I’m sure everyone has met a Sloan Flushmate Pressure Assisted Toilet by now. It may have been a little startling as you felt the handle push back a little bit then the loud forceful flush as water shot out of the siphon jet under pressure and propelled the waste out of the toilet. Sloan Flushmate is headquartered in New Hudson, Michigan and is a division of the Sloan Valve Company of Franklin Park, Illinois. Sloan Valve, which has been in operation since 1906, produces plumbing products for commercial, industrial and institutional markets worldwide. Sloan Flushmate does not manufacture the toilets but does manufacture the Flushmate Pressure Assisted Flushing System which is used by toilet manufacturers in their designs.
The Sloan Flushmate Pressure Assisted Flushing System has taken a predominant place in the industry and is the choice of many toilet manufacturers in four continents worldwide including American Standard, Corona, Gerber, HCG, Kohler, Lamosa, Mancesa, Mansfield, Orion, Peerless Pottery, St. Thomas Creations, Vitra, Vitromex, Vortens, Western, and Xinqi. Sloan Flushmate has not been without competition through the years. Many toilet manufacturers have come out with their own systems only to experience less than satisfactory results which resulted in the manufacturer discontinuing them and their support for their system, switching over to the Sloan Flushmate System. Sloan has managed to have their highly sucessful design become the “Industry Standard.” If you are purchasing a Pressure Assisted Toilet and it does not have the Sloan Flushmate System installed I would recommend strongly that you reconsider your choice. The proven track record of other manufacturers is non-existent.
The Sloan Flushmate System uses a pressure tank within the porcelain tank of the toilet so it looks like any other toilet. However, that is where the similarities end. The Flushmate Tank fills with water and has air under pressure above the water in the tank. When you flush the toilet the water is propelled out of the Flushmate tank under pressure and through the internal water passages of the toilet to the jet at the bottom of the bowl where it blasts out of the jet propelling the waste up through the trapway of the toilet. Once the tank finishes discharging in about 5 seconds the tank starts refilling for the next use. The fact that the Sloan Flushmate Pressure Assisted Toilet flushes in five seconds vs. 13 seconds for the gravity toilets gives it a much higher water flow rate but for a shorter duration. This provides the energy for a fast powerful bowl cleaning flush.
The new Sloan Flushmate IV exceeds the WaterSense High Efficiency Toilet standard by using only 1 gallon of water to flush a toilet. This should prove to be a big savings in water usage for many facilities such as colleges, hospitals, hotels, and light commercial buildings such as offices and restaurants. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, was able to reduce water usage at its facilities by 25% per month by using toilets with the Sloan Flushmate System. The school has eight research institutes and houses 900 students and approximately 250 other employees and faculty on campus. If you purchase a EPA WaterSense Certified toilet that uses the Sloan Flushmate IV Pressure Assisted Flushing System you may be eligible for rebates in many areas of the US and Canada. Check with your state, or provincial government as well as your local water supplier for availability as well as terms and conditions.
The Sloan Flushmate Pressure Assisted Toilets offer phenomenal flushing power that clears the bowl in one flush. Toilets equipped with the Sloan Flushmate System rarely clog and give the performance required in commercial applications. A Sloan Flushmate equipped toilet requires a minimum water pressure of 35 PSI. this makes it suitable for installation in most buildings including residential. A drawback to some people in a residential installation would be the noise of operation. Sloan has recently made some design changes which lower noise but to some users it may seem loud especially for those middle of the night uses. Another drawback for residential usage could be parts availability and pricing. If you are in an area that is predominantly residential parts may have to be ordered and take a day or two for delivery. The parts for the Sloan Flushmate while highly reliable tend to be a little higher than the costs of parts for a gravity flush toilet.
You can buy Sloan Flushmate Pressure Assisted Toilets at Lowes, Home Depot, and many plumbing supply houses.
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and I’ll answer them for you.