Noisy toilets

[WOT4]

We are moving to high rise condo on 17th floor and will be replacing two 32 year old toilets. We want to be good neighbors so are looking for a very quiet toilet that also doesn't need a plunger brigade on stand by. Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks

[Gary Swart]

Thought you'd never ask. First of all, by all means do not get any kind of a pressure assisted flusher. These create an explosion every time they are flushed. The toilets you need to look at are any in the Toto line. They are as quite as any and most Toto owners don't even own a plunger. Toto is the largest manufacturer of toilets in the world. There are a number of models, some quite economically priced, and then moving up in price. Best thing is, they all perform as a toilet should. Some have improved bowl washing. I'm sure there are Toto dealing in Houston.

[caldezrat]

I have a Toto Ultramax. It is also ultra-quiet.

[wjcandee]

Depends what you want to spend and how "green" you are. We're big fans of the Toto line on this forum, because many of us own them or make a living in part by installing toilets, and from both perspectives, the Totos are winners.

Within that line, you have three basic price points (four if your count ultra-luxury):

$200-ish for the original Drake
$3-500 is for the newer models with the double-cyclone flush, like the Drake II, that include comfort height, a nonstick coating called Sanagloss and the 1.28gpf eco flush.
$6-800 is for the higher-end Double-cyclone models, like the Soiree, that are at the top of the line in style.
$Thousands for the electronic Toto units called Neorest, which include an integrated bidet, water warmer, seat that lifts itself when you walk in the room, etc.

All these have relatively quiet flushes. Many have been tweaked to give basically the same flushing performance in a 1.28 gallon per flush toilet as the previous, very good, 1.6gpf GMax flush, which became a legend for its ability to flush things without clogging and without the noise and hassle of a pressure-assist. I personally have two toilets from the first price category (original Drakes) and one from the middle one (a Carlyle II).

At the moment, there really isn't one good place online to see the Toto lineup. The Toto site is cluttered with multiple entries of essentially the same toilet (e.g. 10 versions of the Drake, one with an insulated tank, one with a right-hand handle, one with an ADA height, etc.). Terry's list above of what he sells (red box at top) is very good because it is grouped generally by model (i.e. here's the Drake, here's the Drake II, here's the Soiree, without getting bogged down in the 5 versions of each), but it isn't completely-up-to-date given that Toto has a number of interesting new models that don't show up there. That said, you HAVE to look at Terry's Consumer Toilet report (green box at top), because it is a truly-excellent compendium of information and reviews on the models that it does cover -- best on the Internet, which has been read literally by hundreds of thousands of people (you can look at the counters on the forums to see just how amazingly-frequently-read this website is).

In terms of toilet models, I find the original Drake to be very attractive, and hard-to-beat for raw functionality. And at around $200 in the 1.6 or the 1.28 gallon per flush versions, it's a hard-to-beat value.

Similar for the Drake II, which is around $100 more. It comes with the double-cyclone bowl rinse, a higher bowl, and with Sanagloss coating all included standard. These are all very nice features, and makes this a real value as well. The Ultramax II (and it's cousin, the similar-looking skirted Carlyle II) is a beautiful one-piece toilet, also a great value. And then for pure aesthetics, you have quite a few options depending upon your taste and decor in the line of toilets, including the Soiree, at the higher-end. All are not going to bother your neighbors.

One issue: does your condo have a standard 12" rough-in, or is it different. My apartment in the city has a 14" rough-in. This is important because some of Toto's skirted toilets can fit equally-well on 10", 12" and 14" rough-ins. Terry has a piece on here that explains how it works, and it's pretty nifty. That's why I bought the Carlyle II -- so it would fit cleanly on a non-standard rough-in distance -- as well as for aesthetics in the master bath.

Have fun shopping. Good luck. And let us know if there are more questions that you have about style, size, sourcing, etc. We have folks on here who can answer all those.