TOILET WARS

By Christine Gorman

The homeowner (we'll call him Bob) was a good, law-abiding citizen. But he had a big mess on his hands--or rather, all over his floor. According to federal regulations that took effect a few years ago, Bob had to install a "low flow" toilet in the New York City bathroom he was remodeling. It was a fine idea, in theory. A low-flow toilet cuts down on water bills and helps save the environment by reducing the amount of water in each flush. But the first time Bob used his, the toilet's flushing action was scarcely strong enough to swallow a wadded-up tissue--never mind more organic waste. The thing backed up so often that Bob finally tore out his environmentally correct bowl and replaced it with an outlaw model he found in a warehouse 300 miles away. "It was," says Bob, "a draining experience."

But hardly unique. Thousands of frustrated flushers have joined what is turning into a low-flow-toilet revolt. In Maryland homeowners are picking up large-capacity models at yard sales. Affluent Angelenos are buying two toilets: a new 1.6-gal. low-flow for show and an old 3.5-gal. tank that they install after the building inspector leaves. "It's been my biggest call-back," says contractor David Leonard of Indianapolis, Indiana. One customer required seven trips to service a perpetually clogged low-flow. "I don't know what this guy eats," says Leonard, "but we keep having to plunge to get it to pass through."

Toilet manufacturers, who had pushed for uniform federal standards after water-poor states started setting their own, admit they were slow to find good low-flow designs. But their latest models use various tricks--wider pipes, extra air pressure--to make up in flush power what they lack in volume. That, say bowlmakers, should eliminate most complaints.

--By Christine Gorman. Reported by Julie Grace/Chicago and Christine Sadlowski/New York

With reporting by JULIE GRACE/CHICAGO AND CHRISTINE SADLOWSKI/NEW YORK