Flush, flush, flush...

November 17, 2006 12:27 PM

Why do toilets in private homes generally have a tank, whereas in most commercial/public/dormitory/stadium/etc. restrooms they do not have a tank?

Google searches, Wikipedia, and a previous AskMe question provide lots of information on HOW the two types work, but this doesn't answer my question. I want to know WHY tanks are so ubiquitous in private homes and nearly unseen in public estabilshments with multiple stalls in a single restroom.

posted by wondercow to health & fitness (16 comments total)

Fewer parts to steal or vandalize.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 12:37 PM on November 17, 2006

Seems like the water pressure is much, much higher in commercial buildings. The tank has the advantage of working even if your water pressure is extremely low - it just takes more time to fill up, but flushing still works just as well.
posted by odinsdream at 12:37 PM on November 17, 2006

Less plumbing stuff for people to possibly screw around with or steal. That's just a guess on my part...
posted by JigSawMan at 12:38 PM on November 17, 2006

Second the vandalism/theft opinion. You don't want a stadium full of drunken jerks playing 'upperdecker' every weekend.
posted by Science! at 12:40 PM on November 17, 2006

A flush valve toilet (public) is definitely more robust and provides more...hmmm...cleansing action. I suppose cost is an issue, they are more expensive. The old school tank version simply uses gravity to wash the bowl...which is adequate for the lower use in a private home. This isn't to say you can have a flush valve in your home.
posted by badkarmaboy at 12:40 PM on November 17, 2006

Most houses only have 1/2" water supply pipes; the tankless flushing systems need more water volume at a time, preferably 1" supply pipes. That's why your house doesn't have a tankless system.

And people will put crap in the tank, and break it. That's why your business does have a tankless system.
posted by jellicle at 12:41 PM on November 17, 2006

From what I understand from my dad who is a plumber with 60 years experience (give or take a year), jellicle has it. It's a question of available water pressure and volume.

I had always wondered this myself and recently had asked my dad the same question.
posted by MrToad at 12:48 PM on November 17, 2006

A friend of mine works for a toilet company (always a source of great conversation) which is working on digital flush systems. When I asked her this question, she answered the same as jellicle.
posted by muddgirl at 12:52 PM on November 17, 2006

I always assumed it had something to do with the noise produced by the tankless toilets. Learn something new every day.
posted by AstroGuy at 12:54 PM on November 17, 2006

Some of the "tankless" models actually have tanks, they are just built into the wall because the toilet is a wall mount. Wall mount toilets are better than floor models because you can mop under them but they require larger stronger walls than is usually found in residential construction.
posted by Mitheral at 1:12 PM on November 17, 2006

Plus, commercial buildings generally can't afford to have each toilet take a few minutes to fill back up.
posted by raf at 1:15 PM on November 17, 2006

No idea about the other units in my condo building, but the toilet in my bathroom is one of those industrial toilets that doesn't have a tank. Although it's located in what I like to think of as the smallest bathroom ever constructed, I love it.
posted by emelenjr at 1:38 PM on November 17, 2006

In the US, there are restrictions on how much water residential toilets are allowed to use per flush. (Dave Barry did some funny columns about the illegal trade in heavy-flushing Canadian toilets back in the '90s). Could it be that the water used by commercial toilets would exceed regulatory restrictions.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:39 PM on November 17, 2006

I've been to a hotel in the Carribean that had the tankless toilets, but not quite the water system to handle it. The toilet would flush fine, but every shower in the vicinity lost cold water for a few seconds.

Showering there wasn't much fun.
posted by Four Flavors at 2:42 PM on November 17, 2006

Yeah, elemenjr, a number of larger NYC residential buildings have tankless toilets, too. I assume it is because they have the pipes for it.
posted by dame at 3:22 PM on November 17, 2006

I lived in an apartment building with tankless toilets. Ours got clogged once. Trust me, you don't want to see one of those things overflow in your home.
posted by treepour at 12:32 PM on November 18, 2006