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Hi Scott, Thanks for your thought provoking article.
First, instead of just writing about it, why don’t you replace the offending toilet with one that works?
Secondly, I am currently staying in a hotel in the Orosi Valley. The toilet in my room has a very small “flush hole”, and a waste basket, next to it, to throw your used toilet paper in. Why is this? And, could this be sanitary?
Lastly, your article got me thinking. My renovated bathroom in NY has a “modern toilet” that always requires a “double flush”. I thought that was how it had to be. Maybe I should mention it to my landlord and see what happens. He’ll probably just mark me down as a complainer not satisfied with his renovation. Oh well… we’ll see.
tu amigo Fred
Gracias mi amigo Fred …
The “offending toilet” is in a new apartment I bought and it was already there when I bought it but yes, it will be replaced in due time…
The good, efficient toilet is the one that we installed in our vacation home so we are proud of that decision…
Let us know how it goes with your landlord in NY! Having lived there for ten years, I don’t hold out much hope that he’ll be particularly sympathetic towards your environmental concerns.
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comSo, Scott, you’re seriously suggesting that the government we all hate, the government that is by definition incapable of getting anything right, should mandate something as complex as the design or performance of a toilet? Incredible! Next you’ll be advocating something else communistic like an electrical code. Shocking!
That said, we installed two American Standard 1.6 gallons-per-flush toilets in our home in Grecia and couldn’t be happier with their performance. Push down the handle and the matter goes away. These things have a much larger diameter trap than other toilets, the trap is relatively straighter, and the flushing mechanism in the tank is entirely different. We bought them at the ConstruPlaza in Escazu (maybe it’s Guachipelin(sp?)) for a handsome price, but their performance makes them well worth the investment.
You know, if the AyA really wanted to assure the future availability of water, its surest, simplest and cheapest approach would be to subsidize the replacement of old, leaking toilets with new efficient ones. And think of the jobs that could be created.
Edited on Sep 24, 2009 16:23
One man to turn off the water supply, one man to replace the toilet, one man to supervise and one man to test-flush the new toilet… And you’ve also dramatically improved the employment situation David…
I’ll have a word with Oscar who lives about 400M away from me … 🙂
Scott
Fredo, in answer to your question, it is a very common occurrence to find a “…a waste basket, next to it, to throw your used toilet paper in. Why is this? And, could this be sanitary”?
This is done in homes, businesses and hotels throughout the country, to stop septic systems getting blocked, and hence the need to be emptied so often.Frankly, this is a custom that I can’t wrap my head around, and I figure that it is a main factor in why I have contracted Noro-type illnesses on a few of my visits. I’ll go with the more frequent emptying of “the tank”! Tank you very much!
An addition:
First of all. I agree with lyncota, let tham empty the tank more often. And, truthfully, I just couldn’t bring myself to put the used paper in the basket. But, like David Murray, I am also am wondering, what’s a “Noro-type illness”?
We only throw ‘wet’ tissue in the basket, and have never had any illnesses…
And while you say fredo “let tham empty the tank more often” if you visit Tico’s home, you should respect their wishes.David – See Norovirus:
waste paper baskets for toilet paper are very common in the Third World. It´s not only about the septic system it´s about the small pipes they traditionally use that are frequently clogged by the paper. if you are washing your hands after using the bathroom, i can´t see how tossing toilet paper in a waste basket will give you any illness at all, least of all some noro type illness. are the germs jumping out of the basket and infecting you somehow? we only throw ´wet´paper in the basket in my house too. haven´t needed to pump the septic system in the three years i´ve been living in my house. on the other hand, in the States we have to pump it once a year usually, so we started not putting paper in the tank there too. now we can go two years without pumping the septic.
Historical Note: In the past, the common practice in Costa Rica (and probably many other countries) was to dig a large pit in the ground, run the toilet drain into it, and cover it with a concrete top. There was no provision for a drainfield as is common in U.S. septic systems. Whatever went into the pit stayed there. When it was full, you dug a new pit, ran the toilet into it, and began the process anew. So anything that didn’t go into the “septic tank” extended its life. And put off the day you had to start digging.
My understanding is that these drainfieldless pit “septic systems” were outlawed in Costa Rica in the 1980s, but I know for a fact that they’re still being used, even in new construction. As compared to a masonry septic tank and drainfield, they’re very cheap to install.
A friend here in Grecia recently told me he had opened his septic tank (expecting to pump it) after five years. He found a six inch deep layer of toilet paper covering the expected content. Apparently the paper floats and doesn’t disintegrate as does the underlying “waste”.
I’m with CRF. When our Costa Rican friends have the expected wastebasket we use it.
CDTechnical Note: For those unused to living with a septic system . . .
There are bacterial “seeders” that you can flush down the toilet to enrich the bacterial action in the septic tank and alleviate the need to pump them out nearly as often. A domestic brand is available commonly in supermarkets. It’s stocked near the drain cleaner and toilet bowl cleaner and is in a clear plastic bottle through the dark blue color of the liquid is visible. AutoMercado sells an American product, Ridex, which does the same thing. It’s a powder. Ridex, at least, will break down paper, grease and proteins.
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