Please Help Answer Some Toilet Questions!!

[etoiletdog]

Hello everyone out there in toilet land,
I have a few quick questions that I was hoping someone could help me answer. First, and most important can someone help me identify the toilet in the picture below and if so, do you know the gpf of this model (specifically, is it above or below 3.5 gpf). Second, does anyone who lives in Contra Costa County in California (I live in Brentwood) know about the new high efficency toilet voucher and how to obtain it. Lastly, what's the difference between an ADA and normal toilet? Is it only about height or are there other differences and is it worth the money to pay more for the ADA version? Thank you all in advance for all your help, it is much appreciated to this toilet novice. Keep on Flushin!

Here's the link to the picture if you can't see the attachment. What kind of toilet is this and what is the gpf?
http://www.terrylove.com/forums/atta...1&d=1242793849

[Terry]

Looks to be a Mansfield Alto with the short thank.
If it was installed before 1992, it may be 3.5 gallons.

If it's a 1.6, it will be marked that way.

An ADA toilet has an elongated bowl, and measures at least 17" to the top of the seat.
That means a bowl at 16.5" becomes ADA when the seat is added.

Tall bowls are becoming more popular, as the population ages.
Most builder grade toilets were in the $80 range.
There is no way a builder was going to drop any money upgrading toilets.
A new performance toilet will work better then what you have.
I'm not a big fan of the Mansfield trapway on that thing you have.

[etoiletdog]

Hey Terry,
Thanks for the fast response. The house was built in 2004 so I think the toilets are only a few years old but I'm really not sure. My wife and I are waiting for escrow to close so we can't get into the house yet to check what the actual specs are. I'm curious because if the toilets are above 3.5 gpf or built before 1994, I might be able to get a voucher for a $100 rebate on the Toto dual flush toilet from my water company. We're also trying to get some estimates so we can change the flooring in the bathrooms and toilets around the same time. Does it matter in what order the work is done in? Should toilets be installed first then flooring or vice versa? Also, about how much would it run to install about 3 Toto dual flush Non-ADA toilets? Thanks again for all your help.

Ethan

[Gary Swart]

If the house was built in 2004, the toilets have to be low flow. Full flow toilets have not been legal since 1994, so they would not have passed inspection. Builders typically install the very cheapest toilets they can find. They pass the basic requirements, but that's about all. Most new home buyers end up replacing them very soon after they move in. Toilets flanges are supposed to set on top of the finished floor, so the floor goes in first. Your building contractor should know that. Insist on 12" rough-ins. That's 12" from the finished wall (not base molding) to the center of the drain. That is also where the two flange bolts line up. I doubt if you will qualify for a rebate since the old toilets are most likely 1.6 galloners already, but you can try.

[Terry]

2004?
Then they are 1.6 gallons.

[micp879]

Greetings from Martinez. I didn't expect to find a fellow Contra Costa resident on these boards lol.

Yep, looks like a Mansfield Claro, which is the low profile version of the Mansfield Alto. As if the Alto isn't bad enough, the Claro has less head pressure due to the shorter tank, which makes it even a crappier flusher in my opinion. My last house had 3 of them; needless to say, I dont miss them a whole lot lol.

Regarding the toilet voucher program for CoCo County, try this link. It should give you the info ya need regarding the voucher.

www.ccwater.com/conserve/rebates_rtoilets.asp

Good luck with everything.