- Good points above, but I'd add a couple of things from personal experience:
- Swapped out toilets in a few older rental units a while back and ran into similar headaches—weak flushes, tenants complaining, etc. Realized pretty quickly the plumbing wasn't up to snuff for low-flow.
- Learned that it's not just slope, but pipe diameter matters too. Narrower pipes designed for older setups can struggle with lower water volumes.
- Ended up upgrading some plumbing in trouble spots and saw immediate improvement. But obviously, that's extra cost and hassle you gotta factor in.
- Curious if anyone's found a workaround or specific brand that's more forgiving on older plumbing? I'm all for saving water (and money on bills), but not if it means constant maintenance calls...
"Curious if anyone's found a workaround or specific brand that's more forgiving on older plumbing?"
I've run into similar headaches with older buildings, but honestly, I've found the toilet design itself matters way more than just going by brand reputation. Had a couple of units from the 60s where tenants constantly complained about weak flushes after installing standard low-flow models. After some trial and error (and plenty of plumber bills), I realized pressure-assisted toilets were the game changer.
Pressure-assisted models use air pressure to boost flushing power, so they're way less finicky with narrow or older pipes. They cost a bit more upfront, yeah, but for me it was worth every penny to avoid constant tenant calls and maintenance visits. One downside: they can be louder than gravity-fed toilets, which some tenants might find annoying. Still, I'd rather deal with occasional noise complaints than repeated plumbing backups or weak flushes...
Might be worth checking out if you haven't tried them yet—could save you the hassle (and expense) of upgrading the plumbing in older rentals.
Pressure-assisted toilets are definitely solid, but I've also had decent luck with certain gravity-fed models designed specifically for older plumbing. American Standard has a line called Champion that's worked surprisingly well in a couple of my older properties. They have a wider trapway and flush valve, which helps move waste through older pipes without clogging as much.
Another trick I've found helpful is to avoid toilets with super narrow trapways—those sleek, minimalist designs might look nice, but they're a nightmare in older buildings. Also, make sure the installation itself is spot-on: even a slight misalignment or improper wax ring seating can cause weak flushes and backups.
If you're not ready to jump to pressure-assisted (they can get noisy, like mentioned), maybe try one of these gravity-fed models first. Could save you some cash and tenant complaints in the long run...
I've had mixed results with water-saving toilets myself. Put one in an older home a few years back to cut down on the water bill, and ended up dealing with constant clogs. Eventually switched to one of those Champion models mentioned above—night and day difference, honestly.
Yeah, I've installed a few of those water-savers, and honestly, results vary a ton. Some older plumbing setups just don't play nice with them. Champions are solid, but even then, sometimes it's just luck of the draw... or flush, I guess.
