The History of Toilets

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The History of Toilets

Have you ever taken a moment to really think about your toilet? No, well neither had we, until now. Did you know there are 7 categories of toilets, over 10 styles of toilets, and 10 categories alone for seat type, and then there are the accessories too, all equaling hundreds, no millions of different ways you can design your throne at home!

Why is it Called the Crapper?

The origin of the toilet is up for debate, some say the Scottish were first, others the Greeks, and even still the Romans. However, not up for debate is the origin of what we all know and love, the flush toilet. These modern-day marvels, named the Ajax, were created in England by Sir John Harrington, the godson of Queen Elizabeth. The queen enjoyed it so much she requested he build one for her in her palace in Richmond. His invention went undiscovered for over 200 years until English watchmaker Alexander Cummings developed his own version with an s-shaped pipe under the bowl. He received a patent for his clever invention in 1775. So how did the toilet get the nickname of the Crapper, you may be wondering. Well in the 1880’S Thomas Crapper was hired by Prince Edward to construct multiple bathrooms and he placed his company name T. Crapper-Chelsea on the metal cisterns above each toilet tank, thus creating the association with his name forever in our minds.

Here in the Inland Empire we are acquainted with your standard flush tank toilets. Those in our homes typically involve a gravity-fed flushing system (where the tank fills with water and when we flush the gravity of the water pushes our business out of the bowl and into the sewer) and those in most public restrooms such as the pressure assisted system (which uses pressurized air to create a powerful flush to whisk the business away). When you think about it, these are amazing inventions that do more in a matter of seconds than it took our bodies to do for them to have their job.

Alternatives to the Standard Toilet

Now, not to be outdone there are some other fascinating toilet systems out there that many of us may have never seen before. The first is the composting toilet, which is located within your bathroom, not outdoors as one may think due to its name. This is a fascinating system that is meant to be as eco-friendly as possible and uses sawdust to organically breakdown waste. There is a small door that allows access to the composting materials once your business is ready to do its business out in the garden. Prior to the 1800’s this sort of dry toilet was used widely, however they were not used for composting as they are now.

You may have seen tankless toilets in more modern styled bathrooms. These use a system of water siphoning to create a high-pressure flush, no gravity fed water tank necessary. These types of toilets have been on the market for over 100 years, and now come with all sorts of features such as heated seats, air dryers, bidet attachments and air purifying settings. Sounds similar to a luxury car, okay minus the bidet in the car.

Finally, there are the waterless toilets which are similar and different at the same time to the compositing system, and they do require using some type of composting material, however these seem to have a built-in catch for liquid waste that diverts it to a separate tank that can be diluted and run through a sink or an outdoor pipe, while the solid waste is composted for later removal by yourself or a hired company.

We’ve only touched the surface of the fascinating world of bathroom business and it has us thinking maybe it is time for a throne upgrade!

Toilet Repair Service in Fontana

Whatever type of toilet you have, we can help fix it when it stops working correctly. Schedule your free in-home estimate by calling 909-841-1057. We don't charge extra for nights, weekends, or holidays!

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