American Standard Dual Injection Flush Valves Review

Tomorrow a new High Efficiency 1.28 gallon per flush toilet is going to be available for sale on HomeDepot.com from American Standard that features a Dual Injection Flush Valves which give it great flushing power. The Optum VorMax is the first toilet to feature this new flushing system. I installed one about 2 weeks ago and I wanted to let you guys know about it.

First of all... You may be wondering how it is that I got this toilet before it's even available for sale. I participate in a program with Home Depot where they send me products for free so I can write honest reviews on their website. I'm under no obligation to write reviews elsewhere but every once in a while I'm so impressed with a product I want to share it here.

Even though this toilet only uses 1.28 gallons per flush so that it can get the EPA's new WaterSense label, it is the best low flow toilet I've seen. To be fair, this is the only 1.28 g/flush toilet I've used but I've sat on a few 1.6 gallon per flush models in my day. Every time I've used the Optum VorMax it's only needed one flush and the bowl has stayed clean.

Let me be blunt because if you're looking to buy a toilet you want to know it's going to work well. I'm in relatively decent shape but I'm a tall guy who doesn't eat like a rabbit and I have occasionally clogged a toilet. This toilet got a decent workout in the short time I had it and it left me thoroughly impressed. I don't know how many golf balls, cellphones or gummy bears this toilet can flush. All I know is that every time I flush the toilet.. everything I left in the bowl is completely gone. Even the morning after going out for too many drinks and greasy food.

Dual Injection Flush Valves

We need to save more water and most of us would like to save money on our water bills. I read that 27% of your water bill gets flushed down the toilet. High Efficiency Toilets make a lot of sense but the performance wasn't always the same and some models required 2 flushes to get the bowl clean.

With less water you have to find other ways to get the flush to have more power. One of the first things you change is the diameter of the flush valve. The larger the opening is under the flapper, the more powerful the flush will be. Flush valves started out at 2" back when toilets used up to 7 gallons per flush but have been getting larger as restrictions on water use have been put in place. Now it's more common to see a 3" flush valve. Some toilets even have a 4" flush valve but from what I understand it's a 4" flapper on a 3" hole and they try to force more water through the 3" hole through the design but it's not exactly like having a 4" hole.

So how do you get more water from the tank down to the bowl? Easy! Put in TWO Flush Valves!

This isn't a dual flush toilet where you can do a partial flush for number 1 and a full flush for number 2. Both flush valves will operate when you flush. Now you're getting twice as much water flowing down into the bowel than you would with just one flush valve.

Each flush valve serves a different part of the bowl too. One valve goes down to the bowl jet which helps push your poop out to assist with the siphon action and the other valve feeds the waterways that clean the bowl.

Combined with the other features on the Optum VorMax toilet, the Dual Injection Flush Valve System works amazingly well at getting everything down the bowl and keeping the bowl clean in just one flush. No more having to flush twice to get everything down, no more bits of toilet paper shredded by a power assist toilet still floating around and no more grabbing that nasty toilet brush to clear away some sticky residue so the next person doesn't have to stare at it.

VorMax™ Vortex

Another feature that helps keep the bowl clean is the way the cleaning water gets distributed around the bowl. Instead of having holes all the way around the rim that create water jets, a single but larger jet creates a forceful stream that swirls around the bowl.

Other HET toilets I've seen, even some expensive ones, have had problems keeping the bowl clean because there just isn't enough water anymore to thoroughly wash the bowl. The VorMax toilet uses water more efficiently to clean. Think about it. If water comes out from under the rim it doesn't travel really far until it goes out the trap way.

With the VorMax, that same water will swirl around the bowl multiple times and do a lot more work before it goes down the sewer. The larger mass of water can also push more.... uhm... stuff...

This type of arrangement is similar to the Toto Double Cyclone found in the Toto Drake II and Toto Ultramax II which are two of the more popular low flow toilets. Maybe things will change now that the VorMax and it's dual flush valves hit the scene.

The VorMax seems to clean the bowl better than the Toto however. Check out this comparison video published by American Standard.

One more thing that helps the bowl stay clean is the smooth glazed surface. Less resistance keeps stuff from sticking and makes it easy for the water to wash it away if it does stick. It's important to follow the recommendations in the instructions on cleaning with a mild soap. Some harsh toilet bowl cleaners can damage the finish on toilets (all toilets) making them lose their shine and provide more friction. The Optum VorMax also includes the EverClean™ anti microbial treatment that resists the growth of mold, mildew and bacteria.

I haven't cleaned the bowl at all. Not even to swish the brush around it. It's completely clean, even under ultraviolet light.

An older toilet, that was cleaned the same day I installed the Optum VorMax doesn't show up as clean under UV light.

This model is only available through Home Depot. Check out Home Depot's website for more information and pricing tomorrow. It should be in stores later this year.