Disappointed in Toto ultramax flush - is the hype all hooey?

[DIYjulie]

Bought the ultramax for a powder room remodel on our newly purchased second home. Was very excited and did not mind spending more to get better. Researched til I was blind and decided on the ultramax based on this website's customer feedback "only one flush required" "no victory lap" "handles even the toughest job in one flush" blah blah blah. This toilet's flush does no better than the (much less expensive) kohler I have at my primary home. Even the most insignificant "deposit" leaves marks in the bowl that necessitate a second flush EVERY TIME. How disappointing! My husband has not even put it to the challenge yet.... that will probably require at least 3 flushes!!! Any advice out there? Already adjusted chain and water level to get max water flow during flush-no better. Also checked the stamp in the tank to verify they sent the right model. Argh.

[SteveW]

The issue of only flushing once is not about whether the toilets leave marks behind -- it is about whether all liquid and solid waste is removed with one flush. That is what the engineers who design toilets work on.

Terry has commented on this numerous times on this site. Low-flow toilets in general perform well in terms of clearing the bowl of waste (which, after all, is what toilets are supposed to do) but "bowl wash" or the ability to prevent marks is not as good. On the other hand, we really don't want to go back to the "bad old days" when toilets would use 5-7 gallons for EACH FLUSH, but by golly you didn't see any skid marks!

Did you get the Sanigloss option on your Toto? It helps.

[Gary Swart]

It is interesting to me when folks complain about bowl wash. I have been using 2 Toto toilets, one Drake and one Dartmouth, for over 2 years. Neither toilet has Sanigloss, but skid marks are very rare and when they do occur I can trace the cause to indulging in rich food in fairly large amounts. I keep a brush beside the toilet for these occasions, but find that 2 or 3 facial tissue and a second flush will often clean them off. I have never had to flush either toilet a second time to clear the waste.

[Myna]

I have the same model and I, too, had this happen. I was also disappointed; however, true to what the poster said, it's all about diet. Now that mine is better, I no longer have this problem.

[Obama the Plumber]

Chocolate in the diet is no good. My wife likes chocolate.

[GeorgeCT]

Wow, that should not be the norm.
I have seen a huge difference between my last toilet (Sterling by Kohler) and my TOTO Ultramax.
I have the 1.6 GPF model (no Sanigloss), ADA height, elongated bowl and this thing has a very powerfully flush.
So much power that it sucks a lot of air after the flush...NOTHING is left behind (one flush EVERY time).

The only thing I can think of for your dissatisfaction with the TOTO is maybe there is a partial clog in your drain line or your air venting for your drain system is inadequate (not up to code) or partially obstructed.
You should see waste flying down the drain when you push the lever (it's very quick, only a few seconds to flush, about 20 seconds to fill).

Something is going on but I don't think it's with the toilet itself.

Have you tried "snaking" the line?

[BlueHouse]

The Toto Drake and Ultramax are actually supposed to be very high performance toilets. I own both and I've never had a problem. I believe that due to your criteria, a double cyclone toilet would be better.