By: Monte Leeper
Q.
My kitchen is behind my bathroom and, when I flush, you hear a lot of noise in the kitchen and, with a low-flow toilet that uses only 1.6 liters of water, I have to flush a couple of times. With this type of toilet (Kohler), will an electric pump help in flushing and making less noise or should I get the wall insulated?
A.
I remember some graffiti in a high school bathroom that said, "flush twice, it's a long way to the cafeteria." Thank goodness, your kitchen is close by. A power-assisted pump system, which can be installed within the toilet tank will probably do the job, but I highly recommend verifying the fit of the unit and having a licensed plumber do it for you. What the unit does is to force water to move at higher velocity, creating greater vacuum in the bowl.
Toilets generally flush by siphoning action, which draws the waste along by sucking it down the pipe, so to speak. Although there are many pages of advertisement in trade catalogs and magazines devoted to the various units, they generally are not without some noise. Water being suctioned through the tank, bowl and pipes will reverberate. Depending on the type of toilet fixture you have, the sound will vary with the shape of the bowl and tank, volume of water, and the velocity of the water. Even the size, shape, and acoustics of your bathroom will make a difference.
The plumbing supply houses are a good place to start with finding the right unit. One size fits all does not apply. I do recommend power-assist devices in certain applications, depending upon water pressure issues or just to satisfy a client. You may fit both descriptions.
As for insulation, it is always a good idea to sound insulate a bathroom. Just be sure not to place insulation between the inner wall and the pipe if there is the possibility of creating a freezing condition from outside air. Pipes need to be on the bathroom side of the insulation. Bathrooms on an outside wall can have piping that will freeze and rupture in cold extremes.
Readers are encouraged to send questions to: HERALD Homes, 379 Central Avenue, Lawrence, N.Y. 11559
Attn: Monte Leeper, Architect.
