Whether you are about to go to a store to choose your next toilet or need to call a plumber and explain to him a problem you are having, it helps to know some toilet-related terminology.
You can find some of the most commonly used terms in the glossary below.
A
ADA – Stands for the “Americans with Disabilities Act,” and refers to toilets (and other products) designed to meet those standards, to be accessible.
American Standard – One of the most popular toilet brands.
Auger – A tool that can go down the plumbing of a toilet and remove anything that might be clogging it.
B
Backflush toilet – See “rear discharge toilet.”
Ballcock – A valve that controls, together with a float ball, the water flowing into a toilet’s tank.
Bidet – A device with a water faucet designed used for cleaning after using a toilet. Can either be standalone or attached to a toilet seat (see “washlet”).
C
Closed-front toilet seat – A toilet seat that is O-shaped. As opposed to “open-front toilet seat.”
Composting toilet – A toilet that is designed to turn human waste into compost.
Concealed trapway toilet – A toilet bowl with a uniform, “smoothed,” design that hides the trap making it easier to clean and look nicer.
Cutoff valve – A valve that controls the supply of water into a toilet, found before ballcock. Closing this valve will stop water reaching the toilet, and so is something to do when a toilet is overflowing or similar.
E
Elongated toilet – A toilet with bowl and seat that are longer than wider, and thus comfortable to sit on. As opposed to “round toilet.”
EPA – United States Environmental Protection Agency. An organization that sets laws and standards regarding how much water toilets (and other devices) can use, and so on.
F
Flapper – See “ballcock.”
Float ball – A device that is designed to float on the surface of the water in a toilet’s tank, and to close the ballcock once it rises high enough. In other words, when the toilet tank is full.
Flush handle – A handle (and oftentimes a chain) that connects a toilet trip lever to its flush valve.
Flush valve – A valve that opens when a toilet is flushed and that controls the water flowing into a toilet’s tank.
G
GPF – Gallons per flush. A unit that measures how many gallons of water are used with each of a toilet flush. It measures the water (and environmental) efficiency of a toilet.
H
HET – High-efficiency toilet. A toilet using less than 1.3 GPF.
K
Kohler – One of the most popular toilet brands.
L
Low-flush toilet – See “HET.”
O
One-piece toilet – A toilet which has its bowl and tank combined into one-piece. As opposed to “two-piece toilet.”
Open-front toilet seat – A toilet seat that does not form a full circle, and instead is “U” shaped. As opposed to “closed-front toilet seat.”
Oval toilet – See “elongated toilet.”
P
Plumbing snake – See “auger.”
Plunger – A tool designed to create suction and used to remove cloggings from toilet waste pipes. A “lighter” tool than an auger.
Pressure-assist toilet – A toilet with a tank in which water is held under pressure resulting in a stronger flush.
R
Rear-discharge toilet – A toilet that has a waste outlet that goes into the wall rather than into the floor.
Round toilet – A toilet with bowl and seat that are round and of similar width and length. As opposed to “elongated toilet.”
Rough-in – The distance between the wall and the waste pipe’s center. Generally, it’s 12 inches.
S
Skirted toilet – See “concealed trapway toilet.”
Soft-closing toilet seat – A toilet seat that doesn’t just drop when you let it go, but instead closes slowly.
T
Toilet seat riser – An attachment to a toilet that helps people with disabilities move from a wheelchair to a toilet seat.
Toilet snake – See “auger.”
Toto – One of the most popular toilet brands. The company that invented the washlet.
Touchless flush – A sensor-activated flushing system that doesn’t require the use of a lever.
Trap – A bend in a toilet waste pipe that is designed to catch small items that you might mistakenly flush before they float away into the waste system.
Trip lever – A lever that activates the flush system.
Two-piece toilet – A toilet with a separate tank and a bowl. As opposed to “one-piece toilet.”
U
Urinal – A device attached to the floor or wall designed for male urination.
W
Wall-hung toilet – A toilet that doesn’t sit on the floor, and instead hangs off the wall.
Washlet – Originally a Toto product. Now used to refer to toilet seats with an integrated bidet in general.
WaterSense toilet – A toilet that uses at least 20% less water than the federal maximum GPF. Currently, it applies to toilets certified at 1.28 GPF or less.
WC – Water closet. A term used to refer to the toilet in many countries.
I like the sound of a toilet that can use less water when flushed. My area is pretty dry and there is occasionally a drought, so it would be nice to not use as much water during those times. Plus you could save on the water bill, so a high-efficiency toilet sounds like a good option to look into when I remodel my bathroom.