Drop by, sit a spell!

My house came with probably the worst toilets ever manufactured - Kohler Royales. I don't know how old they are, but in the 9 years I've had them, I can't even begin to count the number of times I'd replaced the flappers, inner workings, had to adjust them, endured whistling, slow fills, running on etc. This kind of stuff doesn't keep me awake at night, but it's a constant annoyance. And I didn't think I could hold such contempt for porcelain! I'd wanted to replace them for years, but with traveling back and forth between Miami and New York, training, etc. the time on home maintenance was spent on more pressing things the house would throw at me... also, I might add, I had never found the ideal replacement. But around February of this year, I'd had enough of the Kohlers and their thirst for 6 gallons/flush. You see, I'm on a septic system - another "benefit" of living in Coconut Grove. So when guests are here, both the water consumption, and it's inevitable destination are pushed to overload. And as part of my desire to continue to green-ify my home, I had been looking at a few improvements - On-demand or solar Hot Water Heater, Solar Pool Pump, and Dual Flush Toilets.  Hence the marvelous piece of technology known as the Toto Aquia II pictured here. Sipping a mere 0.9 gallons (3.4 liters for my Canadian friends) and 1.6 gallons (6.0 liters) for either a liquid, or a liquid+ flush, the Aquia II is the undisputed WC Dual Flush champ. And as a further incentive beyond cutting my water consumption, Miami-Dade County was willing to kick in a $100/toilet rebate on the Aquia II. So this past Saturday, out went the 2 Kohlers and I moved the new kids in. And I can report that everything is working as advertised... even the soft-close seat is a nice touch. If you want to find out more about these, check out www.terrylove.com, a man with a pure passion for all things plumbing. Oh, and sorry about the mess on the floor - I started the job by snaking out both the drains all the way to the tank. I'll clean that up, and get the wall painted by the time you drop by to try it out!