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Types of toilet: which one fits your home?
Choose Gravity for a toilet near bedrooms or work rooms, where an EPA fact sheet (2000) says the greater noise of pressure-assisted toilets is a factor; Pressure-assist for heavy-duty use or upkeep of many toilets, which an EPA fact sheet (2000) says may lead to choosing pressure-assisted toilets; Dual-flush for removing liquid waste with a smaller volume of water, in its reduced-flush mode; Wall-hung (in-wall carrier) for choosing the seat height at installation, since one in-wall carrier maker says its frame adjusts without cutting.
The right choice depends on how close the toilet sits to bedrooms or work rooms, how many toilets one person keeps up, whether your waste lines are cast iron, your water line pressure, and whether installation parts can go behind the wall.
| Type | Best for | Main advantages | Main drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity | a toilet near bedrooms or work rooms, where an EPA fact sheet (2000) says the greater noise of pressure-assisted toilets is a factor | an EPA fact sheet (2000) says many newer high-efficiency gravity models perform as well as pressure-assisted models in tests | an EPA fact sheet (2000) says gravity toilets in buildings with cast-iron waste lines may clog more readily |
| Pressure-assist | heavy-duty use or upkeep of many toilets, which an EPA fact sheet (2000) says may lead to choosing pressure-assisted toilets | an EPA fact sheet (2000) says they are much less likely to clog than the older gravity toilets that used 3.5 gallons per flush; in buildings served by cast-iron pipe, an EPA fact sheet (2000) says choosing them may reduce maintenance needs | an EPA fact sheet (2000) says their greater noise is a factor near sleeping or working quarters; per one pressure-assist system maker, its 1.6 and 1.28 gpf models need water line pressure of 20 psi or more; per the same maker, its 1.0 gpf model needs 35 psi or more; one pressure-assist system maker says its unit cannot be fitted into an existing gravity bowl |
| Dual-flush | removing liquid waste with a smaller volume of water, in its reduced-flush mode | no official source names one | no official source names one |
| Wall-hung (in-wall carrier) | choosing the seat height at installation, since one in-wall carrier maker says its frame adjusts without cutting | working parts are reached through a service opening behind the flush plate, per one concealed-tank maker | the right installation parts must be in place behind the wall, per one in-wall system maker |
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What are the three main types of toilets?
No EPA source on this page names three main types. EPA's high-efficiency toilet fact sheet, dated September 2000, sorts them by how they flush: “The most widely available is a high-efficiency modification of the conventional gravity flow toilet.” and “The other, the pressure-assisted toilet, utilizes pressurized air in the tank to achieve additional force.”
Dual-flush is a flush mode that either kind can have, not a separate tank. The WaterSense specification covers “Dual-flush, tank-type gravity toilets • Dual-flush, tank-type flushometer tank (pressure-assist) toilets”, and EPA WaterSense describes the dual-flush toilet's “reduced flush” mode as one “that uses a smaller volume of water to remove liquid waste”.
What are five different types of toilets?
The EPA WaterSense specification for tank-type toilets that is in effect lists five kinds it covers: “Single-flush, tank-type gravity toilets • Dual-flush, tank-type gravity toilets • Dual-flush, tank-type flushometer tank (pressure-assist) toilets • Tank-type, flushometer tank (pressure-assist) toilets” and “Tank-type electrohydraulic toilets”. It also covers “Any other tank-type technologies that meet these performance specifications”.
Wall-hung toilets pair a bowl with an in-wall carrier system, so they are not a separate flush type in that list. The same specification says: “Wall-hung bowls and in-wall carrier systems manufactured and sold by different companies can earn the WaterSense label”.
What are the different types of toilets?
By how they flush, the two kinds on this page are gravity and pressure-assist. One pressure-assist system maker puts the difference this way: “Gravity-fed toilets are designed to siphon the waste out of the bowl, while FLUSHMATE-equipped units are designed to push the contents.”
Either kind may have a dual flush. A wall-hung bowl is paired with an in-wall carrier, and of those frames one maker says: “Thanks to telescopic technology, the seat height can be adjusted without cutting to length.”
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Sources for the facts on this page
- U.S. EPA Office of Water, Wastewater Technology Fact Sheet: High-Efficiency Toilets (EPA 832-F-00-047, September 2000), government, read 17 October 2026.
- U.S. EPA WaterSense Specification for Tank-Type Toilets, Version 1.2 (June 2, 2014), government, read 17 October 2026.
- Flushmate (pressure-assist system maker), Frequently Asked Questions, maker's own site, read 17 October 2026.
- U.S. EPA WaterSense, Residential Toilets, government, read 17 October 2026.
- Geberit North America (in-wall carrier and concealed tank maker), Installation and flushing systems, maker's own site, read 17 October 2026.