There are many considerations to make when it comes to choosing a new or replacement toilet. You can choose different bowl sizes, materials, gallons per flush, and much more. One of the most important factors to think about when purchasing a commode is the toilet trapway.
A trapway that is too small gets clogged easily and makes cleaning a challenge. Here’s what to know about trapway sizes and how to select the best one to fit your needs.
What Is a Toilet Trapway?
The trapway of a toilet is essentially the drain and is an S-shaped pipe that carries wastewater from inside the bowl to the plumbing in your floor. It’s the most difficult part of the toilet to clean and is prone to staining and buildup when not adequately maintained.
Trapways can also be skirted or concealed, which help make the exterior of the toilet easier to wipe down. A concealed trapway is also more aesthetically pleasing, because the snakelike shape of the trapway is replaced by a molded exterior with a smooth, sleek surface.
What Sizes Do Toilet Trapways Come In?
Toilet trapways are available in multiple sizes that can be intimidating to choose between. Large-diameter trapways are designed to flush even very bulky waste without clogging, while medium-diameter trapways tend to be the standard.
Toilet manufacturers must meet minimum size requirements established by the American National Standards Institute in order to provide consistently effective flushing. Trapways can be no smaller than 1.5 inches in diameter according to the Institute’s guidelines.
Most toilets have larger trapways than the minimum standard for better performance. The most common sizes for toilet trapways are between 1.75 and 2 inches, although some models can be as large as 3 inches in diameter. These are often advertised as “no-clog” toilets due to their superior flushing capacity.
How Do I Select the Right Toilet Trapway?
More often than not, bigger is better when it comes to trapway size. The smaller the trapway, the higher the likelihood that the toilet will become clogged. The size of the trapway you choose may be dictated by your budget and other features that you want, like bowl shape, water consumption rate, and soft-closing toilet seats. Decide where on your list of features the trapway size and style should land in regards to priority and try to find a toilet within your budget that has the most features and largest trapway size available.
Get Help With Your Toilet Installation Needs
Getting a new toilet doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive. ToiletKing‘s toilet installation professionals can help you explore different commode options and decide which make, model, and style is the best fit for your specific needs.
Even though there are hundreds of choices with dozens of different feature combinations for each, we can help you narrow them down and select a toilet that meets most or all of your preferences. Contact us today to learn more.