If you’re opening up a business or constructing a commercial center, you need to consider what kind of toilets you’ll be installing for your customers. There are many options, and it can be confusing, so we’ve done the dirty work for you and made a practical guide to commercial toilet buying.
The space defines the bowl
There are two types of toilet bowls: round and elongated. Generally, elongated bowls are more comfortable than round bowls, but they aren’t a shoe in. Most building codes require there to be at least 15 inches from any side wall or obstruction around the toilet to the center of the toilet.
Additionally, you should keep any sanitary fixtures 30-32 inches away from the center of the toilet, and there should be at least 24 inches of space in front of the toilet. Given these space requirements, round bowls may be your bowl of choice if your building has small bathrooms or cubicles.
Choose your flushing method wisely
You’ll generally encounter two flushing system types when shopping for toilets: gravity flush systems and pressure flush systems. Gravity flush systems are the most common and they use water weight to increase flushing pressure.
Gravity flush systems generally require less maintenance than pressure flush models and are also usually quieter. On the other hand, pressure flush systems use a pressurized air tank to expedite the flushing process. Although pressure flush systems are almost always louder than gravity flush models, they also generally provide better waste removal and clog resistance.
It’s also wise to think about whether or not you want eco-friendly toilets in your building. This choice may be an ethical reflection of your business or a tactic to save some money on the water bill, but you should consider it either way.
Although eco-friendly toilets that use less water earned a bad rap when they were first created for being generally dysfunctional, many eco-friendly designs have been improved and perfected. Today, eco-friendly toilets are often just as effective as any other type of toilet.
When figuring out the best type of toilet to install in your building, we always recommend using a reliable resource such as ConsumerReports for research.
The final decision: Floor or wall mounted?
Your final decision when purchasing a toilet for a building will usually be whether or not you want wall or floor mounted toilets. Before getting into the specifics of these options further, it’s also important to note that you’ll want to choose whether to get a two-piece or a one-piece toilet.
One-piece toilets are typically more aesthetic but harder to maintain and transport. Two-piece toilets, on the other hand, are easier to transport and maintain but aren’t quite as visually appealing. In terms of whether you want wall or floor mounted toilets, this once again is typically a decision driven by the space available to you in your bathroom.
Because wall-mounted toilets store the tank within the wall, they take up less space. Wall-mounted toilets are also very easy to clean and maintain. However, two-piece toilets are generally more comfortable and visually appealing than one-piece toilets.
There you have it! A simple guide that you can follow to purchase the best toilet for your needs. If you’re interested in installing commercial toilets but don’t quite know where to start, feel free to give our team here at Delta Mechanical a call – we’ve been taking care of large-scale plumbing projects for over 30 years.
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