If you are renovating your bathroom or installing toilets in a public place, you will definitely catch a hitch when asking which toilet seat to choose between round vs elongated toilet. We understand you, as this choice is not easy – each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.
However, it is still not customary in society to raise the issue of the comfort of toilet seats, although these seeming trifles, significantly affect the comfort level of our lives. In this article, we will touch on this issue and devote you to a detailed comparative characteristic, by which you can determine your personal winner.
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The difference between an elongated and round toilet bowl, shape features
In fact, the shape of toilet seats is not limited to round and elongated. The fact is that these are the 2 most popular types of toilet seats in the United States; however, there are also delta-like and square toilets (no kidding). However, they are more common in Europe, so we will focus on round vs elongated toilet seats.
As the name suggests, the main difference between them is the shape, or rather, the length of the seat, since the width is the same in both options. Elongated toilets are oval in shape and the length of the elongated bowls is 18.5 inches. Whereas round bowls are rounded and approximately 16.5 inches long.
Carefully choose a toilet that suits your needs, as you can replace a round toilet with an elongated one, but the situation is more complicated with toilet seats.
You cannot install a round toilet seat on an elongated toilet, and use elongated toilet seats on round toilets.
How do I know if my bathroom has a round or elongated toilet?
So, if you are remodeling and want to replace your toilet, you need to measure some of your current toilet’s characteristics.
You should also evaluate the dimensions of the bathroom so that the purchased toilet fits the building requirements and is comfortable to use.
Critical parameters of the toilet bowl and how to measure them correctly
There are 3 critical parameters that you must consider:
1. Length.
When measuring the length, note that this is the distance between the frontmost point of the toilet to the center on line 2 of the toilet seat attachments.
Please note that you will not be able to take measurements without first dismantling the toilet lid since the rear necessary part will be inaccessible for your manipulations.
We recommend that you use a tape measure for these measurements, hooking its bent edge to the conditional center between the rear fasteners and pulling it forward as far as possible to the center of the front edge.
2. Width.
The second important parameter. The width will visually equal the length of the round bowl, but it is slightly smaller – 14-15 inches (for the USA). For elongated toilets, the width has the same numerical value. We recommend that you measure the width of the toilet bowl from the middle of the bowl – this way the result will be more accurate.
3. The bolt spread.
The bolt spread can be measured as the distance between two toilet seat mounting holes. In the US, the most common measurement result is 5.5 inches.
Elongated or round toilet – detailed comparison of the main characteristics
Let’s move on to a detailed comparison of the characteristics of elongated and round toilets.
1. Length and its variability.
Round toilets are 2 inches shorter than elongated ones. In general, it is difficult for many people to distinguish these forms by eye, and the difference becomes visible only on demonstration copies in the store.
Unfortunately, you cannot change the seat to a round one on an elongated toilet (the same as the round toilets), however, if you have a child, you can adapt the child seat.
2. Legislative standards.
If your task is to use a toilet in a public place, then you must meet certain requirements, the so-called ADA requirements. The toilet must be at least 48 inches from the front wall, and the height of the toilet must be 2 inches higher than normal (this is important for people with disabilities).
Even for designing your own bathroom, you must consider certain building standards. Therefore, if your bath is small, a round toilet will fit better than an elongated one.
3. Bathroom space: elongated vs round toilet.
Does an elongated toilet take up more space than a round toilet? The size of your bathroom matters, as we noted in the previous paragraph. Our recommendation is to choose an elongated toilet unless the size of your room allows it – this is the most comfortable anatomical solution.
Although, it should be taken into account that recently the engineers of many companies have invented compact elongated toilet bowl that occupies a minimum of space – on a par with round toilet bowls.
Important tip
It should also be noted that if you are designing a children’s bathroom, then it is better to opt for a round toilet. It may seem old-fashioned, but there is a practical side to this choice.
Children under 5 years of age who are barely potty-to-toilet have a hard time sitting upright on the elongated toilet seat, so they sit very close to the front edge and something gets up/away from the waterline when flushing.
4. Design quirks.
Round toilets are considered old-fashioned and more traditional. The fact is that for some inexplicable reason, studies on the comfort of the toilet seat for our body began to be carried out not so long ago.
Toilets from the time of their invention in our understanding had a standard round toilet according to the not very logical consensus of manufacturers.
The old-style round toilets are unlikely to fit into a modernly furnished bathroom, however, if you have a child, or you are a fan of the traditional style, feel free to give preference to a round shape.
Many people prefer elongated toilets because of the combination of their more presentable appearance with comfort in use. In addition, accessibility plays a role – in the store, you will always see a larger assortment of elongated toilet bowls. It is logical that a larger assortment is more likely to meet your requirements.
5. Elongated or round toilet: practicality in everyday life.
The elongated shape is more practical in terms of cleaning the toilet. So, washing the toilet will become easier and take less time. However, we are not sure that this is a strong enough argument for the acquisition.
6. First flush and water saving: elongated vs round toilet bowl.
Some users naively think that the shape of the toilet somehow affects the intensity of flushing. According to them, round toilets flush water more easily, but they use more water.
Today, there is no scientific evidence of the advantages of one form or another of the toilet bowl in this aspect.
Flush performance is affected largely by manufacturer, drain valve size, flush system, and GPF.
Although an elongated toilet can theoretically increase the flushing capacity of a dual cyclone toilet that uses 2 flushes around the bowl walls, in practice the difference is not significant.
7. Toilet installation: elongated and round toilets – is there a difference?
There is no significant difference in the complexity of the installation or its duration. In fact, the ring underneath is the same on both types of toilets, so as a last resort, you can replace your toilet with a new toilet if you make the wrong choice.
General advice
To guarantee the quality of the installation, you can call a plumber – this is a one-time job, and once you pay an amount of about 2 hundred dollars, you will not worry that you will do something wrong during the installation yourself.
8. Elongated vs round toilet: the possibility of restoration.
It happens that the toilet bowl cracks. It is easier to fix this problem in elongated, than in round toilets, since this shape allows a large area for viewing and manipulation.
9. Price of elongated vs round bowl.
Oddly enough, despite the great competition in the market, the extensive range, and the high availability of elongated toilets in stores, elongated toilets still have a large margin.
The price of a toilet bowl is determined not only by its shape but also by its many other characteristics. If we take one brand as an example and add the same characteristics, an elongated toilet in this case will cost more than a round one.
Calling a plumber to install a toilet will cost about the same amount for elongated toilets and round toilets.
10. Comfort in use: elongated vs round toilet.
According to modern doctors, a more anatomically correct form of a toilet bowl for an adult is an elongated bowl. This is especially noticeable for people with disabilities or heavy weights (more than 250 pounds).
Also, many users agree that the elongated toilet does not splash when flushing, which cannot be said about the round bowl.
For many children, an elongated toilet causes fear of falling in, so in this case, it is worth giving preference to round toilets or purchasing overhead child round toilet seats.
Which Toilet Should You Buy For Your Bathroom? Elongated or Round, Low or Tall Height?
Conclusion:
What toilet is better round or elongated?
In this article, we have shared with you the differences between the characteristics of round vs elongated toilets. We hope that this will help you to choose the most suitable shape of the toilet bowl for your needs.
Choose an elongated bowl if you do not have small children and the bathroom space allows.
Why would anyone buy a round toilet?
If you have a small bathroom – feel free to choose one of the round toilets – it’s better than fidgeting on a seemingly comfortable toilet in the lack of space.
If you need to read about toilet venting options, and how to vent a toilet without ventilation, please read our article.