How American Toilets Differ From British Toilets

The wonderfully candid Laurence Brown of Lost in the Pond explained the differences between his current American toilet and the British toilets of his youth, noting how design, character, water height, and the splashback” factor affected his view of each.

Bathrooms are an absolute gold mine of British and American differences. …I finally answer the question ‘why are American toilets so different to British ones?’

Brown also examined regional variations in bathtub installations, faucet configurations, and electrical safety standards that distinguish homes in the United Kingdom from those in the United States.

I’ll be honest, during my first few weeks in the country, I missed the toilets of Britain. Even the ones where you have to pay. Nothing about American toilets endeared me to them whatsoever.…I started seeing American toilets in a new light, a light that could be summoned by a switch on the inside. For clarification, electrical safety regulations prevent this in the UK, where either the switch is mounted outside the room or the light is operated by a non-conductive pull cord.

After weighing the pros and cons of each country’s loo, Brown finally came to a decision.

Listen, both countries have put forward a strong case. British toilets have a lovable sense of character, and American toilets have lots of character, but make no sense. But there can only be one winner. Do I pick the toilets that barely ever get blocked? …Or do I go with the toilets that are more odor friendly that require just 18 minutes of door closure? Well, I thought long and hard about this, and it might be because America is my current home, but I’d have to give the nod to American toilets,