Modern man cannot imagine his life without this household item. We are so accustomed to it that we don’t think about how this miracle of technology arose. And the history of this item is very interesting. Before figuring out who invented the toilet, it is interesting to know how people lived at the beginning of history.
When you haven't heard of toilets
Can you imagine a world without a single toilet? And such a time existed. Almost everywhere where ancient people stopped, archaeologists find dug and fenced holes with fossils from feces. The age of such toilets is estimated at 5 thousand years.
Near the coast of Scotland, latrines were found built like ruts in stone walls, leading into a drainage ditch. A little later, toilets became a little more civilized, but they were a long way from the invention of the toilet.
First sewer
The first mention of sewerage dates back to the ancient Indus civilization. The city of Mohenjo-Daro appeared around 2600 BC. e. and existed for about 900 years. That is, the settlement flourished during the times of ancient Egypt. It is considered one of the most advanced in South Asia at that time.
It is not surprising that in such a developed area the first public latrines and even a sewage system appeared throughout the city. The walls of the drains were lined with brick, and the top was covered with limestone, which had a disinfecting effect. The depth of the canals reached 60 cm. Walkways were built over the widest places for the convenience of pedestrians. The drains carried the waste through settling tanks. All solid particles remained in them, which were later used as fertilizer.
Toilets were built in the form of brick boxes, and the seats on them were made of wood. By vertical trays waste was disposed of in a sewer or a special pit.
Ancient Rome's toilets for the poor
The toilets of ordinary poor people were in many ways similar to modern street structures preserved in small towns and villages. These were stone cabins with a hole in the floor. The sewage went into a hole under the hole. They were cleared only after they were completely filled, which greatly outraged visitors. They expressed their dissatisfaction with eloquent writings on the walls, which further encourages memories of the current latrines.
for the elite in ancient Rome
Although Rome was not the place where the toilet was invented, their elite toilets became part of history. These were marble benches arranged in a circle. Sometimes the seats were decorated with paintings.
True, there were no partitions between the places, so one could only dream of privacy. But, judging by the finds of archaeologists, the ancient Romans did not need it. Restrooms were used as meeting places where necessary tasks were combined with casual chatter. Not everyone could afford such gatherings, since the emperor decided to collect money from wealthy visitors to latrines.
The toilets were equipped with sewers with running streams that washed sewage into the Tiber River. In such places there were babbling fountains, incense spread, an orchestra and singing birds drowned out sounds unpleasant to the ear. Slaves served around, whose duties included keeping the toilets clean, and sometimes warming the marble seats with their bodies for the owners.
Despite all the apparent sophistication, the sewer system of that time was far from perfect. Some canals became clogged with silt to the point of complete obstruction in just one year.
Stinking Europe
The following years did not benefit the improvement of latrines. Modern man would be horrified by medieval orders. The castles of those times could be felt 2 km away by their characteristic smell. One of the reasons for the stench was the moat of sewage around the building. It was filled thanks to latrines built right in the walls with a round hole in the protruding slab. Externally, the extensions looked like a smaller copy of ordinary balconies. Such structures were called “bay windows”.
It was rare to find a castle without a pungent stench. Only lakes instead of the usual ditches helped reduce the strength of the amber. The noble residents of the Louvre were forced to leave the castle from time to time so that it could be washed and ventilated.
The “scents” were not only spread by the collection of sewage around the castle. No matter how crazy it may sound for a person accustomed to convenience, it was considered quite normal to relieve oneself wherever necessary. It could be a courtyard, a staircase, a corridor, or a secluded place behind a curtain. Not least of all, diarrhea, provoked by appalling unsanitary conditions, played a role in the norms of behavior.
All this happened not in abandoned villages, but in world-famous cities: Paris, Madrid, London, etc. The streets were filled with sewage and waste, and freely roaming pigs also did not contribute to cleanliness. When the mess was diluted by rains, people stood on stilts, because it became impossible to move in the usual way.
Chamber pots in the Middle Ages
Chamber pots were used everywhere, brightly entering the history of the creation of toilets. The first representatives were made of copper, but over time the vessels began to represent the wealth of the owner. The pots of the rich became faience, with elaborate paintings and decorated with stones.
There was an opportunity to demonstrate this splendor even at balls. The vessel for the dear guest majestically swept over those present, only to be carried away with the same pathos when filled.
