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A flush toilet (also known as a flushing toilet, water closet (WC); see also toilet names) is a toilet that disposes of human waste (i.e., urine and feces) by collecting it in a bowl and then using the force of water to channel it ("flush" it) through a drainpipe to another location for treatment, either nearby or at a communal facility.
Alexander Cumming FRSE (sometimes referred to as Alexander Cummings; 1733 – 8 March 1814) [1] was a Scottish watchmaker and instrument inventor, who was the first to patent a design of the flush toilet in 1775, which had been pioneered by Sir John Harington, but without solving the problem of foul smells.
Around that time, Harington also devised England's first flushing toilet – called the Ajax (i.e., a "jakes", then a slang word for toilet). It was installed at his manor in Kelston. This forerunner to the modern flush toilet had a flush valve to let water out of the tank, and a wash-down design to empty the bowl.
Still, the flush toilet is the oldest ever found, China Daily reported, with the invention of flush toilets previously being dated to the 16th century in England.
John Harington's toilet. In the 16th century, Sir John Harington invented a flush toilet as a device for Queen Elizabeth I (his godmother) that released wastes into cesspools. [65] After the adoption of gunpowder, municipal outhouses became an important source of raw material for the making of saltpeter in European countries. [66]
Flushing our waste is, well, wasteful, accounting for nearly a third of indoor water use in US homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In many parts of the world, the use of ...
Squat toilet (flush toilet) with water cistern for flushing (Cape Town, South Africa) A squat toilet (or squatting toilet) is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. This means that the posture for defecation and for female urination is to place one foot on each side of the toilet drain or hole and to squat over it.
In 1886 and 1887, Twyford submitted further patents for improvements to the flushing rim and the outlet. In 1888, he applied for a patent protection for his "after flush" chamber; the device allowed for the basin to be refilled by a lower quantity of clean water in reserve after the water closet was flushed. [1]