Eli5: Why are most public toilets plumbed directly to the water supply but home toilets have the tank?
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In western Europe all ‘normal’ toilets are connected to the canalization system so the sewage can be treated in the WWTP. I know of no toilets that are connected to tanks.
Having no tank means you have to rely on a high water pressure for it to flush properly. Not many homes have the required mains pressure, and high mains pressure is bad for your appliances, taps, washing machines, water heaters, etc anyway, so using a tank makes up for the lower pressure. It’s also much quieter so flushing the toilet won’t wake up your neighbors (a tankless toilet makes a horrible flushing sound).
And for public toilets, simplicity and maintenance is a priority, and tanks are more prone to breaking, leaking or being tampered with. And with no sensitive appliances, high mains pressure is not an issue.
People also screw with tanks. You’d be amazed at what people do to destroy public fixtures. That’s why a lot of commercial plumbing fixtures have special screws on them. Even the partians have different screws
In Germany more toilets are directly on the mains supply, especially in buildings from the 50s to 70s. But the water tank toilets can save water, as the direct flush toilets push out too much water very fast. Nowadays modern public toilets also use the tank system and have a split button on them, the smaller for pee and the larger for solids.
In western Europe all ‘normal’ toilets are connected to the canalization system so the sewage can be treated in the WWTP. I know of no toilets that are connected to tanks.
In Germany more toilets are directly on the mains supply, especially in buildings from the 50s to 70s. But the water tank toilets can save water, as the direct flush toilets push out too much water very fast. Nowadays modern public toilets also use the tank system and have a split button on them, the smaller for pee and the larger for solids.
People also screw with tanks. You’d be amazed at what people do to destroy public fixtures. That’s why a lot of commercial plumbing fixtures have special screws on them. Even the partians have different screws
Having no tank means you have to rely on a high water pressure for it to flush properly. Not many homes have the required mains pressure, and high mains pressure is bad for your appliances, taps, washing machines, water heaters, etc anyway, so using a tank makes up for the lower pressure. It’s also much quieter so flushing the toilet won’t wake up your neighbors (a tankless toilet makes a horrible flushing sound).
And for public toilets, simplicity and maintenance is a priority, and tanks are more prone to breaking, leaking or being tampered with. And with no sensitive appliances, high mains pressure is not an issue.
In western Europe all ‘normal’ toilets are connected to the canalization system so the sewage can be treated in the WWTP. I know of no toilets that are connected to tanks.
People also screw with tanks. You’d be amazed at what people do to destroy public fixtures. That’s why a lot of commercial plumbing fixtures have special screws on them. Even the partians have different screws
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