All of Europe chose instead of complex sewer systems the simplest way: pouring the contents of a chamber pot out the window. In Paris, the upcoming action was warned by shouting: “Attention, it’s pouring!” There is an opinion that it was thanks to this habit that the fashion for wide-brimmed hats was introduced.
Unsuccessful attempt to create the first toilet
The foundations of the Middle Ages were not due to the lack of ideas for ennoblement. The stench of the French court inspired Leonardo da Vinci to design the first toilet. The scientist thought through and drew systems for water supply, drainage and even ventilation. But he never became the one who invented the toilet. The king did not appreciate the idea, and the court continued to use the pots.
Milan, unlike France, decided to take the advice of a genius and installed sewers throughout the city. Ditches were built under the streets, into which all waste fell through holes in the pavements.
Who invented the toilet for the first time
The cistern was invented for Elizabeth the First by her godson. John Harington was the first to invent a toilet. And in what year did this happen? In 1596. But the system did not take root. The outhouse remained in the form of a night vase, but a container of water appeared above it, washing away impurities. The draining procedure was started using a special valve.
The construction cost 30 shillings 6 pence, which was quite expensive. But the invention avoided widespread distribution not because of cost, but because of the lack of water supply and sewage systems at that time. The updated toilet did not solve the problem of odors, since the sewage was not removed outside the castle, but remained under the same vase.
New ideas did not change the old habits of the nobility. It was quite common for Louis the First to change the throne during a conversation from an ordinary one to a special one with a round hole in the seat and a pot at the bottom. Catherine de Medici had a similar toilet, decorated with red velvet. And she, too, did not hesitate to greet guests on a peculiar chair. After the death of her husband, the color of the pot changed to black, so that no one would have any doubts about the grief of the widow.
At the same time, there came a fashion for small oblong-shaped pots that ladies carried with them. The vessels allowed a woman in a wide skirt to relieve herself directly in public place.
Further development of the toilet
By 1775, London had already acquired a sewer system, which allowed the capital's watchmaker to become the first to invent a flush toilet. The year 1778 saw the invention of the cast iron structure and lid to improve sanitation. The new kind has become widespread among users. Soon, steel coated with enamel and earthenware began to be used for vessels.
Of those who invented the toilet, humanity remembers the name of Thomas Crapper the most. Even today, the British call toilets “crappers.” A similar word was invented for a long stay in the restroom - “crap”.
The subject, which is familiar today, became particularly widespread in the nineteenth century. This was not due to a cultural breakthrough, but due to the rapid spread of disease, forcing the government to intervene.
It is not known exactly who and in what year invented the toilet with u-shape drain pipe, but it was a significant breakthrough. The new discovery made it possible to rid the room of sewer odors. Next, they invented a chain with a handle for starting the drain and a truck faucet for releasing water into the tank.
In 1884 the name UNITAS was used for the first time. This word meant “unification of aspirations.” Thomas Twyford created a faience container and made the seat from wood. The toilet was presented in the capital of England at international exhibition.
Active distribution of toilets
Russia is actively producing the device. Already in 1912, one company produced 40 thousand items. The figure began to grow quickly: in 1929, 150 thousand toilets were produced in one year, and at the beginning of Stalin’s rule - 280 thousand.
Today, not a single civilized person can imagine his life without a toilet in his apartment. Many companies are inventing new designs, but the most common remains the familiar white one, made of earthenware.
There is an opinion that civilization and sewerage do not exist without each other. The installation of toilets is, of course, part of the sewer system. A modern person can hardly imagine a toilet without a snow-white toilet with a flush cistern. But where did this miracle of comfort come from, have you ever wondered? It turns out that the history of the appearance of the toilet still causes heated debate in the scientific community. The opinions of historians and architects often agree on only one thing: that the roots of this intriguing story lie in ancient times, where we will now be transported in our minds.
Antiquity
It is believed that the distant ancestor of the first toilet on earth appeared in Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. e. But in Mohenjo-Daro, archaeologists also discovered a very ancient, only more advanced sewer system. In the restrooms there was a brick box with a wooden seat, which served as a latrine, from which sewage flowed through special grooves outside the settlement.
There is also a valuable historical find in the storerooms of the British Museum - this is an exquisite toilet seat of the Sumerian queen Shubad, made in the form of a royal throne, decorated with luxurious carvings. This item hygiene was born in 2600. BC e. Let's travel back in time...
