of us, it’s not always a stra...
I get where you’re coming from, but I’ve actually had the opposite experience in a couple of old houses. Even with ancient pipes, the newer toilets handled things better than the clunker they replaced. Maybe it depends on the specific model or just luck of the draw... but sometimes those “efficient” flushes really do clear more than you’d expect. Still, I wouldn’t skip checking the pipes first—just saying, it’s not always a lost cause in older places.
