How to Choose the Right Western Toilet Seat for Your Bathroom
Western toilet seats have the ability to give a superior, classy finish to any bathroom they’re placed in. When deciding on the kind of western toilet seat for your own bathroom, it’s important to keep in mind the following factors:
A. Style
Though there might be many different variants, typical western toilet seats can be classified into four different categories: Two-Piece, One-Piece, Wall Hung, and Smart Toilets. Two-piece toilet seats are extremely common in India.
In this setup, the bowl and the tank come separately and are attached during the installation process. A one-piece western toilet is when both components come together. They’re easier to clean.
Wall hung toilet seats are mounted on a wall with the tank installed in the wall, these give a neater and more minimal finish when compared to two-piece and one-piece western toilet seats. On the other hand, Smart Toilet seats come with various features like water flow, temperature settings and more that can be controlled by the user.
B. Rough-In Space
This is probably one of the most important factors to consider while choosing a western toilet seat. The rough-in space gives you an idea as to whether your seat would fit into a given space.
For floor-mount toilet seats, the rough-in size is the distance from the wall to the bolts on the floor that’ll be used to install the seat (not the distance from the wall to the bass-board). The most common rough-in size is 12 inches, but some bathrooms have 10-inch or 14-inch rough-ins.
C. Space
If you’ve got a small space to work with, the perfect western toilet seat for you would be a wall-hung seat. The tank is installed in the wall, and all that’s visible is the bowl and flush plate. Needless to say, these types of toilet seats look far superior than typical two/one-piece toilet seats, and take up far less space as well.
D. Budget
A single piece western toilet seat is slightly more expensive than a two-piece. In case you’ve got the budget and are looking for true luxury and features, the perfect western toilet seat for you would be a Smart seat. These come loaded with all kinds of features like seat temperature settings, water temperature settings, and even spa/massage options!
E. Bowl Type
Western toilet seat bowls usually come in two different shapes: elongated and round-shaped. Both of them come with their own pros and cons, and make up for a very important factor when locking in on a seat.
Most people feel that an elongated seat is much more comfortable to use when compared to a round one. However what you get with a round bowl type is better space utilization. These western toilet seats aren’t as elongated and thus take up less space, making them the perfect fit for those who have less space to work around with.
F. Flush Performance & Water Saving
The type of western toilet seat that fits you best changes drastically based on the kind of flushing system you’re looking for. Flushing technology has evolved tremendously over the last few years as more people are conscious about their impact on the planet and its resources.
Many flushing systems are in place and you can choose from one of the following: a dual-flush toilet, an interruptible flush cistern, and a pressure assist toilet flush. A western toilet seat equipped with a dual-flush system has a small and a large flush, both consuming roughly 3L and 6L of water respectively.
This helps with water saving since you have control over the amount of water you use with every use. An interruptible flush cistern usually has a button that enables the flush which when pressed again will stop the water. A pressure assist toilet flush uses a water-line pressure or has a fit-in device which creates additional force from air pressure to flush the toilet.
While there are more things to keep in mind when deciding on a western toilet seat that’s right for you, these are some of the most essential factors. Only when one keeps them in mind can they get a toilet seat that truly fits their needs and style. The seat you choose goes a long way into shaping your bathroom, which makes it extremely important to know the essentials before getting one.