Based on the results of excavations at Tell el-Amarna, archaeologists have the opinion that in ancient Egypt the toilets were not connected to a single sewer system. In the houses of rich Egyptians of the 14th century. BC e. The restroom was located next to the bathroom. Often the toilet was a separate room whitewashed with lime. The central place in it was a brick box, at the bottom of which there was sand. The Egyptians laid a limestone slab on top of the brick container. Apparently, the stove served as a seat. The toilet was cleaned as it filled.
Scientists working in the Henan province of China are very lucky. During excavations, in the tomb of one of the great rulers of the Western Han dynasty, a toilet made of stone was discovered with a seat, armrests and, most surprisingly, with an outlet. running water.
Speaking about sewerage, it is impossible not to mention the oldest engineering structure in Rome, Cloaca Maxima, which in the 6th century. BC. was an open channel. The purpose of the canal was to drain the soil and lower dirty waters into the river. Every city toilet in Rome had a sewer branch. Seats with a hole were usually placed directly above the channel, so that the constantly flowing water would wash all the waste products of the Romans into the Tiber. For the Romans, going to the toilet was considered a social event, at which quite important matters were sometimes discussed. For ease of communication, the seats in the toilets were not separated by partitions.
Middle Ages
Unfortunately, medieval Europe, unlike ancient civilizations, did not shine with cleanliness and sanitation. The contents of the chamber pots were unceremoniously thrown out of the windows onto the street by the townspeople. Among the nobility, toilet seats decorated with carvings and fabric drapery with a hole made in them and a special reservoir placed underneath were popular as a “portable toilet.”
Shocked by the Parisian stench, inventor Leonardo da Vinci invented and designed for King Francis I a flush toilet that vaguely resembled modern toilet. IN unique drawings the great inventor depicted sewer drainage channels supplying clean water pipes and ventilation. But it was customary for the European nobility to use “night vases,” often in public. It is known that the French king Louis XIV considered it very impolite to stop an important conversation because of a natural desire to go to the toilet. Continuing the conversation, Louis XIV absolutely without hesitation moved to a special chair with a hole encrusted with precious stones and gilding and relieved himself in the presence of others.
By the way, at balls and social receptions everything happened similarly. But if the gentlemen handled the pots without problems, the ladies of the court experienced certain inconveniences due to their fluffy skirts. To the delight of society ladies in the 16th century. Burdala (lady's duck) was invented small size, which easily hid under numerous skirts).
Technical breakthrough
History says that in 1596, a toilet with a flush cistern was invented for Queen Elizabeth I by J. Harington. The inventor gave his brainchild the name “Ajax” and documented its description in a book (down to listing the manufacturing materials and their cost). The price for a toilet was decent, but this is not why such a useful household item did not become widespread, but because of the lack of sewerage and running water in London.
The valve-type flush toilet was invented in 1738. A little later, A. Cummings developed a water seal that helps solve the problem of eliminating unpleasant odors. And in 1777 J. Preiser added a valve and a handle to the design of the flush cistern. In 1778, inventor J. Bramah came up with the design of a cast-iron toilet with a hinged lid. Toilets made of enameled steel and earthenware appeared much later. In the history of the invention of toilets, T. Krepper became more famous than anyone else because he invented a system for dispensing water from a tank located at a height (“pull the chain”). In addition, in Krepper’s drawings, a curved a drain pipe with water seal.
Mass production
Serial production of toilets began in 1909. Spanish company Unitas. At the very beginning they were sold under the very long name “hygienic ceramic products", but over time the name was replaced by the short "toilet bowl".
History of the creation of the toiletFor the first time, mass production of earthenware toilets began in 1909 in Spain. At the beginning of the last century, a joint-stock company for the electrification of the country was organized there, which was called Unitas (“unity”, “union”). By order of this society, one of the factories near Barcelona began to produce faience insulators, and at the same time cast toilet bowls. And all products were marked with the mark of the joint-stock company "UNITAZ". From this mark the name of the hygienic product went around the world.
