Toto - Fully Glazed Trapway

[Steve]

What does fully glazed trapway really mean? In my thinking it means the entire trapway is glazed smooth (just like the bowl or exterior of the toilet)? I got a few Toto Ultramax's and if you put your hand in the trapway (either from the bowl or the bottom) you feel just the rough/raw porcelain. It is not smooth and shiny like the rest of the toilet but more like the bottom of it or inside the tank. Seemed the same in the showroom and the salesperson had no idea. Is there a different way to glaze that perhaps I am not 'feeling'? Is Toto cutting corners or changing their design? Do you think this will affect the performance of the toilet which is advertised as fully glazed 2" trapway? Thanks!

[Terry]

Common practice on most brands is to use one clear glaze coat in the trapway to seal it.

Everything has looked the same to me for years and with good results.

As an example, the Toto Drake will consistently move 900 grams of waste and the Ultramax 700 grams.

Most others move considerably less.
Kohler Wellworth elongated moves something like 125 grams.

I use the Toto both for homes with small children and for commercial use.

[Terry]

Here is something sent to me by Gilbert Gia

Internet sites that sell TOTO seemed to have two prices for
the TOTO MS854114, which was the one-piece model I wanted-- and the
prices were quite a bit apart. We live in a metropolitan area of
400,000 but finding TOTO locally was not easy. A big box store and a
plumbing show room could special order the TOTO, but both quoted the
higher price, which was pushing $500. After much searching I found
that the locals didn't seem to know that MS854114 and MS854114S are
the same shape, size, and color toilet, except that the "S" version
has TOTO's G-Max Toilet Flushing System, and the model without the
"S", the cheaper model, has power gravity flushing. I later found out
that the plumbing supply showroom has a special deal with Kohler, and
that company discourage dealers from ordering products outside the
Kohler line. The box store sells a lot of toilets between $70 and $200
and of course fills out their inventory for volume sales in that price
range. I bought MS854114 at a plumbing shop on the coast, 130 miles
from home. We've used this TOTO model for about three weeks, and I am
still astonished at the flushing action-- a complete and clean flush
every time, with amazingly little water use. Inside, the tank is
simplicity itself. Its one-piece bowl and tank are easy to clean, and
this model --the "Ultimate Toilet" as the sticker on it said-- has a
seat that won't slam down. Get it started on its way, and it lowers
itself very slowly and quietly. In all, MS854114 is a gem. I had a
concern about installing a low water-use toilet on a drain system
designed for five gallon flushes, but I don't think I'll have a
problem. A shower drain is up-line from the toilet, and the shower is
used daily. TOTO's MS854114 could easily take this geographical market
by storm if the company did even a little promoting. By the way,
although TOTO is a Japanese company, it's the world's largest plumbing
manufacturer, and most of the TOTO USA toilets sold in here are made
in Atlanta, Georgia and to American specifications.

Gilbert Gia

In the Seattle area I sell and stock a lot of Toto toilets.
Please give me a call in the Seattle area at 425-649-5683 to order,
We also do installations.
the shopping cart
Terry Love

[HP]

Steve,

I have found that a number of people have the same question. The bottom of the trap in TOTO toilets is still rough to the touch when you would expect it to be smooth, hence, not glazed. But TOTO explains that the glaze is applied throughout the trap in a sponge/vaccum process and that the glaze is applied throughout the trap despite the rough texture. The texture is due to the pressurecast method TOTO uses in the mold process. Hope this helps.
toto toilets