Bathroom redo

Most buildings bar installation of these toilets during renovations due to concerns about leaks. I have no idea if they are more prone to leaks/floods or not, but that's the position most coops take. As a result, there is a lower demand for these than there might otherwise be. I cannot recall ever seeing one in a Manhattan showroom.

http://www.sloanvalve.com/Customer_Care/Where_to_Buy.aspx

flarf - thanks!
kylewest, I'm afraid you're wrong here. In all of my places all over Manhattan, pre-wars only, I always had one of those. Looks/works much better than the tank, saves a lot of space, too. What's good for commercial consumption is good for private, I guess. The leakage - never heard of this problem. All kinds of tank-related problems but never about a flushometer.

I would try Af Supply and Smolka

Simon's Hardware must has that item

> What's good for commercial consumption is good for private, I guess. The leakage - never heard of this problem. All kinds of tank-related problems but never about a flushometer.

Possibly but like all toilets, some things occasionally happen. In the regular toilets when a valve occasionally sticks you can jiggle the handle and when you need to go further and remove the lid and tinker.
At my office, on occassion a flushometer may stick, jiggling does nothing.
THe only solution is to flush one of the other adjacent toilets to take away the pressure.

All Im saying is make sure ALL your options aren't behind a wall. :)

E.g., http://www.americanstandard-us.com/products/productDetail.aspx?id=4487. That's a long bowl, but they must have round ones too.

Re: why buildings would want tank toilets, the only reason I can think of is water pressure. With a flushometer, the whole 1.7 gallons is supplied all at once via a large-diameter pipe, and works only within a range of water pressures, while a tank is supplied slowly via a little pipe. Hence having to wait between flushes while the tank fills.

I've replaced the diaphragms in my flushometers a few times in 20 years, but they're otherwise trouble-free.

They need a larger supply line than you might have if there was not one already installed, and the pressure drop might cause scalding (especially if you do not have a thermostatic shower valve). All of the usual suspects make toilets compatible with the valve, and you have some suggestios above as to where to get the valve. I would be surprised if HD does not have them, or even the Toto showroom in Soho.