Choosing the right toilet for your bathroom isn’t as straightforward as you may think. Often overlooked as a strictly functional piece, when it comes to deciding on the appropriate commode for your family you will want to review three key themes: design, comfort and performance. Considering style and water-saving flushing technology, you will be surprised at the overwhelming options available on the market. Modern Home Victoria spoke to the experts at Kitchen & Bath Classics to help you narrow your commode considerations.
1. Location of trap: Determine your “rough-in” — the measurement from the back wall to the centre of the bolts on either side of your existing toilet. New homes are designed around a 12-inch rough-in but if you are renovating, the first thing you want to measure is the location of the existing trap for your toilet. Most toilets are available in a 12-inch rough-in but there are exceptions. There are other options available if you don’t have this standard rough-in measurement.
2. Height: At Kitchen & Bath Classics, one feature that is gaining in popularity is a comfort height toilet bowl at 16.5 inches (standard toilets can be as low as 14-inches). Comfortable and ergonomic, the higher bowl can be good for your knees and back and can offer real advantages to taller people, the elderly and people with mobility issues. But consider carefully, “comfort height” isn’t always comfortable for everyone. 3. Dual flush: Dual flush toilets are environmentally friendly and are available in both one-piece, two-piece and wall hung options. The Mirabelle Winterhaven series has a popular wall hung option that allows for easy cleaning underneath. It can also be hung on the wall at a flexible height and offers a dual flush actuator. You may need a slightly wider wall to accommodate the tank carrier that is hidden inside the wall.
4. MaP (maximum performance) Testing: An important indicator of performance on a toilet, you want to look for the highest rating. Many of the Mirabelle toilets score 1000 (top performing) on MaP performance and do perform above and beyond your average toilet. A water-saving option, the one-piece Mirabelle Bradenton toilet only uses 4.8 litres of water per flush as opposed to a single flush toilet that can use up to 13 litres of water.
5. Style: At Kitchen & Bath Classics, toilet styles are available in a vast range, from sleek and modern to the more traditional. The Mirabelle Bradenton one-piece toilet is available in a higher height and also offers a skirted bowl for cleaning ease. Seat variety is another consideration depending on the bowl shape. Kitchen & Bath Classics offers bidet seats, soft-close seats and even potty training seats that flip down inside regular seats.
6. Cost: Replace your old high flow toilet with a new six-litre dual flush model to reduce your water usage (up to 60% per flush) and save on your water bill.
