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8 TIPS FOR BUYING THE RIGHT TOILET
When it comes time to choose a new toilet for your home, there can be a lot of overwhelming factors in the decision. With this article, we’ll go over how to choose the best toilet for you.
Knowing this information before you begin your buying journey will help you also when it comes time to hire a Winnipeg plumber to install your new toilet.
New toilets come in all kinds of configurations with many different bells and whistles. There are basically three things you need to keep in mind when buying a new toilet:
- Your budget
- Your lifestyle and design of bathroom
- Functionality
Remember: Once you buy your new toilet and install it, there’s no going back. Your stuck with that thing for who knows how long (unless of course you have money to burn; then you can easily pay to have it replaced).
Here are ten tips, in no particular order, to help you buying the right toilet for you.

Tip #1 Water Conservation
The big thing nowadays is water conservation. They’ve even come out with an official sticker that they put on things to let you know that it conserves more water than similar models from thirty years ago.
You can choose from:
- High efficiency toilets
- Flush at a rate of about 1.28 gallons per flush
- Ultra efficiency toilets
- Flush at rates as low as 1.0 gallons per flush and don’t lose any performance
- Dual flush toilets
- Get the best of both worlds
Tip #2 Toilet Innovations (Self-Cleaning)
It’s amazing what we can do with things to make our lives just a little easier and more convenient. This includes a self-cleaning option with toilets.
If you’re like most people, you probably don’t enjoy having to constantly clean your toilet. Especially if you have a household of teenage boys or girls.
Tip #3 Bathroom Design
Of course, you have to take into consideration the design of your bathroom.
- Whether the toilet is a single piece or two-piece toilet
- Elongated bowl as opposed to a round bowl
Does the toilet match the style of the bathroom? For example, do you have a modern bathroom design or is your bathroom a bit more traditional.
Tip #4 Bathroom Designated Space
Does the toilet fit in the space where it has to go?
This happened to a client one time, where they bought a toilet that didn’t conform to the piping, so we had to cut back the pipe in order to fit the toilet.
Make sure to measure the space (do the ‘rough in’) and write down the dimensions before going to your local home renovation store.
Tip #5 Toilet Users
Another consideration is who is going to use the toilet most frequently. For example, do you have a pack of younger kids that need to go potty, or are you maybe a bit older and bending down is an issue?
In the latter case, you might want to go with a tall toilet.
Tip #6 Choosing the Right Flushing System
It might be hard to tell how the toilet flushes while it’s still in the box, but there’s a thing called YouTube where you can probably find a video of how the toilet flushes.
If you’re like me, you’re probably very picky about how a toilet flushes.
There are some systems that flush where they have powerful jets that scrub the bowl while flushing.
Tip #7 Custom and Hard to Find Replacement Features
Say you want to go all out on your new toilet with a custom seat or some other feature. Make sure you know where you can find replacement parts ahead of time. If something breaks, and you don’t know where to go, you may experience a lot of inconvenience and unwanted stress in your life until you’re able to fix it.
Tip #8 Check for Rebates
Sometimes, you might be able to find a toilet that actually pays you back. Check for rebates from the manufacturer, but also from the city of Winnipeg.
Winnipeg has a toilet replacement credit program for residential homes. Make sure to check that funding is still available for this program before buying your toilet, as there might be specific conditions attached to the admissibility.
Need help choosing a new toilet and installing it?
Give us a call and we’ll help you choose the right toilet and install it for you.
(*Please note that this is a service we include with installation)