A toilet is a very important part of a bathroom in your household. A house is considered incomplete if it has no proper bathroom and toilet. A toilet helps humans in fulfilling their basic natural needs which is the proper disposal of waste that which human body produces.
The importance of a toilet cannot be overlooked or underestimated. A toilet is necessary not only for humans but also for the environment. Proper disposal of waste is important for sanitary and hygienic reasons. If the human waste is not disposed of properly, then it can become the source of spreading germs and various diseases.
What is a Toilet Bowl?
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A toilet bowl is the part of the toilet that is placed below the toilet tank. It is the part of the toilet on which a person sits. This part of the toilet is used to hold the liquid and solid wastes before they are flushed. Most toilet bowls are made of vitreous china material because this material is durable and long-lasting. This material is also waterproof and resists staining.
Toilet bowls come in two common shapes. One is an elongated shape also known as oval and the other is a round shape. Round-shaped toilet bowls are small in size and are less expensive. They are made to fit in well in small spaces. Elongated toilet bowls are larger as compared to round ones. They are considered to be more comfortable as compared to round toilet bowls.
9 Parts of a Toilet Bowl And Their Functions
It is important to understand the parts of a toilet to help you understand how your toilet will react in case of any fault. The basic knowledge of toilet parts will help you to identify and fix basic toilet issues for example running toilets, clogging or leaks, etc. Following is a list of different parts of a toilet bowl.
Toilet Bowl Lid:
The lid of a toilet bowl is the cover of the bowl which is placed on top of the bowl. It serves as a protective wall. The toilet bowl lid is used to cover the toilet bowl and protect the surroundings of your bathroom for example towels, walls, shower door, etc.
When you start flushing, the water starts coming into the bowl from the tank. This water spreads in all directions inside the bowl. It is therefore recommended to cover the bowl with a lid to prevent the germs and bad gases escape from the toilet bowl into your bathroom.
Seat:
The part of the toilet bowl, on which a person sits is called a seat. The seat is attached to the toilet bowl with the help of screws and bolts. A simple hinge mechanism is used to attach the seat to a bowl. The seat of a toilet bowl comes in different heights to suit different consumer needs.
People who have long height, elderly people, or people with specific physical conditions prefer toilet seats to be more heightened. They find it more comfortable and easy to use. The seat comes in different shapes as well to match the bowl shape. For example seat for an elongated toilet bowl is different from the seat for round shaped toilet bowl.
Rim:
The top part of the toilet bowl is called the rim. This part is used to attach the toilet bowl to the toilet tank. The rim makes sure that the water does not splash out while going from the tank into the bowl. Another function of a rim is to make sure that the water does not flow while flowing from the tank toward the toilet bowl.
Rim Holes:
Rim holes are small holes along the sides of the rim of the toilet bowl. When you flush the toilet, the water comes from the tank and flows towards the bowl. This happens through tiny rim holes. The water comes through these tiny holes into the toilet bowl.
The water flowing down into the bowl through rim holes make a circling movement. This movement helps to increase the pressure of flushing water thus making the cleaning easier and flawless. Water flows in the form of a jet from these rim holes. That is why it is also sometimes called rim jets or siphon holes.
Wax Ring Seal:
This is a rubber seal or wax seal that is used to attach the base of your toilet bowl to the flange. The toilet bowl is placed on a wax ring seal. It is round in shape and approximately 1 inch in thickness. When you place the toilet bowl and seat on the wax ring, the wax spreads out and it makes a firm seal between the toilet and the flange. This wax ring seal helps to prevent the leakage of water from the toilet. Other names used for the wax ring are wax seals, toilet bowl gaskets or toilet seals, etc.
P-trap Pipe:
Another important part of a toilet bowl is the p-trap pipe. It is a pipe that is in a u-shape. This pipe is placed right below the bowl. The main purpose of this pipe is to prevent sewer gases from coming up into the bathroom. The p-trap pipe works as a protective shield between the sewer gases and the toilet. A p-trap pipe holds a small amount of water in it all the time.
Toilet Flange:
A toilet flange is made of metal or plastic. It is placed right above the drain pipe. It comes out of the drain pipe and reaches the space below the toilet. The flange helps to attach the toilet firmly to the drain pipe. It makes a tight seal between the toilet and the drain pipe. The toilet flange is attached to the bathroom floor using bolts and screws. The toilet is attached to the flange with the help of T-bolts.
Drain Pipe:
The drain pipe is another important part of a toilet. It is attached to the toilet bowl through the p-trap. The waste coming into the toilet bowl flows through the p-trap and goes into the drain pipe. The drain pipe then flushes away all the waste into the sewage pipes and finally into the sewage system. The wastewater coming down from the toilet also goes through the drain pipe and flows through the sewage pipe and reaches the sewage system.
Trap way:
The trap way is the route or path of water that flows from the toilet bowl and goes into the drain pipe. This trap way identifies the route of water before entering the drain pipe.
Types of a Toilet for your Home
There are two basic types of a toilet which are described below.
One piece Toilet: a one-piece toilet is one in which the toilet tank and toilet bowl are attached. This toilet comes as a single unit which is why it is named as one piece toilet. It is difficult to move from one place to another as it is heavy. It is also expensive.
Two-piece Toilet: in a two-piece toilet, the toilet tank and toilet top come as two different units. They are not attached before installation. They are also easy to transport from one place to another due to their lightweight. They are also less expensive as compared to one-piece toilets.
Why Everyone Needs a Toilet?
Toilets are very important to maintain a healthy environment for people. Toilets provide us with a way of proper disposal of human waste and wastewater disposal as well. Following are some important points that show why everyone needs a toilet.
- According to a research study, every day more than 750 children under the age of five die due to diarrhea and related diseases. This happens due to unclean and dirty water due to a lack of waste disposal facilities. WHO states that lots of diseases can be controlled if proper sanitation and toilet facilities are given in certain areas.
- Many people who have no facility or a toilet are helpless and defecate in the open air. This becomes the major reason for the contamination of clean drinking water.
- Many students mostly girls stop going to school if there is no proper facility for a toilet. This means schools also need proper toilet facilities because lack of toilets also becomes the reason for many students to drop from school.
- There are still many areas in the world where people use open air to defecate because there are no proper toilets. Women do not feel safe defecating in the open air and they also put lots of effort and time into finding a safe place to defecate.
- Toilets give a feeling of comfort, dignity, and respect to people. They feel safe and comfortable when they have a proper place to do their business like defecating. That is why toilets are an important element of a literate society.
Conclusion
The important parts of a toilet bowl are explained well in this article. This article will help you to understand various parts of a toilet bowl to identify any problems in your toilet so that you can fix them on time.
