home depot warning

[59 wagon man]

ran into a problem today at work and the more i thought about it the scared i get of the big box stores. as part of my city's attempt to save water they are giving rebates to customers who replace 3 gal or more toilets with new 1.6 toilets. naturally there are a few qualifications for the rebate to be approved .one thing is the toilet must have a map flow rating of 800 or more. well i look at there toilets and low and behold a glacier bay toilet complete is $106 complete but they do not know what the map rating is ,so i call customer service and after hard work by the csr he tells me "we have 2 vendors which make this unit for us depending on the bar code determines who made the toilet . one manufacturer is 800 which is fine but the second manufacturer is 400 . the map rating is the measurement of the amount of solids which will flow thru the toilet . beware the big box

 

[tatra]

good to know...........always thought there was some type of rating other than the gpf..........bet half the plumbing staff don't know...............

 

[electrodude]

My solids flow just fine through my '79 mobile home special...

 

[ddawg16]

I assume that the MAP rating really meas Mass *** Potential?

 

[rwhite692]

That indeed sounds downright terrifying...Are you saying that Home Depot is engaged in a toilet flow-rating conspiracy to cheat you out of your hard-earned money?

 

[A_Pmech]

That indeed sounds downright terrifying...Are you saying that Home Depot is engaged in a toilet flow-rating conspiracy to cheat you out of your hard-earned money?

No, but you owe me a keyboard. My keys are all sticky now.

 

[hook982]

ummmm...ahhhh......who cares????

 

[OneTon]

ummmm...ahhhh......who cares????

The person who goes through the expense of replacing their toilet(s) in hope of a rebate only to learn that their throne of choice is not eligible for said rebate...that's who. And, if you own a large apartment building like some of us, that could be thousands of dollars.

 

[mmhouse]

There are many much more basic things that Home Depot personnel are not typically going to know, unless you happen to luck into a good one. You did the right thing by checking into the specifics. To be fair to them, this was pretty technical stuff. I doubt that there are too many people in the city government who know what it means either.

 

[Marmaduke]

I need more than 800 map rating and 1.6 gallons just isn't going to do it.

 

[danski0224]

The person who goes through the expense of replacing their toilet(s) in hope of a rebate only to learn that their throne of choice is not eligible for said rebate...that's who. And, if you own a large apartment building like some of us, that could be thousands of dollars.

And of course, you were looking at the bottom dollar product line.

Youse gets what youse pays for.

 

[bmwpower]

I assume that the MAP rating really meas Mass *** Potential?

Maximum Performance, actually.

http://www.cuwcc.org/MaPTesting.aspx

 

[DCarr]

This sounds more like information on cheap toilets

 

[logical]

Be not afraid...we will all get through this if we just pull together.

 

[GTO]

I would never buy any plumbing fixtures from any big box anyway.
Don't need inferior made plumbing fixtures in my house.

Glacier Bay,NOT

 

[electrodude]

I buy all my thrones at Harbor Freight.

 

[Stuey]

ummmm...ahhhh......who cares????

Hank and Peggy Hill care!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_with_Power

 

[91FE]

I buy all my thrones at Harbor Freight.

...I'm picturing a HF toilet stinking up my bathroom like their rubber mallet stinks up my toolbox. I guess you could argue that the HF stink could be seen as a benefit in some situations.

 

[brownbagg]

what does home depot has to do with it,

 

[ishiboo]

I learned an interesting fact the other day looking for yellow PE. The plumbing guy (who was a master plumber and very knowledgeable) informed me that HD does not sell CSST, the yellow corrugated stainless gas pipe commonly used, uh, everywhere.

Apparently it's for liability reasons, they are afraid it will encourage more DIYers to blow themselves up. Like black iron is more user-friendly for novices.

In the Midwest, Home Depot is done for anyway. It's long been surpassed by a combination of Lowes (quality), Menards (price point) and Fleet Farm (price point, automotive and farm.) Lots of Home Depots have closed and lots more Menards and Lowes have opened.

 

[gatchel]

what does home depot has to do with it,

They (HomeDepot / Lowes) buy the cheapest stuff they can get and pass it on to the consumer. There is different producers of the same products, some are good quality, some are not so good.

 

[OneTon]

And of course, you were looking at the bottom dollar product line.

Youse gets what youse pays for.

Huh? I ain't looking for sheet. My buildings already have lo-flow plumbing. Oh, but I'm a wealthy landlord, so that means I'm a cheap bastid, right?

 

[jwith68]

In the Midwest, Home Depot is done for anyway. It's long been surpassed by a combination of Lowes (quality), Menards (price point) and Fleet Farm (price point, automotive and farm.) Lots of Home Depots have closed and lots more Menards and Lowes have opened.

I don't have a Home Depot anywhere near me anymore due to changing jobs 2.5 years ago (and none within 75 miles of my house), so I haven't even been in one for quite a while. But... If you are serious about Lowes offering superior quality items, how crappy can the stuff at Home Depot possibly have gotten?

 

[tdkkart]

In the Midwest, Home Depot is done for anyway. It's long been surpassed by a combination of Lowes (quality), Menards (price point) and Fleet Farm (price point, automotive and farm.) Lots of Home Depots have closed and lots more Menards and Lowes have opened.

I haven't noticed any huge difference in quality between the 3 stores, with a few exceptions. Menards used to be the king of really crappy wood, but the last time I bought wood Home Depot was really bad, much worse than I'd seen at Menards in recent memory. I think Home Depot and Lowes have forced a lift in Menard's quality.
Home Depot's prices on certain items can be really ridiculous, wire being one of them.
We just had a new Theisen's Farm Fleet open up in a spot that's really convenient on our work commute, they'll get alot of our business.

