April 1994
Who would ever think I'd be writing an article about a "commode"? Well, it has changed over the years dramatically. Our grandparents had an outhouse. I've experienced that at a hunting cabin in the Allegheny Forest and couldn't find the magazine rack. They're changing dramatically again, on the inside more than the outside.
Yes it's time to put the brick back in the patio from whence it came. On January 1, 1994, a federal law took effect prohibiting the manufacturing of "non-low consumption toilets". Simply said, if they flush with more than 1.6 gallons of water each time, they're illegal. Once the current supply is depleted, we will all be purchasing these new toilets. They not only conserve water but lower your water and sewage bills and extend the life of a well or septic system.
A leading consumers' magazine has rated Kohler's Wellworth Lite as the industry's #1 efficient, functional and economical "lite" commode. Reports tell us a single family home can save 23,360 gallons of water in a year by changing that grand-daddy 5.0 flush to a lite toilet. That amounts to approximately $59.80 in savings (or about one extra pair of sneakers for the kiddies). Now, if you have a five story office building, that's 1,277.550 gallons in one year and a whopping $3,270.40 (a lot of tennies). Who figures this all out?
Now, no one is going to arrest you because of your commode, but when it's that time, you will be educated. How do they do it, you ask? Well, we now have the power lite operating system with a twin touch .2 hp pump that quickly propels water ... or the pressure clean system (in 1 or 2 piece models, of course) that uses the supply line pressure to compress air in a reservoir ... or the gravity-fed with a front priming jet for quick siphon action ... My, Oh My! this isn't a wide bodied aircraft we're buying. Next thing you know we'll be ordering them in sizes 8-16, petite or tall. Kohler commodes already come in 20 styles, 19 colors, round or elongated, 10, 12 or 14" rough-ins, trip levers in many finishes, insuliner tank lining (I wonder if that's like a training bra), and so on.
Am I finished? Heck no; more great news. you can buy a "Peacekeeper" seat-actuated flush model that flushes every time you close the lid!! Women of the world, rejoice!!! Your mate has to close the lid to get the commode to flush.
Yes, now I'm finished, also my short-lived career as a journalist. You're welcome to stop by Clark Construction Co. at 3180 Industrial Blvd. for the happy ending after the compressed air leaves the reservoir.
Sue Clark, Clark Construction
April 1994