A world without toilets
Archaeologists find fenced pits with petrified feces at almost all sites of Neolithic man. During archaeological excavations on the Orkney Islands, which are located off the coast of Scotland, archaeologists found depressions in the stone walls of houses that connected to gutters. The finds turned out to be latrines. The age of these toilets is about 5000 years. Today they are considered the most ancient. A little younger than them are those found during excavations in Mohenjo-Daro (on the banks of the Indus River) and represented a more extensive and complex sewer system: feces from latrines that were made near external walls houses, flowed into street ditches, along which they left the city. The latrine looked like a brick box with a wooden seat. Chinese archaeologists in Hunan province (Hongji region) have found the toilet of a monarch of the Western Han Dynasty. This rarity is more than 2000 years old. It was created approximately 50-100 BC. The flushing of waste from the human body was carried out using water from a water supply system, which the Chinese also invented before the Europeans. In the vaults of the British Museum there is a carved throne-toilet of the Sumerian queen Shubad, which was found in Ur and dates back to 2600 BC. And this design - “a chair with a hole above the pot” lasted for millennia and was only replaced by a water closet at the beginning of the twentieth century. 
But the history of the water closet is also quite gray. Already in the 20th century BC. The palace buildings of the settlement of Knossos on the island of Crete were equipped with latrines that were connected to the sewerage system. In ancient Egypt, toilets were not connected to sewers, which, however, were already well developed. In rich houses, behind the bathroom there was a toilet, whitewashed with lime. there was a slab of limestone laid on top of a brick box filled with sand, which had to be replaced periodically. In Thebes, in one of the ancient Egyptian burials, which dates back to the same century as the city of the famous pharaoh, a portable toilet made of wood was discovered, under which a clay pot was placed. The Greeks used simple pots, which are mentioned in ancient plays as weapons in domestic scandals - the last resort to break an opponent was to place a fully filled pot in the middle of the table. In Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC. there were already toilets that were connected to drains through which human waste flowed, collecting in brick sewer wells. In wealthy houses, the seats were made of bricks
Toilet facilities Ancient Rome
In Ancient Rome, public toilets first appeared on the street and at thermae; they were decorated with marble and ceramic slabs, and sometimes even decorated with paintings. Sewage went into drains under the seats, from which they were washed out with running water and carried through a pipe system into special collectors - sewers. The famous Roman drainage cloaka MAXIMA, built in the 7th–6th century BC. e. Etruscan ruler Tarquinus Sperbus, was about five meters wide and stretched between the Capitoline and Palatine hills from the main city forum to the Tiber. The guardian of all this splendor was the goddess Cloakina. Cloaka MAXIMA remained the most advanced sewage system for many centuries after its construction, and it still exists today. The history of the sewers of Ancient Rome contains information about luxurious latrines (freeks), which served as meeting places and conversations accompanied by the murmur of drainage streams. And judging by the way the seats were located here, visiting these establishments was one of the forms of leisure for the townspeople and taking care of their needs was interspersed with conversations with people pleasant to their hearts. The stone seats formed a circle - like in an amphitheater. There was enough space for almost 20 people. Only very wealthy citizens could afford visiting such freaks.
Middle Ages
When the Roman Empire fell, much was lost, including the principles of urban sanitation. The sewerage systems that the Romans built in the territories under their control were destroyed, and practically no new sewerage systems were built in the Middle Ages. The role of the toilet was performed by an ordinary potty, which was placed under the bed, and the contents from it spilled directly onto the street. Charlemagne's night vase can be seen in the Avignon Museum. An ordinary copper pot with handles was all that the great ruler could afford. True, there were still toilets in the castles with a primitive sewage system: they went outside the premises, as if hanging over the castle wall, and from these booths there was a stone drain, through which sewage flowed. In the French "sieve" of Carcassonne you can see a toilet located at the very top outside the fortress wall. Sewage flowed down the stones, solidifying into anthracite lava over the centuries. 
Another castle toilet system is a stone seat over a deep shaft. Here waste products could not be left as a souvenir for posterity, so once a year the goldsmiths lowered themselves onto ropes into the mine, scraped off the sewage from the walls and dumped it directly into the fortress moat.
In France they were not clever at all. The cry "Gare l"eau!" ("Attention! It's pouring!") meant that the contents of the pot would now pour directly onto the heads of passers-by. 
Renaissance and toilet
During the Renaissance, the construction of urban centers began to gain momentum. waste systems sewerage. Although the most popular remains the night vase, which by the 18th century. was already a real work of art: faience chamber pots were decorated with inlays and painted. 
The nobility began to fashion portable ceramic bidets. 
By the way, many famous companies that now produce sanitary ware originated from small manufactories that produced crockery, earthenware, bedside vases and bidets. The thought of the Titans of the Renaissance could not avoid the problem of the toilet. 
