Because of understandable concerns about wasting water, we have had forced upon us toilets that can't get the job done adequately. To deal with both of these issues I propose a toilet with two flush levels-regular, which could actually use less water than current low water use toilets, and a heavy duty option for those times when those weak flushes simply are not sufficient.
-- Onalee, Aug 18 2001

(?) Dual-flush toilets http://www3.jaring.my/gbhgroup/
[angel, Aug 18 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

(?) tminus12's link to a conversion kit http://www.joneakes.com/dualflush.html
[jutta, Aug 18 2001]

Yes, it can sometimes be annoying when flushes don't "get the job done adequately," but the availability of a heavy-duty flush would do more harm than good in promoting wastage of water, a precious commodity.
Unless... if the button was a bit out of the way, up high so kiddies couldn't push it whimsically, and perhaps with a flip-up cap on it to make sure it was not pushed by accident. And it would have to be red!
-- jabbers, Aug 18 2001


Probably baked. My toilet has two flush levels (half and full), and the half-flush is more than adequate to handle normal toilet activity (like disposing of narcotics).
-- mrkillboy, Aug 18 2001


baked: I've noticed that most houses which I have been in that were built post-1985 in my area have this type of toilet. And jabbers, nothing makes a button more enticing than its being big, red, and in a prominent location!
-- sdm, Aug 18 2001


This is required by law in most if not all Australian municipalities. They live in a dry, thirsty country. It's amazing what you find out when you read newspapers during a visit to a country. Baked.
-- Toreadorothy, Aug 18 2001


Baked in my old house. You'd flush & release for a small flush, and flush & hold for a big 'un.
-- -alx, Aug 18 2001


This idea is baked (you had to "flush & hold for a big 'un" in my grandparents' house), but in fairness to Onalee if you'd never encountered a dual-flush toilet then independently inventing them is quite an achievement. What *would* be kinda innovative is a "Dial-a-Flush" toilet, with a dial next to the flush handle calibrated from 1 to 10, depending on how substantially you need to flush (some premium versions could have dials which go all the way to 11, in true Spinal Tap style). This would allow much finer user control over water use. We could also add a really patronising computerised interface with an animated paper-clip asking you "I see you've selected flush level 8: is that really necessary?"..."Level 8: lots of water, are you sure?"..."Are you really sure?"..."Are you really really sure?" and so on. Of course someone's bound to post now telling me that "Dial-a-Flush" has been in mainstream use for years.
-- Skinny Rob, Aug 19 2001


One of the toilets at my work has an air compressor built in back. It flushes in about 5 seconds and could suck down a bowling ball, plus it doesn't seem to use much water when it does this
-- AfroAssault, Aug 19 2001


[Skinny Bob], can you picture the touch-screen with little goobies hanging off it...
-- jabbers, Aug 20 2001


[jabbers] - Well yes, hygiene would have to be considered in the design of the user interface. A Bluetooth toilet could be driven wirelessly from the user's own multifunctional handheld device - problem solved! But then security issues might creep in. How to stop pesky meddling kids from standing outside and flushing the loo on level 10 while someone else is still sat on it?
-- Skinny Rob, Aug 20 2001


Skinny Rob: the ultra-power flush could be sold as a Palm-Pilot accessory: remote-controlled and password-protected! The physical flusher attachment could require an RSA-encrypted infra-red signal to activate it.
-- jabbers, Aug 22 2001


Baked: In Denmark.
-- Pallex, Aug 22 2001


Baked, with two levers, and available as a retrofit to most high-flush toilets. Nice picture here: <http://www.joneakes.com/dualflush.html>

(oops, just re-visited, and their supplier has had problems keeping up with demand... go figure)
-- tminus12, Aug 22 2001


<Use the 'link' link to add an address as a clickable link>

Demand overflowed, did it?
-- StarChaser, Aug 25 2001


What I did was to insert that heavy ball from an old computer mouse into the hollow conical part of the rubber flush valve. To get the full flush hold the handle down. To get a partial flush let go the handle and the weight of the ball will close the valve.
-- kelvin, Jun 10 2002


There is nothing more irratating than taking a big crap (can i say that?) into a low water toilet and realizing that the flush is not sufficient. Furthermore, it is rather embarrassing when a family member sees a turd the size of a burrito in the toilet and knows it's yours (i havent seen that happen yet but i have been told stories from friends.) I just wish that for the next situation where an incident like that happends that you could have a heavy duty flush that will eliminate the burrito sized bowlwinder from the toilet so you have my vote.
-- non-eatable, Aug 12 2002


NOW THAT IS WHY NOTHING GETS DONE!!!

i am more of the thinketh kinda guy that says; keep it simple stupid! I totally agree with a two handle toilet.. one for piss the other for the food build up of the past week. ;) these wussy toilets that are like .5 gallons are for chickens probably invented by them fanciful guys in stockings that are probably vegetarians, or women, either case they don't do any good for us guys. so i propose the following: one handle should be put on the left for piss and on the right a slightly larger handle should be put for disposal of manly waste.

ah! I remember when you could put a cat in the toilet and it would flush, now piss has a hard time getting through.
-- digiardillo, Oct 12 2002


I have a Coroma dual flush toilet and it works great. One button for liquids, one for solids. Actually, either button is very effective even at getting rid of solids and paper. It uses very little water, isn't loud, and only runs for a few seconds. Our old toilet (not low flow at all) didn't work as well at all.
-- davidlbangs, Aug 18 2004



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