Are you in the process of refitting your bathroom? Or maybe you are installing a brand new powder room in your home? Whichever it is, you might want to know more about 5 of the best small toilets. Whether it is a small space or whether it is a whole new room, we think that a small toilet might fit well into your space. Here, we are going to review and discuss some small toilets to see if they are a good fit for you.
But before we talk about the top 5 small toilets, we need to understand the different parts and components of a small toilet so that we can understand where space is saved and whether it is worth the sacrifice. How toilet parts work from your flanges to your flappers, we are going to give you all the information you need to know about toilets!
In this article, we’re going to review the following small toilets:
- American Standard 2989101.020 Cadet 3
- Sheffield Corner 2-Piece Round Toilet In White
- American Standard 2403128.020 Compact Cadet 3
- GALBA Small Toilet Short Compact Bathroom
- HOROW HWMT-8733S Small Toilet Short Compact Bathroom
Table of Contents
How Do Toilets Work?
It’s funny how you never really think about how a toilet works until you need to replace one or something goes wrong! We take for granted the fact that we can flush it, and our waste magically goes away. In all honesty, there is actually a lot that goes into a toilet, and there are many components that could go wrong, or that could need fixing.
Essentially a toilet comprises of a water tank that empties and flushes away any waste from the bowl through to your waste pipe. But how do these parts work with each other? Let’s take a look at each part separately and see what information we can gather.
Parts of A Toilet
The Cistern
A cistern is also known as a water tank, and it houses both a large amount of water and a flush mechanism. The flush mechanism is connected to the handle or flush button on the outside, and when this is pushed down, it opens up the flapper at the bottom of the tank. The water then whooshes out of the cistern and down into the bowl. Some toilets have a smaller water capacity, and some are designed for low water pressure. These toilets will have special flushes that increase the pressure within the water tank to produce more force when the water reaches the bowl.
The Bowl
The bowl is the bottom half of the toilet and is where the waste is deposited. This is then flushed away when the cistern opens its flapper and forces the waste down through the flange and into the waste system. The water comes out through little holes that hide under the rim of the toilet, and this creates a swirling motion. When this motion is in action, it actually increases the pressure of the water flushing the waste away. Pretty clever, right!
Types of Toilets
Household toilet
These toilets need to be plumbed into both the waste system and the water system. They are most commonly found in homes and are easy to purchase. They come in a variety of options, including one-piece, two-piece, and wall-hung options. A one-piece is a toilet where the tank and the bowl are permanently joined. A two-piece is a system that comes with a separate tank and bowl while a wall hung toilet is where the cistern is hidden behind a wall, and the bowl is suspended from the wall.
Pressure Assisted Toilets
These toilets are specialist systems that don’t always need a waste outlet. The two different varieties use electrical pumps to move the waste around with the option of water to help flush the system. These toilets are useful for areas where there is no waste, where gravity is working against the system or where there hasn’t been a bathroom before. Some of these toilets even have a macerator to help eliminate the waste through your greywater system so you can install a bathroom wherever you like!
Portable Toilets
Not just for camping, a portable toilet can actually be a very viable option for workshops, pool houses, and other outdoor spaces where you’d like a toilet installed. They come in a range of styles from glorified bucket systems to high tech electric flushes. They also range greatly in price depending on how much technology you want in the toilet. Portable toilets are also very useful for…well for being portable. Most will come with floor fixings should you want to make them more of a permanent structure.
When to Replace Your Toilet
Occasionally you don’t have the budget to replace your entire bathroom, so when is the right time to replace your toilet? Toilets have evolved a lot in the last decade and as such. Most toilets older than 10 years are outdated and not very water efficient. Your toilet should be using under 1.5 gallons of water per flush. A 10-year-old toilet could be using up to 3 times that much. Imagine how much water (and money) that is using every single day when you account for that over 10 flushes per day.
Not only that, but toilets go through a lot of wear and tear over the years, and because of this, parts of them such as the washers and the seals perish and no longer seal the unit as they should. This can be remedied by changing the seals, but after a while, even this won’t be effective any longer, and you will need to replace your toilet for a new one. Luckily, we have found 5 of the best small toilets for you to choose from, so have a look at our list and see which one will suit your bathroom.