 

[PassnThru]

Be not afraid...we will all get through this if we just pull together.

Be not afraid...we will all get through this if we just plunge together.

 

[wbrian63]

There's more to the story of how much "****" a toilet will flush. While I don't dispute the savings that can be had by reducing the amount of water used to transport the contents of the toilet to the sewer, the problem lies not just with whether a single flush will clear the bowl, but whether what's cleared will make it where it needs to end up - in the city sewer main.
Code for proper installation of sewer lines assumes a certain amount of water will flow along with solids and ferry the "slug" from the toilet all the way to the city main. Too much slope, the water outruns the ****, too little slope, the slug won't flow at all. As homes age, pipes settle, etc. A nice 3.0gpf toilet dumps enough water into the lines to assure good transport to the city main, even in older systems.
I know of people that have had the low-flush units installed, only to be plagued by clogged sewer lines, a result of an aged system and not enough transport water. The solution? They double-flush. How are they saving water by double-flushing a 1.6gpf toilet vs the original unit that did everything with a single 3.0g flush???

OP's original warning to read the fine print is a good one, but beware what big-brother says he'll do for you all in the name of water conservation. I'm not suggesting we shouldn't conserve, but sometimes the "conservation" is fallacial.

 

[csp]

And, if you own a large apartment building like some of us, that could be thousands of dollars.

If I was in that situation I'd be going through a plumbing supply house, not a big box store.

 

[OneTon]

If I was in that situation I'd be going through a plumbing supply house, not a big box store.

Exactly. And I was answering as to why toilet ratings are important, not where I purchase them.

ummmm...ahhhh......who cares????

 

[BHR4CE1]

They (HomeDepot / Lowes) buy the cheapest stuff they can get and pass it on to the consumer. There is different producers of the same products, some are good quality, some are not so good.

This is VERY true...especially in the case of light bulbs. The UPC code tells all!

 

[danski0224]

They (HomeDepot / Lowes) buy the cheapest stuff they can get and pass it on to the consumer. There is different producers of the same products, some are good quality, some are not so good.

That problem isn't limited to the stores mentioned.

 

[danski0224]

Huh? I ain't looking for sheet. My buildings already have lo-flow plumbing. Oh, but I'm a wealthy landlord, so that means I'm a cheap bastid, right?

Look up "cheap bastid" in the dictionary, and you will see the words "see: landlord".

I do not know you personally, but I have yet to do work for a landlord that isn't cheap.

Just sayin.

 

[OneTon]

Look up "cheap bastid" in the dictionary, and you will see the words "see: landlord".

I do not know you personally, but I have yet to do work for a landlord that isn't cheap.

Just sayin.

I do all my own work when possible so I don't have to pay for "cheap" work.

I provide my tenants free cable/internet (hell...I'm even paying the electric, water and trash bill at one home). My rents are all below market as I believe in long-term tenants, not high-rent/high-turnover.

 

[R6 Racer]

I have no clue about toilets, map, or gph. I do know that my krapper is some kind of lo flo thing. My house is only 4 years old so whatever is there has to be relatively new. If I flush & let go of the handle right away, it flushes using a small amount of water, presumably "lo flo". After a short time living here (very short) I noticed the need for a second flush after leaving any sizable amount of solid waste. I'm not sure how I noticed it but I found that if I held the handle down when flushing a much larger amount of water flowed. After a bit of experimentation I learned if I held the handle down long enough the entire holding tank would empty. This would empty the bowl of almost any sized deposit. I also learned that I could vary the amount of flow depending on how long I held the handle down.
At first I was very disappointed with the toilets, I hated the double flush thing. Now after learning how they work I am quite happy with them. I can do the "lo flo" thing after a quick pee, & decide how long I need to hold the handle down after sitting there reading a chapter or 2!
Now is this the same with all lo flo toilets, is this some kind of hybrid or are mine just some kind of manufactures fluke?

Just thought my discovery might be of some help.
Steve

 

[hdossett]

There are many much more basic things that Home Depot personnel are not typically going to know, unless you happen to luck into a good one. ...

You mean like while looking for a water pump with a flow rate of at least 1,000 GPH and the "Plumber" with the orange apron could not figure why the flow rate would decrease as the psi increased? (can you say flow restriction) He said he let the ??? figure out all of that stuff. Forgot who ??? was, I think I had already stopped listing to him.

Harold

 

[OneTon]

Now is this the same with all lo flo toilets, is this some kind of hybrid or are mine just some kind of manufactures fluke?

I believe that is by design. Mine are the same way.

 

[mpire]

Just get a Toto and be done with it.

 

[ishiboo]

I don't have a Home Depot anywhere near me anymore due to changing jobs 2.5 years ago (and none within 75 miles of my house), so I haven't even been in one for quite a while. But... If you are serious about Lowes offering superior quality items, how crappy can the stuff at Home Depot possibly have gotten?

The quality comment was directed more at HD/Lowes vs Menards. I don't shop HD enough but I always assumed they were pretty close. Menards has a LOT of bottom-dollar stuff.

This is a stereotype, of course Menards has some great-quality stuff and Home Depot/Lowes have ****, but as a general rule...

 

[BillGalbraith]

I was in HD a couple weeks ago, and saw a couple dozen toilets scattered around behind the return desk, all marked RTV (Return to Vendor). The gal at the returns desk wouldn't tell me why. Might be worth asking the plumbing dude in the orange apron what's going on if you are buying. He might steer you away from a bad unit.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

go to canada for ol school toilets ?

 

[padronanniversary]

Did you know Home Depot sells items not made in the USA