Friday, August 9, 2013

Toilets: Round vs. Elongated




After what seems decades of use, that ever-reliable toilet that you have had for the past fifteen years has stopped working.  You have already tried replacing the flapper, the fill valve, and the toilet handle—all of which fixed problems in the past—but this time, the toilet still wasn’t functioning correctly.  What do you do next?  You go down to your local plumbing supply house to get a new toilet and the customer service representative asks you if you want a round or elongated toilet bowl.  Round or elongated?  What’s the difference?  Unless you’re a plumber, handyman, or you work at a supply house yourself, you probably aren’t familiar with the differences between them.

A round bowl is simply what the name says:  a round toilet bowl.  This is the standard bowl found in residential homes.  They are generally less expensive than the alternatives and take up less space in your bathroom.  A round bowl is a good choice when you have a smaller bathroom and/or when you have limited installation space for your toilet.  Round bowls are shorter in length, than elongated bowls, and require a shorter toilet seat than an elongated bowl.  When it comes to toilets, people may not think that comfort is a major factor in the selection of a toilet bowl.  Although it is not a subject of daily conversation, certain types of toilets are more comfortable than others.  Some people say that a round bowl is a little less comfortable than an elongated toilet.  But when it comes to the more economical price, a round toilet is your best option.

The elongated bowl extends out further than the round bowl, which for most people, will make the elongated bowl the more comfortable choice.  If looking from the top of the elongated bowl, it is in the shape of an egg.  The elongated bowl is usually found in commercial establishments and public restrooms.  If you want to buy an elongated bowl to replace a round toilet you will need to take some measurements to make sure it will fit in the same place where the round bowl used to be.  Your local plumbing store https://www.plumbersstock.com/toilets.html can provide you with some specification sheets that will show you the measurements and dimensions so that you can determine whether or not the new elongated bowl will fit in your current bathroom.  Also included in the elongated category is the ADA approved bowl.  The difference between it and the regular elongated bowl is that the ADA bowl is much taller.  You will pay a little more for the elongated toilet, but in the long run, it will be worth it.



So, to summarize:

Round Bowl:                                     
-Least expensive bowl
-Fits in smaller bathrooms/tighter spots
-Mostly found in Residential Applications
-Not quite as comfortable

Elongated Bowl:
-Cost a little more
-More comfortable
-Mostly found in Commercial Applications
              (but still can be used in Residential)
-Longer than a round bowl, therefore
              requiring a bit more space in the bathroom
-ADA approved bowl option

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

My Danze D307756BN is Multi-Functional!




            When it comes to housework, I have to admit that my wife does most of it.  But without fail, every Saturday it is my turn to help out.  My main job: clean the bathrooms.  I don’t mind it really, but there was always one thing I didn’t like doing—cleaning the jetted tub in our master bathroom.  My main complaint was that I had to splash around water in order to rinse off the cleaner that I used to scrub the tub.  There came a time that my wife and I decided that we needed to get a new faucet to replace the one that we had for many years. 

            We both agreed that we wanted to have a side spray on our new faucet for a number of reasons, but my main reason was to make my Saturday job a little bit easier.  We weren’t sure where to start, so we went to our default search engine and simply typed in “jetted tub faucets”.  After some looking around and comparing, we found a site that had great prices and even better selection on Danze faucets, it's called Plumbersstock.   We found a wide array of bathroom faucets.  We found the perfect one to meet our needs, the Danze D307756BN.  The finished matched the bathroom sink faucet that we already had and it had a side sprayer!  After an easy installation after work on Thursday night, I was very anxious to test it out!

            The following Saturday, I took out the side spray and rinsed down the tub.  I scrubbed down the tub the best I could and then I got out the side spray to help me to remove the cleaner I used.  This made my job ten times easier!  No more filling up cups, my hands, or buckets to pour down the sides of the tubs to rinse off the cleaner!  But this wasn’t the only use for our awesome new Danze bathroom faucet.

            Sometimes after a long day at work, I need a break from being on my feet and to just feel relaxed.  The jetted tub has always been a great way for me to have this needed break and relaxation, while still getting clean.  The only problem I had in the past was having to dip my hair in the water to rinse it after I had put my shampoo in it.  A problem no more!  With the side spray from my Danze D307756BN faucet I stay dip free and can remain in a sitting position when I rinse my hair.

            My wife has also told me many times that the side spray is great when she is giving our two children their baths.  Neither of them liked it when we poured water over their heads from plastic cups to rinse them off, especially if the soapy water got into their eyes on the way down!  My wife always says that the side spray makes it easy to rinse their hair and avoid their eyes—another problem solved!  And with the button on the side spray, it makes it even easier to use and control!  We love this faucet!

(Just the other day I needed help fixing a leaky faucet in our kitchen, I found help here).