Leonardo da Vinci, when he was invited to the court of King Francois I, was so shocked by the stench of Paris that he designed a flush toilet especially for his patron. The Codex Leonardo contains a drawing made by the hands of a genius, which depicts a toilet. Leonardo's drawings indicate water supply pipes, sewer outlet pipes, and even ventilation shafts... But, as in the case of the submarine and helicopter, Leonardo was, as always, ahead of his time. The drawings remained drawings... The name of the great Leonardo, attached to the history of the toilet, raises the object itself to a certain height, flattering the vanity of the author. At that time, London toilets were built directly above the Thames. However, over time, the amount of drainage increased so much that it threatened to block the tributaries of the Thames. Then toilets began to be built right on city streets, giving them a very civilized look. One of these toilets is now in the Museum of London. 
The Golden Age of the Toilet
Since the end of the 16th century, the mainstream of toilet construction has moved to Britain. In 1590, Sir John Harington created a working model of a toilet with a cistern and water reservoir for Queen Elizabeth I - almost as we know it today. The first toilet cost 30 shillings and 6 pence. However, as historians write, the inventor made two cardinal mistakes. One relates to the structure, the other, as they would say today, to its name. The first was that the ancestor of the current water closet smelled strongly, which the monarch often complained about. The second mistake concerned the name: the inventor called his brainchild “Metamorphosis of Ajax” (in English slang “jax” means outhouse), which was understood by contemporaries as a metamorphosis of the throne, which is why the queen had to listen to a lot of jokes that annoyed her. According to other sources, sixty-year-old Elizabeth did not like the innovation because she was seriously afraid that through the sewer system, enemies could deprive her of her virginity and thereby cause harm. But in those years when Harrington designed his technical miracle, there was no running water in London - widespread use of the device was out of the question. 50 years later, the French responded with their invention. King Louis 14 was presented with a ship in the form of a gift soft chair, in where you could sit for hours waiting for a pleasant “moment” and talk with visitors. In 1775, London watchmaker Alexander Cumming created the first flush toilet - by this time London already had running water. In 1778, another inventor, Joseph Bramach, invented the cast iron toilet and hinged lid. This invention was already a success - the townspeople quickly bought it up. Toilet bowls were also made of enameled steel. One such example can be seen in the Hofburg, the Viennese residence of the Habsburgs. Soon a faience toilet appeared - it was more convenient to wash. The golden hour of toilets struck in the 19th century.
Unfortunately, it was not because of a good life that he struck. In 1830, Asiatic cholera struck Europe, spreading through sewage-tainted water. Another scourge was typhoid fever. Governments have realized: it’s time to shell out money for sewerage. Here, the question arose about modern-level toilet seats. It was then that the “three musketeers” of toilet design appeared: George Jennings, Thomas Twyford and Thomas Crapper. Locksmith Thomas Krepper patented his invention - a toilet with a flush barrel) from a small village in the north of England invented a toilet modern style. The main thing in the invention is a U-shaped elbow with a water seal that separates the toilet room from the sewer. 
To increase the flow, Krepper installed a water tank high under the ceiling, and to the lever drain tap adapted a chain with a handle. Two royal mechanics, George Jennings and Thomas Twyford, became interested in the village mechanic's invention and, supplementing it with an automatic water inlet valve, which was used on steam locomotives of the time, presented the creation to Queen Victoria. Thomas Crapper became the most famous: the British still call toilets “crapper”, sitting in the toilet for a long time is denoted by the verb “crap”, and in native village inventor, there is a church in which there is a stained glass window with a mosaic image of a toilet. And in 1915, the time came for siphon tanks, which can be placed very low - just above the toilet seat. 
Our days…
In 1912, 40,000 toilets were manufactured in Russia. 
Even the Bolsheviks did not dare to stop this bacchanalia - in 1929, in Soviet Russia they made 150,000 toilets a year, and in Stalin’s first five-year plan, “sanitary faience” was a separate line: the country needed 280,000 toilets a year. This very device with a cast-iron tank under the ceiling and a handle on a chain is still preserved in station toilets and provincial military registration and enlistment offices. In the era of industrial housing construction in the 60s, “compact” toilets, that is, toilets with a lower earthenware cistern, came to new apartments. Today they make up 92% of the country's toilet fleet. The advantages of old-fashioned compacts include low price and relatively long term service - 20 years. The disadvantages are known to everyone: poor quality ceramics, which quickly leads to telltale yellowing, extremely low quality drain fittings, noisy intake and drainage of water. 
