Tankless toilets have caused quite a stir in the architectural world in recent years.
A tankless toilet, as opposed to a traditional toilet, does not have a tank attached to it. As a result, it is not necessary to use tank water to transport waste.
This innovative design is sleeker and smaller, requiring less space. However, the benefits and drawbacks of tankless toilets are such that they are not suitable for every household.
One of the biggest pros of tankless toilets is that they source water directly from the main line and pump it with immense pressure to flush waste from the bowl directly into the drainage system.
Unlike a conventional toilet, a tankless toilet comes with a flush meter rather than a tank. It utilizes the same volume of water as an ordinary toilet, but the water passes through the bowl with intense pressure helping to clear away the waste.
Although a tankless toilet sounds more ideal than a regular toilet, before deciding to get one for your home, ensure that you understand the prerequisites of this bathroom feature.
Also, installing a tankless toilet while constructing a new home is much easier than replacing a pre-existing regular toilet with a tankless model.
There is certainly a lot to consider when weighing the pros & cons of a tankless toilet, we will take a look at each in this article.
What Are The Pros Of Tankless Toilets?
More Space
Perhaps the most notable pro of tankless toilets is greater space availability. A tankless toilet comes without the added burden of a tank, giving you ample space to get the desired look for your bathroom.
Conventional toilets feature bulky and cumbersome tanks that occupy substantial space on the floor and wall while looking unsightly and old-fashioned.
On the contrary, a tankless toilet is compact, which makes it a perfect feature for a small bathroom.
Flexible Design
A tankless toilet has a unique design giving it an elegant and stylish look. Hence installing a tankless toilet can instantly elevate the appearance of your washroom.
Moreover, there are different ways to install a tankless toilet in your washroom, depending on your style and preference.
You can choose to fix it on the floor or install it on the wall to give you more floor space. This will give your washroom a more airy and unrestricted atmosphere.
Fixing a tankless toilet on the wall will also enable you to select the most comfortable level.
Convenient Usage
One of the notable pros of tankless toilets is convenient usage because after flushing once, the bowl refills with water very quickly.
Hence you can use the toilet immediately after, instead of waiting for some time to let the tank refill. This feature prevents people from waiting outside the bathroom, especially if you have a big family or if you frequently host huge parties.
With tankless toilets, you do not need to worry about people waiting in lines outside the bathroom to use the toilet.
Less Water Usage
Recently, people have acquired more awareness and are trying to conserve natural resources like water.
Hence, the law permits manufacturers to create toilets, whether tankless or traditional, using up to 1.6 gallons of water with every flush. Using more water than that is prohibited.
However, some refined tankless models enable you to determine the volume of water used per flush, providing you with an opportunity to conserve as much water as you can.
Thus, if you opt for a tankless toilet, you will have an environment-friendly and aesthetic feature in your house.
Many tankless toilets utilize only 1 pint of water for every flush compared to some conventional toilets that use 3.5 gallons!
Also, one of the pros of tankless toilets is that there is no worry of a leak happening and wasting large amounts of water.
What Are The Cons Of Tankless Toilets?
There is a heavy cost to the visual charm and suitable size of tankless toilets. These toilets have a higher sale price than regular toilets, and their installation is also more expensive and complex compared to regular toilets.
Additionally, to function efficiently, tankless toilets need access to large pipes and water under high pressure, which many residential areas do not have. Given below are some of the most significant cons of tankless toilets.
High Upfront Cost
The purchase price of a tankless toilet is significantly higher than a conventional toilet, which not everyone can afford. It begins at around $900 and can go up to thousands of dollars.
Although this is a large sum of money, having a tankless toilet can help you save up on your water bill, making this a clever investment with long-term returns.
Having a tankless toilet will reap even more benefits in the future if you have many family members and your bathroom is in frequent use.
Demands of Installation
Tankless toilets cannot operate until you fulfill a specific set of requirements. Hence, tankless toilets are mostly installed in large public buildings and commercial areas, such as malls and airports having big pipes to supply water at high pressure.
In many residential areas, the plumbing is not suitable to deliver water at high pressure.
Therefore, having a tankless toilet in such a residential area with standard supply lines is often a setback. The pressure from water and waste leaving the bowl after flushing can easily damage the small pipes, leaving the toilet non-functional.
Requires Professional Help
One of the cons of tankless toilets is that they require expert help. An ordinary person with some technical knowledge can easily install a regular toilet.
However, installing a tankless toilet is a complicated procedure that only a professional can perform.
Mounting a tankless toilet on the wall is even more difficult because it requires the professional to access the pipeline by opening up the wall.
Likewise, you also need to hire a professional to repair a tankless toilet. Since installing and maintaining a tankless toilet requires expert help, this further increases the cost of choosing a tankless model.
Problems in Power Shortage
One of the cons of tankless toilets is that they can fail to function if there is a power outage. Most tankless toilets present in residential areas use an electric pump to flush waste.
So, if there is a prolonged power outage, they will not work. If you live in an area that faces frequent power shortages or if there are chances of storms happening frequently, the power can be out for days. In such cases, a tankless toilet is not the ideal option.
Pros & Cons of a Tankless Toilet – Conclusion
Industries are rapidly introducing innovative models of tankless toilets with electric pumps. Tankless toilets are becoming increasingly practical for homes, and many people are opting to replace conventional toilets with tankless models.
Although there are several cons of tankless toilets, people argue that the pros of tankless toilets outweigh any drawbacks.
These toilets make the bathroom look roomier by using up less space and leaving the wall bare. Additionally, they help save water and provide a modern flair to your washroom’s interior design.
Conversely, the cons of tankless toilets are that they demand specific plumbing conditions that many homes cannot deliver.
Also, buying, installing, and repairing tankless toilets comes at a steeper price than regular models. In the end, after weighing the pros and cons of a tankless toilet, it is up to you to determine which option is the best for you.