Increased flushing and plunging is one side-effect of ‘low-flow’ toilets, many of which simply lack the oomph needed to get everything down in one flush. There’s been advances in the technology that are helping, but these tend to be more expensive. Like a lot of well-intentioned environmental regulations, if they don’t come with some sort of aid to help people make the transition, the poor suffer in order to pay for the sins of the upper and middle class.
And unfortunately, energy efficient bulbs do have a downside His Orangeness didn’t mention, in the same category–they tend to work best in buildings with modern electrical wiring. Older apartments (such as are common throughout poorer urban areas) will often burn through an LED or fluorescent bulb as fast–or faster than–older incandescent bulbs. This is because the older wiring typically has a less consistent electrical flow. Since these bulbs are also more expensive, this can actually be a bit of a hardship for folks on the cusp.
Not that Donnie gives a shit about any of that, of course, he just knows that Obama liked the bulbs, and therefore they must be evil.
@Freemage Oh, that’s interesting–I can remember wondering why I wasn’t seeing the long-life benefits of fancy new bulbs. Also, I had to actually play those clips, something I would really rather not do, to convince myself that those pull quotes were really verbatim.
Of course this is why most countries that sell low flow plumbing fittings also have building codes covering things like water supply pressure and the design of the outgoing sewer system to ensure they work properly. There’s also a requirement to bring older buildings up to code when any substantial work is conducted on them. To ensure we don’t get slum landlords then opting to do nothing at all to their buildings, periodically the legal requirements for minimum standards of rental buildings is increased.
For instance, the old wiring referred to above was found to be hazardous and is now gone. It’s decades since I’ve come across it.
What Freemage said. Many older buildings in poorer neighborhoods are not being brought up to code, yet low-flow toilets, which continue to require multiple flushings, are being installed so that landlords can say, “Oh, look, our building has environmentally-friendly toilets!”.
It’s extremely annoying. I suppose they’re fine if the plumbing system will work with them, but what has happened in Los Angeles is that the toilets were installed all over without regard to either the existing plumbing system (my building dates back to the 1920s, and the manager, who is not a plumber, does most of the plumbing,) or the wishes of the tenants.
Of course Trump is exaggerating. It usually only takes two flushes. But I still resent that I had no choice about the flimsy* low-flow the city installed at no cost to my landlord.
* The cat managed to rip the cover off within days, just by vigorously jumping on and off the thing. God I HATE it. Not least for making me kinda sorta slightly agree with Trump about something, though not really.
No, Don — again, that’s just you. Most people aren’t so cram full of sh*t.
Increased flushing and plunging is one side-effect of ‘low-flow’ toilets, many of which simply lack the oomph needed to get everything down in one flush. There’s been advances in the technology that are helping, but these tend to be more expensive. Like a lot of well-intentioned environmental regulations, if they don’t come with some sort of aid to help people make the transition, the poor suffer in order to pay for the sins of the upper and middle class.
And unfortunately, energy efficient bulbs do have a downside His Orangeness didn’t mention, in the same category–they tend to work best in buildings with modern electrical wiring. Older apartments (such as are common throughout poorer urban areas) will often burn through an LED or fluorescent bulb as fast–or faster than–older incandescent bulbs. This is because the older wiring typically has a less consistent electrical flow. Since these bulbs are also more expensive, this can actually be a bit of a hardship for folks on the cusp.
Not that Donnie gives a shit about any of that, of course, he just knows that Obama liked the bulbs, and therefore they must be evil.
@Freemage Oh, that’s interesting–I can remember wondering why I wasn’t seeing the long-life benefits of fancy new bulbs. Also, I had to actually play those clips, something I would really rather not do, to convince myself that those pull quotes were really verbatim.
Yes, I have that need all the time, and I play the clips, and the pull quotes always are verbatim.
And in fact I feel the need to hear them even though I’m confident they’re accurately reported, because it’s always worse the way he says it. Always.
Of course this is why most countries that sell low flow plumbing fittings also have building codes covering things like water supply pressure and the design of the outgoing sewer system to ensure they work properly. There’s also a requirement to bring older buildings up to code when any substantial work is conducted on them. To ensure we don’t get slum landlords then opting to do nothing at all to their buildings, periodically the legal requirements for minimum standards of rental buildings is increased.
For instance, the old wiring referred to above was found to be hazardous and is now gone. It’s decades since I’ve come across it.
What Freemage said. Many older buildings in poorer neighborhoods are not being brought up to code, yet low-flow toilets, which continue to require multiple flushings, are being installed so that landlords can say, “Oh, look, our building has environmentally-friendly toilets!”.
It’s extremely annoying. I suppose they’re fine if the plumbing system will work with them, but what has happened in Los Angeles is that the toilets were installed all over without regard to either the existing plumbing system (my building dates back to the 1920s, and the manager, who is not a plumber, does most of the plumbing,) or the wishes of the tenants.
Of course Trump is exaggerating. It usually only takes two flushes. But I still resent that I had no choice about the flimsy* low-flow the city installed at no cost to my landlord.
* The cat managed to rip the cover off within days, just by vigorously jumping on and off the thing. God I HATE it. Not least for making me kinda sorta slightly agree with Trump about something, though not really.
But LEDs don’t glow ora…
Oh FFS, know what? Nevermind.
I’ll just be over here slamming my head against every hard object in striking distance.