5 of the Best Small Toilets
American Standard Cadet 3
Finding a good quality compact-sized toilet is easy when you know where to look, and the American Standard Cadet 3 is a great place to start. This small toilet is ideal to fit into any room design as well as those with limited space as it combines an elongated seat position with a concealed trapway. This not only helps to make it smaller but also gives the appearance that it takes up less space in your bathroom.
Within the toilet, there is a larger than average 3-inch flush valve and a siphon jetted bowl, increasing the flush’s power and providing a full cleaning action. As with all of the American Standard toilets, the Cadet comes with an EverClean glaze inside the bowl. This glaze is designed to kill any germs and provide a smoother surface for the water to swirl around. Finally, the flush capacity is only 1.28 gallons of water per minute, making this small toilet a great water-efficient product as well.
Sheffield Corner 2 Piece Toilet
If you really are struggling to find the space in your bathroom for the toilet you want, then what about locating your toilet into a corner? The Sheffield Corner 2 Piece Toilet is specifically designed to sit in the corner of a room, thanks to the shape of the cistern, which is in a triangular shape. This allows it to be installed snugly into any square corner of the room, providing you have a water inlet and waste there too. The toilet itself projects out into the room at 32 ½ inches and uses around toilet bowl to help reduce the impact of the bowl on the room too.
The toilet itself has a dual flush system, one for liquid waste, and one for solid. The liquid waste flush uses only 0.8 gallons of water per flush while the solid waste flush uses 1.6 gallons of water. This dual flushing system means you will use less water in the long run and will greatly benefit your water bills! This two-piece system is easy to install and simple to maintain but do factor in that this system doesn’t come with floor fixing bolts, so you will need to buy those in addition.
American Standard Compact Toilet
The American Standard Compact is the second American Standard toilet on our list, and that is because we really believe that they give great value for money and provide a really high-quality product. This particular model of toilet not only has all the features you would expect with an American Standard toilet, but it also saves you so much space! Protruding out at just 28 inches from the wall, you will have plenty of room to fit other items into your bathroom.
The American Standard Compact is not just small. It is also water efficient. In fact, it is Water Sense Certified. It also has the EverClean glaze that we mentioned with the Cadet 3 and sits at a “right height” seating position rather than a standard seating height. This seating position is 16 ½ inches from the floor, slightly higher than usual, which makes it more comfortable for longer periods of time. Overall, the Compact is a great addition to any small bathroom.
Galba Small Toilet
If you want a small toilet but are still looking for something that will fit nicely into a modern bathroom, then you might want to take a look at the Galba. This small toilet has sharp square lines but is smaller than your average toilet. Protruding out at only 24 inches from the wall, this toilet is the smallest we have on our list so far. It also only stands at 29 inches tall. However, the seat height is a comfortable 15 ¾ inches from the ground, so there is no need to feel you are sitting on a miniature toilet!
Internally this toilet is very powerful, and what it lacks in height it makes up for in pressure. There are a larger number of holes underneath the rim for the water to be flushed out from which creates more of a swirling effect. This then pushes the waste away with the help of the 3-inch flush valve. Overall, for a compact toilet, this guy really does have a lot of power.
Horow Dual Flush Small Toilet
If you liked the look of the Galga but want a toilet that is dual flush, then the Horow system is perfect for you. Featuring two flush options, the larger being 1.6 gallons of water per flush and the smaller being 1.28 gallons of water per flush. The beauty of the Horow is that in its compact design, it has made it even easier to install. Molded into one single piece of ceramic, this toilet has everything already installed, all you need to do is connect up the waste and the water inlet.
The siphon flushing system has a super quiet flush, which is so powerful that you won’t find this toilet clogging up any time soon. In addition to this, the seat height is a more comfortable 16 ½ inches from the floor, so you will be able to admire your new toilet for longer without becoming uncomfortable.
Conclusion
So, there we have the top 5 of the best small toilets. Remember that while buying a small toilet is useful, it also needs to fit in with the rest of your design scheme. Buying a smaller toilet so that you can fit in that oversized sink would be counterproductive and would look strange in comparison. We think that the best toilet for a small bathroom on this list lasts to be the Horow Dual Flush Small Toilet. We like the dual flush system and the square design; it would fit really nicely into our bathroom. We hope that your bathroom planning goes without a hitch and that you can find the right small toilet to compliment your room.
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