The Ultimate Showdown in Toilet Efficiency
You might already be familiar with our enthusiasm for TOTO toilets. However, it seems there’s a new contender in town. The American Standard Champion, boasting the ability to flush an impressive 29 golf balls, has caught our attention. Not only does it excel in performance, but it also qualifies for the City of Austin toilet rebate. Combining water efficiency with such functionality is indeed hard to beat.
Toilet Bowl Open: A Battle of Hydraulic Prowess
Here’s an engaging piece for you: “Par 29 for the Toilet Bowl Open: This job leaves him flush with pride” by Tom Zucco of the St. Petersburg Times.
At the International Builders Show in January, a Kohler toilet showcased its might by disposing of 2 pounds of cocktail wieners in one flush and five rubber ducks in another. This feat, though impressive, was overshadowed by the American Standard Champion. This $249 toilet not only promises unrivaled flushing power but also the peace of mind that comes with a dependable household fixture.
A Conversation with American Standard’s Expert
Because the use of golf balls in the testing of toilets is both novel and on the cutting edge of technology, and with the Masters golf tournament this weekend, we reached Pete DeMarco, Director of Compliance Engineering at American Standard, to discuss this further.
Radiant: Who came up with the golf ball idea?
Ron: Actually, when you’re trying to make a point and you want to minimize the gross factor, golf balls are perfect. It came up in our testing group. They tested all kinds of stuff … sponges, fabric, rubber tubes, Ping-Pong balls. A variety of materials to encompass what a toilet may encounter.
Radiant: Ping-Pong balls?
Ron: They bounce violently into each other.
Radiant: And if you numbered them you could run a Bingo game. But why golf balls?
Ron: Everybody understands how heavy 29 golf balls are. That’s pretty impressive.
Radiant: Why did you stop at 29? Does something unspeakably horrible happen when you flush 30? Toward the end, the tension in the room must have been unbearable.
Ron: More times than not, 30 would go down. But 29 is a number we feel most Champion models will do. Although a lot of them will do 30 or 35. Oh, and 29 is a prime number.
Radiant: Were the balls in a bag or loose?
Ron: Loose.
Radiant: Who had the privilege of fishing them out?
Ron: We did the tests on a special test stand. There was a strainer underneath. It made a heck of a racket.
Radiant: Were any of them Golden Bear golf balls … because of that saying about bears and the woods?
Ron: No, just standard, regulation size and weight golf balls. But that’s an interesting idea.
Radiant: Did people take bets as to how many balls would flush? Was it like Cool Hand Luke eating 50 eggs?
Ron: There’s a lot of funny stuff that goes on in the testing of toilets. I can’t say nobody puts stuff in there just to see how many come out.
Radiant: The tests can be viewed at www.bestflush.com but this is one of those “don’t try it at home” experiments, right?
Ron: Absolutely. The folks in water treatment would be most unhappy with us.
Radiant: In keeping with the golf theme, why not call the toilet the 19th Hole? Or the Drop Area?
Ron: Um, I think we’re going to stick with the Champion.
Radiant: Your job is pretty cool, isn’t it?
Ron: Oh, yeah. I’ve been doing it for 29 years.
Radiant: Do you play golf?
Ron: No. I’m saving that for when I’m done testing toilets.
