In recent years, regulation changes regarding the amount of water that toilets can use for the flushing of toilets has caused some concern for home owners. In the past, it was common for a toilet to use 3 to 7 gallons of water per flush.

Federal law now requires that a toilet not use more than 1.6 gallons per flush. The great reduction in water usage, while bringing definite benefits to the environment, has caused many home owners to need to make repeated calls to plumbers to repair toilets that failed to function properly.

Newer models of toilets, though, have come a long way in providing good flushing systems while still meeting the requirements set by the new regulations governing water usage. In fact, some of the toilets have new flushing systems that actually work better than did the older models that were guilty of wasting so much water with each flush. There are now many options for home owners who seek to meet the regulations, but at the same time not to lose proper functionality for their flushing systems.

Toilets come in many designs, providing many options for home owners to choose from. Each bathroom's setup is slightly different, and finding the toilet that is the right fit will make the whole bathroom more useful and easier to maintain. Most of the differences in the various styles of toilets have little to do with functionality, and more to do with finding the best fit for the toilet inside the bathroom's available floor space.

Corner Toilets Corner toilets have a triangular shaped tank that fits nicely into a corner in the bathroom. This design is intended as a space-saver. It can come with a round-front seat or an elongated seat.

Round-front Toilets Round-front toilets are the most common type, also called a standard toilet. The front of the toilet's bowl is round. When replacing the seat on a toilet, it is important to make sure to get the right seat to match the bowl. Round-front toilets and elongated toilets use different sizes of seats.

Elongated Toilets On an elongated toilet, the bowl is longer, the front end of the toilet's bowl protruding 2 inches further than does its round-fronted counterpart. The advantages of an elongated toilet are several, making it the toilet of choice for many home owners. The elongated bowl makes for a more comfortable seat, and it also allows for a larger water surface area. This means that the flushing system will be more powerful, while using less water. In addition, it has a more elegant look than the round-front toilet.

One-piece Construction Toilets One-piece toilets have the base of the tank connected to the area behind the seat, forming a single unit. The design is meant to save space in smaller bathrooms, but it also offers the further advantage of being easier to clean, with fewer crevices than the two-piece toilets. One-piece construction toilets can come with an elongated or a round-front bowl. The one-piece construction design for toilets is slightly more costly than comparable toilets with a two-piece construction design.

One-piece construction toilets are popular with some people who have disabilities. The one-piece design means that the tank is lower than a two-piece construction toilet's tank, making the flushing handle easier to reach. Because of the lower height, it can be more accessible for users who suffer from certain disabilities.

Wall-mounted Toilets Wall-mounted toilets are another model intended to save space. The wall-mounted toilet is attached to the wall, with the tank being built into in the wall. The absence of the tank in the bathroom makes for much more space, making this a popular choice for home owners who have very little floor space in their bathrooms.

Combination Bidet-Toilet For home owners who prefer bathrooms with a posh European style, Toto manufactures a combination bidet-toilet. It is a stylish unit, and has a lower tank than most toilets. It is a one-piece construction style of unit.

Pressure-Assisted Flush

The pressure-assisted flush system has been designed with federal regulations on water usage in mind. With the mandate requiring lower water amounts be used per flush, a problem arose of how to make a system as effective as earlier toilet flushing systems in ridding the bowl of waste. The pressure-assisted flush system uses pressurized air to help the toilet force water into the bowl and down the drain. It is very effective in helping to save water, but many users complain of the noise generated by the pressure-assisted flushing system. The noise, which many users in the past accused of frightening small children, is much greater than that of the traditional gravity flush systems. However, many of the newer toilets with pressure-assisted flush now operate more quietly than the early models did.

The advantage of the pressure-assisted flush system lies in its savings on water bills. Some home owners report saving about $100 per year on water bills by using these lower water-usage flushing systems.

Some pressure-assisted toilets need to be plugged into an AC power supply, so would need to be situated near a power socket when installed. The buyer should take this into consideration before choosing a toilet with an electrically powered pressure-assisted flushing system.

Dual Flush Toilets

Dual flush system toilets have the ability to flush at full or half strength. On the top of the tank, there are two buttons, one for full flush, and the other for half flush. The half flush option only uses 0.8 gallons of water per flush. It is designed to save water.

Macerators and Pumps

A macerator with a pump is an excellent solution for toilets that are placed in low-lying areas, even those that may lie below the sewer line. A macerator can be attached to the toilet bowl, and usually to several other bathroom appliances too. The macerator and pump will eliminate all of the waste water from the bathroom appliances. The pump and macerator rest on the floor underneath the tank, in the gap between the foot of the toilet and the wall. Saniflo manufactures several options for the home owner looking for a toilet macerating toilet. Several of Saniflo's units are excellent water-saving models.

High Tank with Pull Chain

Some toilets have a separate tank that is placed high, with an attached pull chain dangling to within the users reach for flushing. These models are a sure way to create an antique feel to the bathroom. They can be found with round-front or elongated designs.

Toilet prices begin at prices below $150. There is a wide range of prices available, with some toilets selling for thousands of dollars. It should not be difficult for any home owner to find a suitable toilet for each of the bathrooms in the home, and to find it in a suitable price range.

Corner Toilets

Corner toilets range in price from $250 to $500. Eljer is the main manufacturer of corner toilets.

A replacement tank costs about $150 for a corner toilet on a two-piece construction unit.

Round-front Toilets

Being the most common type of toilets, round-front toilets can be found for very affordable prices. American Standard manufactures a model that sells for as low as $125. Many models sell for below $200. Prices can range up to $500, but most of the round-front toilets sell in the price range of $150 to $300.

Elongated Toilets

Elongated toilets begin in the price range of $220. American Standard and Toto both have models priced between $200 and $300. The majority of elongated toilets sell for prices between $300 and $500.

Elongated toilets with attached macerators or grinder pumps sell for prices over $800. Saniflo's elongated toilet with macerator and pump sells for just under $800. The models that come with an attached grinder pump sells for prices between $930 and $990.

One-piece Construction Toilets

One-piece construction toilets are more expensive, in general, than two-piece construction toilets. Prices for one-piece construction toilets begin at just over $300, for units such as Kohler's Rialto and American Standard's Champion one- piece construction toilets.

The majority of one-piece construction toilets sell for prices between $400 and $500. Kohler, Toto, Eljer, and American Standard all sell one-piece construction toilets in this price range.

Saniflo manufactures a one-piece construction toilet with a macerator located inside the base of the unit. It sells for just under $700.

Many one-piece construction toilets are priced over $1,000. Most of the more costly units are made with a more elegant design, such as the designs manufactured by Wasauna. Kohler also sells a unit priced over $1,000. This design is made to have a more powerful flushing system in a small design.

Wall-mounted Toilets

Wall-mounted toilets are generally priced over $600, with some selling for prices over $800. However, Porcher manufactures a unit that sells for less than $250. Duravit sells several models of wall-mounted toilets. Most of Duravit's wall-mounted toilets sell for prices over $1,000, though there are a few models that sell for just under $1,000.

Combination Bidet-Toilet

There are several bidets to choose from, all costing around $1,000 or more. Toto manufactures two combination bidet-toilet units, one selling for $3,200, and the other for $5,200. Both of these combination bidet-toilet units sold by Toto come with remote control features.