What kind of toilet would best in the Northeast with well water that often is so cold that it causes the tank to sweat? Also, the power goes off occasionally in our rural area, so it’s important that the toilet can be gotten to flush (by pouring water in the tank or bowl) when the electricity is out. Thanks.
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Replies
We solved that problem (sweating) with a little valve you install that provides a dribble of hot water to the tank. It's an easy fix. Make sure you get the kind that has a drain (a screw with a neoprenewasher) so you can drain the plumbing sysyem when you close the house down for the season.
Do as above, or add an insulating liner to the inside of the tank.
we live in Coastal RI.... everything drips in the summer.. but not our toilets.. after our first house , i always spec insulated tanks for my customers on well water..no more sweaty toilet tanks
most of the mfrs offer this option.. and the factory installed ones are better than the kits
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You have several options:
--Install a tempering valve so that the toilet is fed a mix of hot and cold water. Some folks have just rigged this up with a pair of globe valves that are manually adjusted, but there are available tempering valves designed for this service that automatically adjust the mix to the right temperature.
--Install a tempering tank somewhere that stays warm, and feed the toilets from that. This can be an old water heater with the insulation removed, painted black, and then set on the roof (though there is the obvious problem with freezing in the winter). Or you could get a west-Texas water heater (rooftop tank) that is sort of purpose made for the same duty (though the same problem with freezing).
--Install an insulating kit inside the toilet. This is bascially foam insulation you glue to the inside. Various brands available. Obviously, there can be a problem with the insulation interfering with operation if not carefully installed.
--Buy a toilet with an insulated tank. The pressurized units essentially manage this because the pressure tank is inside the visible "show" tank, but a pressurized toilet wouldn't as easily meet your requirement for manual operation. (You can pour into the bowl, but not the tank.) However, I'm pretty sure there are conventional style toilets available with built-in insulation (though I can't name any brands).
Keep in mind that an insulated tank will solve the tank sweating problem but won't keep the bowl from sweating.
I have heard of folks just feeding straight hot water to the toilet, but I suspect that, in addition to being expensive, this could cause some operational problems.