A brief history of time… Well, toilets!

Working in an industry that has the toilet at the heart of everything, I thought it might be fun [really] to look at the history of toilets.

Firstly, looking at the word toilet itself, where does it come from? Well, the word toilet comes from the French word ‘toilette’ which originally referred to the act of getting dressed and preparing oneself! It comes from the verb ‘toiler’ meaning ‘to work’ or to ‘get ready’ Over time, the meaning of ‘toilette’ began to be associated with the act of grooming oneself, such as combing hair [sadly not an issue that concerns me anymore ??] and attending to personal appearance.

During the 19th century, ‘toilette’ also became associated with the room where people would perform these personal grooming activities and this led on to the word ‘toilet’ being used to refer to the bathroom or restroom, particularly in the United States. ?

I never could understand why people would spray ‘toilet water’ on themselves or why perfume was called ‘EAU de Toilette’ [buying a product that in my mind would smell like a toilet was always confusing] but understanding where the word comes from really helps to answer a whole range of questions from my youth!?

Now we know about the word toilet, what the heck is a WC? ?

A WC or ‘Water Closet’ is a name [mostly used in the UK] to describe the room where a toilet is located! It comes from the early plumbing systems that used water to flush away waste. In the days before flushing toilets [not that long ago!] different types of toilets were used, and some were referred to as ‘water closets’ because they utilised a water based flushing mechanism!?

A toilet has become a necessity in our lives, but it is a relatively modern invention. In the past we used many different methods to dispose of waste such as:?

1.??????The Chamber Pot

A portable bowl-shaped container used as a toilet and then emptied in a specific area.

2.??????Privy or Outhouse

A small outside building [usually a home for spiders!] which contained simple seats with holes. Waste went into a pits or trenches dug beneath the seats and left to decompose! Can you imagine the smell!!!

3.??????Garderobe

During the Middle Ages, some castles and large houses had a type of toilet called a garderobe. This was a small chamber built into the thickness of a castle's walls, and waste would drop directly into a moat or pit below. I would not like to have the job to unblock this chamber or be the person selected by an attacking force to climb a castle wall directly below! Yuk.

4.??????Water Buckets

In some ancient civilizations, such as ancient Rome, a flushing system was developed where water was used to wash waste away. People would use a bucket or basin filled with water to manually flush down the waste. Those Romans thought of everything!

5.??????Valve Closet

In the 16th century, Sir John Harington, an English courtier, invented the "valve closet." It was an early form of flushing toilet that incorporated a water-closet device with a flush valve system. This invention was primarily used in palaces and wealthy households. Money could even buy you a better smell ??

So, when did the modern flush toilet appear I hear you ask, well it wasn't until the 19th century that the modern flush toilet, as we know it today, began to be widely adopted. Sir John Harington's ‘valve closet’ design served as a precursor to the development of more sophisticated flushing mechanisms, leading to the widespread use of flush toilets in the following decades.

Now we know about the toilets, what about the Toilet Syphon? There is some confusion about this; many credit Thomas Crapper with inventing the Syphon, but it was in fact Albert Giblin who received a British patent for the ‘Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer’ in 1898. However, Crapper's nephew, George, did improve the syphon mechanism by which the water flow starts. A patent for this development was awarded in 1897.

It was to be another century before syphons really came of age, when in 1984 Thomas Dudley launched the first 2-piece syphon the famous ‘Turbo 88’ ??. The British Made Dudley Turbo 88 [in its many specifications] has gone on to become the market leading syphon in the UK and is still selling in large numbers nearly 40 years later!

I have been asked many times why a toilet syphon is a better than a toilet flush valve? the simple answer is that a syphon is a leak-free flushing device, while a flushing valve is prone to leak.

Another question I hear a lot is ‘how do I know if I have a syphon or a valve in my toilet?’ at present the simple answer is if you have a handle or a pull chain on your toilet then you will have a syphon, if you have a button then you will have a valve.

To summarise; what is best, a Syphon or a Valve?

For reliability and water savings then the Syphon is clearly the best option. Flush valves tend to leak due to the way they operate [they have seals below the waterline], and require regular maintenance to keep the seals clean and debris free. A Syphon on the other hand does not leak as it does not have any seals below the waterline.

So, if you want to save water [and money] then a toilet syphon like the Dudley Turbo Edge is the best option.