Toilet Hardware

Today’s toilets come in different colors, styles, and prices. However, how well it’s going to be of service has got nothing to do with these aspects. Nowadays, federal law specifies that toilets use not over 1.6 gallons of water for every flush. Reliable toilets will be one that produces sufficient power to clean its bowl.

Toilets come in either one-piece construction or two-piece construction. Toilets that have two-piece construction use a separate bowl and tank. One-piece toilets merge the bowl and tank into one unit; they’re also referred to as “low profile” toilets. Two-piece models cost less, but one-piece models are trouble-free to clean as it eliminates crevice between its bowl and tank.

There are several pieces of toilet hardware that make up a complete toilet. These include a standard toilet, flush handle, flush valve seat, flapper valve seat ball, ballcock, float ball, tank-to-bowl hardware, bowl gasket, closet flange bolt, AC toilet water supply, and toilet seat.

Standard Toilet

Standard toilet hardware is typically made of “vitreous china”, finished with high-gloss glaze. It’s designed as sanitary and durable. The most usual colors for toilets are almond and white. “Gravity-fed” toilets function with conventional flushes, where water that drains from its tank is released into its bowl, while its gravity and weight pulls waste into the drain.

Units that are “pressure-assisted” function by building-up water within its water supply in order to increase the flush’s force. These models have the tendency to be “noisier” than gravity-fed ones, but its bowl empties faster. Its bigger “water seal surface” results to fewer stains. Also, since its trapway has lesser bends, clogging is less likely.

Flush Handle

This toilet hardware activates the toilet’s flush-valve ball. This hardware is typically sold in combination with trip lever, and attaches through a left-handed screw that screws-on in counter-clockwise manner.

Flush Valve Seat

This toilet hardware is found at the tank’s bottom. It surrounds its opening, letting water into its bowl. The flush valve seat is kept closed through a flapper or rubber-flush ball. It’s attached to an “Overflow Tube” that drains the water bank in the bowl if water level goes over it. This toilet hardware is a great safety precaution if its “inlet valve” fails.

Flapper Valve Seat Ball

This toilet hardware sits on a flush valve seat, attaching to a trip lever through a chain, guide arm or rod. When the exterior handle of the toilet tank is pushed down, the trip lever raises pulling this flapper off the seat. The water inside its tank is released through an opening, which flushes the bowl.

The valve remains closed through water pressure. However, once its trip lever lifts the device, it stays off the seat through floating above the water in the tank until it’s empty. The flapper slowly goes back to the opening as the tank’s water level decreases. It seals the opening so its tank is able to refill for the next flush.

Toilet Seat

The toilet seat hardware is usually made of kiln-dried hardwood or plastic. This hardware must be non-rusting and sturdy. Metal toilet seat must be made of solid brass that has quality finish. A number of hardware for toilet seat has easy-off and easy-on hinge posts, which makes installation easy for homeowners. The hinge posts also allow practical removal of the seat for total cleaning.

Other basic toilet hardware is readily available in the market. If you’re thinking of updating your existing toilet with a newer model that’s more efficient and stylish, or simply wanting to replace certain toilet hardware for more convenience, you’ll have numerous choices for quality, make, and price.