A Deep-Bowled Toilet

Suppose you could build a toilet that is the same as your normal toilet, but the bowl is 3 ft tall, so that the height of the water column that rushes in during the flush is higher as well (as shown in the diagram). What impact would this have on the formation of clogs?

It would clog just as easily It would clog less often It would clog more often

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1 solution

Eli Ross Staff
Dec 21, 2016

Consider what happens when a toilet is functioning properly—it means that the pressure gradient across the U-tube is strong enough to propel the liquid, and whatever solid waste there is, over the neck and into the sewer pipe. Obviously, solid waste doesn't behave in exactly the clean way that our fluid-based arguments do.

Unlike fluids, it is possible for solid waste to form a physical barricade that wholly or partially blocks the connection from the bowl to the U-tube. In such a circumstance, it is necessary to apply a greater pressure than usual to move the solid mass through the U-tube and into the sewer pipe—this is the basic idea behind a toilet plunger.

However, if we were to make the toilet bowl higher (and thus the height of the water used to flush), the pressure gradient across the U-tube would be greater, and it could thus handle blockages which would have brought a regulation-height toilet to failure. Thus, higher toilet bowls would be one way to prevent blockage.

One clear drawback is that this would mean even more clean water being used to drive waste out from toilets. But it is a nice idea in theory.

It doesn't matter how big it is. Your answer was wrong. There is an air gap between the tank and the bowl. Which would allow for depressurization so if it was 20 foot tall or 3 feet tall the only so much water can be forced into that bowl. And like I said the air gap allows for Equalization there will be no more increased thrust

Dabee Sputchinson - 4 years, 5 months ago

The tank would need to be bigger also. Changing the bowl size without changing the supply tank means that the same amount of water enters a larger cavity. Assuming the supply tank is larger, then it means your clogs could be pushed further back making clogs a pain to clear, right?

Fun thought exercise. Thanks!

Mike Bosch - 4 years, 5 months ago

Just looking at the picture makes me think thata taller bowl won't work. Because the height of the water in the bowl is higher than the peak height of the u-trap, and the fact that water is self-leveling, would mean the weight of the water in the bowl would push the water in the bowl down until it reached the height of the top of the Trap. Am I correct in that or am I missing something?

LJ Parker - 4 years, 5 months ago

I'm having a cistern fitted by my plumber on Wednesday, I'll ask him what he thinks! I went for the bigger mass of water, more pressure argument, a la Pascal.

Andy Burns - 4 years, 1 month ago

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