The other day at a popular chain restaurant, I dropped by the restroom before a long ride home. I’ve heard some loud toilet flushes in my day, and this one was right up there with the loudest of them. While it caught my attention, it didn’t make me jump too high out of surprise. However, when I saw a young girl coming out of the neighboring stall, she had a look of shock on her face. She said, “That SCARED me!” Not something I would think most businesses want to do to their customers.
Purchasing quiet type toilet fixtures, or more accurately water closets (WCs), is one way to control the noise. Siphon action and vortex WCs tend to be the quietest with reverse trap generally louder. The loudest fixtures are wash-down and blowout WCs.
The other factor in the noise creation is the water pressure. The higher the pressure, generally the louder the noise. If the WCs have adequate pressure and are on the loud side, a pressure reducing valve should quiet them down.
At Acoustics By Design, we specialize in designing solutions for plumbing noise issues. As an independent engineering firm, our objective is to work with architects, engineers, and healthcare professionals to offer solutions that are tailored for each unique project and stand the test of time.
