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The Corbelle collection is another great toilet from Kohler. Visually, it looks modern, with a very simple but aesthetic design. It's also highly efficient and makes use of smaller quantities of water. Today, we look at the K-3814 and help you decide if it's right for you through careful analysis of its specifications.
We chose this unit due to its beautiful design, crafted in a ceramic material and featuring a hidden trapway that removes much of the piping outline. This also ensures washing it down becomes easier because the surface is smooth, leaving nowhere for bacteria to hide.
The K-3814 is a two piece toilet. This means the tank and bowl are separated rather than attached. There are advantages to this over their one piece counterparts, especially price wise. However, because it has two parts instead of one, the installation process is more time consuming.
Its flush is activated via a trip lever located on the side of its tank. Once tripped, it sends 1.28 gallons of water through the bowl in a swirling motion. This is designed to hit those difficult to reach areas within the bowl and surrounding the rim. It also means that it meets the Environmental Protection Agencies WaterSense standards.
And perhaps more impressively is the fact that it saves water while achieving the highest score on the MaP scale. The 1000 grams given shows how effectively it's able to remove waste in bulk and reduces the likelihood of blockages.
It fits a 12 inch rough in, although there are kits to accommodate 10 and 14 inch sizes too.
If design and performance are high on your list of priorities, then replacing your current model with the K-3814 could be a sensible choice.
Other ranges - If you're still on the fence, why not check out similar product ranges from this brand. We've analyzed Memoirs, Tresham, Adair, Veil, San Souci, Persuade, Archer, Cimarron, Karing, and Wellworth. An alternative model that adopts a similar style but with small differences is the K-5709.
MaP Ratings - If you've never heard of MaP, this is a company known as Maximum Performance which does factory testing of various toilet brands in order to judge their performance in pushing waste from the bowl. They are 3rd party and unbiased, and are seen as a reliable source for plumbing professionals and home owners alike to get information about a products flushing mechanism.
For each product they rate, there is some testing criteria to meet. The highest score given is 1000 grams. The lowest being 0. Unless you're on a tight bidget, we recommend avoiding those that score 400 grams and below. Most modern flushing mechanisms achieve far more than this, and are not particularly expensive.
Round or elongated bowl - As a general rule to follow, we suggest only getting a round shaped bowl if you're not blessed with much floor space in the bathroom. Elongated options offer far more advantages, including support, comfort, and leaving enough room to accomodate for the male body parts whilst seated. Alternatively, there are square bowls. They offer similar advantages to elongated, but they aren't as comfortable in our view.
Water efficiency - Modern innovation from various manufacturers enables them to produce products that have superior waste handling and performance, while using less water. Some of these meet the criteria to be labelled as WaterSense. To meet this standard, units must not use more than 1.28 gallons per flush.
Water level - Splashing is a common complaint from consumers. And the water level in the bowl is partly to blame. To avoid those irritating and unhygienic splashes, you'll want something with a rim to water distance of more than five inches, preferably more.
Consumer feedback - Regardless of what you read in one source online, you should be looking to do your due dilligence across the board. This means checking out what customers are saying about it online, either through ecommerce shops, blogs, or forums. We think you can filter out a lot of the poor quality products yourself using this method alone. To get you started with this, check to see if their are a lot of complaints about leaks and blockages. These are two of the most common problems, and can suggest it's been poorly made, or it doesn't have the flushing power to remove waste from the bowl effectively.
The Corbelle toilet looks great and achieves a strong score on the MaP scale. It's ADA height and elongated which ensures greater accessibility and comfort in your bathroom visits. It also includes some great features that will make sure the bowl is thoroughly rinsed after each use.
