The commercial guide to toilet buying
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.
To learn more
about what we can do for you, click
here.