Currently, hundreds of companies around the world are engaged in the production of toilets. High tech have long become the norm in toilet construction. The modern closet is endowed with additional functions and characteristics, ranging from aesthetic to medical. There is a toilet in almost every human home.
03 Sep 2012
Toilet - well, everyone is familiar with this item. Except that in distant mountain villages they use other means of comfort. One of my friends, who came to the United States in the mid-seventies, was simply shocked to see a toilet with an ordinary toilet in the desert on the Mexican border, tens of kilometers from the nearest housing. But where does the unusual name of this wonderful device come from?
Compact toilet
The first toilet with a flush cistern was invented around 1596 by Sir John Harrington for Queen Elizabeth I. The author gave his invention the name “Ajax” and described it in detail in the book “Metamorphoses of Ajax”, describing all the materials used and their prices. The price of a Harrington toilet was quite high at that time (six shillings and eight pence), but water closets did not become widespread not because of the high cost, but because of the lack of water supply and sewerage in the English capital.
John Harrington.
Toilet design stagnated for the next two hundred years until the valve-type flush toilet was invented in 1738.
Somewhat later, Alexander Cummings developed a water seal. water closet), who solved the problem of unpleasant odors and in 1775 received a patent for this device.
Siphon - water seal.
In 1777 Joseph Preiser designed cistern with valve and handle. In 1778, Thomas Krepper, the holder of several patents for plumbing inventions, invented a device for metered flushing of water, and the toilet acquired an almost modern appearance.
Cast iron cistern with a handle on a chain.
In 1883, Thomas Twyford improved the Krepper model by making the bowl from a more aesthetically pleasing faience and equipping the structure with a wooden seat. He presented his creation called “UNITAS” in 1884 at the London International Health Exhibition. The product "UNITAS", that is, unity of aspiration and execution, received highest award- gold medal.
Dressing chair (Europe, 19th century)
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Spanish company UNITAS, which means “unity” in Spanish, began supplying plumbing fixtures it produced to Russia. These devices were liked by the consumer and, as they say, were in great demand. Contractors who installed these plumbing products called them "Unitas fixtures" or simply "Unitas." Gradually, the incomprehensible word "unitas" was transformed into the word "toilet", with an emphasis on the letter "a". Perhaps this transformation occurred due to the presence in the Russian language of the word “taz”, which also refers to sanitary devices. However, the origin of the name of the product, so popular among all segments of the population, is symbolic. Perhaps nothing in the world unites people of all races and continents like this wonderful device: “Unitas” - a toilet.
Rural toilet in a subtropical design.
At the end of the 19th century, manufacturers of earthenware products from Russia purchased a license to produce toilets in the Russian Empire. Already in 1912, 40 thousand toilets were manufactured in Russia. In 1929, 150 thousand toilets were produced in the USSR, and in the first five-year plan, the production of toilets was a separate line: the country needed 280 thousand toilets per year. In those years, the toilet was a device with a cast-iron tank under the ceiling and a handle on a chain; they can still be found in communal apartments throughout the former USSR.
Before the introduction of toilets, maintaining sanitation in large crowds of people in one place was always a problem. In the Deuteronomy of Moses, warriors were required to carry with them not only weapons (sword, shield, spear) but also a shovel used for digging a hole before relieving natural needs and after, for burying In this way, elements of sanitation were instilled in the soldiers. Epidemics in the troops very often caused much greater losses than enemy weapons.
The Israeli army crosses the Jordan.
Maintaining sanitation in the army has always been extremely important. Look at this wonderful document from the beginning of the century.
“Instructions for maintaining latrines” (1907).
In the United States, the adoption of toilets has been slower. The Seattle Museum displays the first toilet designed in the United States in 1890. Until then, toilets were imported from Europe, by the same Spanish company "UNITAS" and they produced their own licensed toilets. But then the United States moved quickly ahead, in this perhaps only the Japanese compete with them.
Technologically advanced toilet with electronic remote control management. Tokyo, Japan, 2008
I shared with you the information that I “dug up” and systematized. At the same time, he is not at all impoverished and is ready to share further, at least twice a week. If you find errors or inaccuracies in the article, please let us know. I will be very grateful.
