There are so many types of toilets in the world. Some choices are okay and others are super-luxurious such that you wouldn’t mind spending hours in the bathroom. Of course, the glamorous the design and features are, the costlier the toilet gets.
There are even the most extravagant types like the Russian-made space toilet that goes for a whopping $19 million. Well, if you must know, it is an ultimate recycling system that extracts water from waste and purifies it for drinking. Yeah, it’s amazing but you still can’t help feeling squeamish a little.
Common Types of Toilets in the World
Exquisitely fancy models aside, let’s go over a few toilet types based on things like flushing performance, installation style, design, shape, size, technology, and much more.
1. Flushing Toilets
It’s straightforward, isn’t it? This can either be a sit-on or squat toilet that you pull the trigger or press a button for it to flush. Don’t just jump to the next toilet yet. You understand that flushing toilets vary in efficiency based on flushing technologies.
Some of the highly praised flushing systems include double cyclone, tornado, and G-max. The bigger the price tag, the better the flushing system is likely to be. Check out our guide on some of the popular flushing toilets on the market.
2. One-piece Toilets
A one-piece toilet is a single unit where both the bowl and water tank exist in a single package. This is one of the most admired toilet designs as they take less space and have very few crevices to deal with during a cleaning session. To top it up, installation is quite simple and takes a few minutes. Unfortunately, they cost a bit more.
3. Two-piece Toilets
These are common in many American homes. In this arrangement, the toilet bowl and tank are two separate units. While affordable, two-piece toilets take longer to install and the many joints mean tedious cleaning sessions.
Besides affordability, two-piece toilets stand a bit higher than one-piece and that makes them comfortable. It’s also easier to get your hands on repair kits. Get this; make sure you have enough bathroom space or the tallest people in the house will have tough sessions.
4. Wall Hung Toilets
As the name suggests, wall hung toilets suspend on the walls. The water unit is nicely tucked away in the wall creating more room in even the smallest of bathrooms. These kinds of toilets are preferable in modern homes as they can spruce up your bathroom décor.
Despite having an amazing design, there are a few challenges associated with wall-hung toilets. First, since they tend to take some of the marvelous designs, they cost a lot. On average, you’ll need anywhere between $500 and $1000 to own one. Secondly, having the tank go into the wall could mean fresh plumbing and that adds up to more expenses.
5. Smart Toilets
If you think going for a short or long call doesn’t need any intelligent tech, think again. Smart toilets take comfort to a whole new level. You are probably not even going to need your own hands from the beginning to the end.
Smart toilets are defined by modern techs such as heated seats, hands-free flushing, bidets, motion-activated lighting, warm air dryer, self-cleaning wands, and much more.
6. Corner Toilets
Also called triangle toilets, these toilets are designed with a triangular-shaped water tank that aptly fits into a corner. The advantage of this setup is that by squeezing the tank into the corner, you get more space in your bathroom.
Truthfully corner toilets look a bit off for most people despite having some space-saving pros. However, if design restrictions pin you to these models, don’t hesitate to check them out.
7. Square Toilets
For square toilets, both the seats and the bowls have square-shaped corners although the design is more rectangular. Such toilets are a rare occurrence and they are touted to offer a big bowl for catching more waste.
The problem is, not many people are used to sitting on rectangular bowls and that could be uncomfortable. Secondly, it can be a herculean task to find replacement parts. However, being a unique theme, you can install a square toilet if you want one-of-a-kind aesthetics.
8. Round Bowl Toilets
Round bowl toilets have a round bowl. Majorly, these designs are preferred as additional toilets for the pool area, garden, and other areas as they are smaller and their flushing performance is not that supreme. Nevertheless, if you want to save a few dollars and space, then go the round way.
And now to the most common design…
9. Elongated Toilets
Epitomized as the standard of comfort, elongated toilets are the most popular choice for consumers worldwide. Their larger bowl design is effective in trapping all waste. Thanks to a larger pipeline, you don’t need to worry about their flushing performance.
Of course, elongated toilets have their cons too. For instance, they take up a lot of space and may not suit small bathrooms. Secondly, the elongated part has a hill-like design that sometimes can’t stop catching solid waste.
10. Comfort Height Toilets
Comfort height toilets are simply ADA compliant toilets. The height of the bowl (from the floor to the seat) for such toilets lie between 17 and 19 inches, which is the same as seating in a normal chair. Such toilets are advocated for homes with disabled individuals.
11. Standard Height Toilets
Standard height toilets have bowls that stand 14-16 inches from the ground. These are the types of toilets to go for if your home has many young or short members. Understand that for taller or elderly members, it will be quite hard to get up and down from them.
12. Dual Flush Toilets
These are the latest inventions geared towards green practices. With a dual flush toilet, you can flush liquid and solid waste using different amounts of water. Most modern toilets flush solid waste at a max rate of 1.6 GPF and liquid waste at a lowest of 0.8 GPF.
The biggest motivator behind dual flush toilets is to save water. On the flip side, they are fairly expensive than single flush systems.
13. Touchless Toilets
Are you squeamish about touching handles and pressing buttons in the toilet? Well, guess what, there are touchless toilets loaded with sensors that flush upon detecting movements. Yes, we know…it’s pretty cool.
Mostly, smart toilets are considered touchless systems but you can also buy a touchless installation kit and turn an ordinary toilet into an amazing automatic flushing system. Yes, you have to pay a bit more compared to manual models.
14. Pressure-Assisted Toilets
Imagine the pain and disgust of flushing the toilet only to see some sediments still floating. You would have to wait for a while for the tank to refill before flushing again. It gets pretty worse in houses or commercial areas where toilets are used every other few minutes. The solution to multiple flushing is pressure-assisted toilets.
Unlike gravity flow toilets, pressure-assisted toilets feature an air chamber that creates additional pressure for a forcefully powerful flush. Of course, there is a caveat; these toilets tend to flush loudly and that can disturb sleeping kids and adults or even scare those with heart problems. So if this type of toilet interests you, make sure it stays a little far from sleeping areas.
15. Composting Toilets
Compost toilets are waterless systems. Meaning they don’t require water to flush away waste. Other publications regard them as ‘dry’ toilets.
So why a composting toilet? First, they save on water and if you care about the environment, that’s the way to go. Secondly, they are a great choice for campers and other outdoor lovers. The biggest downside to composting toilets is that if decomposition fails, you’re gonna have to deal with awful smells. Thankfully, they are portable and you can put them a little far away.
There are a few more enchanting toilet types worth looking into. Take tankless toilets for instance; they are space-saving and connect directly to the waterline. Of course, they need much more water to flush and installation is not a walk in the park.
One unique toilet is the upflush model-also called a macerating toilet. This model appeals to those with tight spaces or places where installing plumbing pipes is not possible. The toilet has a macerating pump with blades that cut feces into tiny particles while can be forcefully sent upwards through a pipe.
Wrap Up
As you can see, there are so many types of toilets in the world. All of them come with a unique set of pros and cons. A careful review of your home’s needs and financial standing should help you narrow down to the perfect choice. Check out our exhaustive listing of the best toilets for some dependable choices.
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