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There are toilets with a separate cistern, with a cistern installed on a shelf (the so-called compact), and monolithic. Separately located tanks require installation of a connecting pipe between the tank and the bowl. Earlier designs of toilets involved installing the tank at a height of about 2 m to create a flow of water at a sufficiently high speed. Subsequently, this design was replaced by compact toilets, which were easier to install and maintain. There are also toilets that require a hidden cistern installation.
Bowl
During the production process, the toilet bowl is cast in such a way that the visible open part of the bowl smoothly passes into the siphon located in the depths of the bowl (provides a water, that is, a hydraulic seal for gases formed and accumulating in sewer system), which then smoothly turns into an “exhaust” (actually an exhaust pipe).
Structurally, according to the direction of release, toilets are divided into two main groups - with a “horizontal” release and with a “vertical” release:
Toilets with “horizontal” outlet- the outlet of such a toilet is usually located at the rear of the bowl and directed backwards. The outlet pipe itself protrudes noticeably from the toilet body, and the outlet axis is located parallel or at a slight downward angle to the plane of the floor (or ceiling). Toilets with a downward-facing outlet are often called "slant-outlet toilets."
Such toilets are widespread primarily in Europe, including Russia and the CIS. Historically, this is due to the fact that the laying of sewer pipes here was carried out, as a rule, along the ceiling, usually along the walls (or partitions). And toilets with horizontal outlet are also installed, as a rule, against the wall, at right angles to it.
The outlet pipe of such a toilet is connected to the sewer pipe, usually with a special cuff. These toilets are attached to the floor (ceiling) through special holes in the bowl leg using screws with dowels or anchors. To install a toilet of the second type with a downward outlet in the case where the sewer pipes are located on top of the ceiling, the floor level under the toilet would have to be raised at least 15...20 cm above the ceiling level in order to hide the sewer bed, which is not always allowed by the design of the toilet and adjacent rooms (floors of different heights are obtained). An eccentric collar is used to connect such outlets with bends.
Toilets with “vertical” outlet have a built-in outlet pipe directed downward, hidden, like the siphon, in the main body of the toilet bowl. Such toilets are common in the USA and several other American countries. Here, for a long time, the routing of sewer pipes was carried out under the ceiling without reference to walls and partitions (together with the routing of ventilation and other engineering systems). Then these engineering Communication were closed with a suspended or suspended ceiling, as is the case today.
A type 2 toilet with a downward outlet in this case can be installed at any angle to the walls anywhere in the room, even in the middle of the room. To do this, a special standard screw flange with a lock is mounted in the floor (the toilet is equipped with a corresponding standard mating part) and with round hole in the middle, into which the end is inserted sewer pipe.
The toilet is mounted by installing it on the flange and then turning it at a slight angle until it is fixed. At the same time, since the outlet pipe “looks” down, when installing the toilet, it is pressed against the end of the sewer pipe through a special sealing ring. The design of the screw flange connection allows you to dismantle and replace the toilet in a matter of minutes. The very place where the toilet is connected to the floor is not visible after its installation, so such a toilet looks aesthetically pleasing from the rear, that is, from the side of the tank, which makes it possible to install it indoors in any way.
Flush cistern
The tank is designed to supply the portion of water necessary to clean the toilet bowl. Compact toilet cisterns are usually made of ceramic, while freestanding cisterns can be made of plastic, cast iron, of stainless steel and other materials.
A filling mechanism and a release mechanism are mounted in the tank. To fill the toilet, a float valve is used, which closes when the required water level is reached. The pipe for connecting to the water supply can be located either on the side surface (a tank with a side water supply) or at the bottom of the tank (with a bottom connection).
The descent mechanism is of two types: siphon and using a pear. Siphon release was used in tanks high installation- in it, when descending after releasing the drain lever, water continues to flow due to the siphon effect. This design is quite noisy.
For low-lying tanks, the drain mechanism uses a rubber bulb, which floats up when the drain is activated and returns to its place, blocking the drain hole, only after the tank is emptied. To protect against overflow, an additional pipe is required, which can be either combined with the bulb or made as a separate unit. Dual-mode drainage mechanisms are also becoming widespread, which allow you to drain both the entire volume of water in the tank and a certain part of it.
toilet seat
Historically, the first seats and covers were made of wood, varnished. Currently, plastic structures are more common - they are more hygienic. Seats and covers differ in the quality of plastic and fastener design. In most cases, several toilet seats can be selected for the same toilet model: the so-called soft, semi-rigid and hard. The fastening of the toilet seat to the bowl can be metal or plastic, of various designs.
