Flush Direction

[Tommy Powell]

I was wondering, in North America, in which directions do toilets flush?

[EricParticipant]

: I was wondering, in North America, in which directions do toilets flush?Eric, the sarcastic answer to your question is DOWN. However, the water swirls in a clockwise direction in any gravity drain in the Northern hemisphere. I had the great pleasure of visiting Sydney, Australia last year, and that was the first thing that I investigated when I arrived at my sons home. The toilet in his home was the type that is different than most toilets in the USA. Most toilets in the USA operate on the principle of a syphon. When his toilet is flushed, there is a cataclysmic inrush of water, and the water just does not swirl. So instead of finding a syphonic flush toilet, I just filled the lavatory with water, and then pulled the plug. Sure enough, the water swirls in a counter clockwise direction South of the equator. I wonder how much water is wasted by visitors from the Northern hemisphere visiting the Southern hemisphere, and vice versa, who simply must test this natural phenomena. JWA

[EricParticipant]

This web site appears to disagree with John…Take a look:http://chemlab.pc.maricopa.edu/drainabout.html

[EricParticipant]

: This web site appears to disagree with John…Take a look:: http://chemlab.pc.maricopa.edu/drainabout.htmlDon, I tried to visit the web site which disagrees with me, but I received the following message – Internal Error-This page cannot not be displayed. I tried all of the recommendations offered to view the page with no success. Please explain what part of my reply to Eriks inquiry, with which the web site disagrees. I did in fact conduct the experiment which I described. JWA

[EricParticipant]

John, I guess that web site is down for some reason. Try it again later because it addresses the swirling drain situation more completely than the pages below. The site that doesnt work now and the ones below came from a Yahoo search. They simply say that a sink or tub is too small to be affected by the force that would make them swirl in a certain direction. The site that wont come up now says that the direction of swirl is do more to design than anything (the author says that drains in Germany swirl opposite from those in the US). I have always thought your view was correct but now I dont know.http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.htmlhttp://www.badastronomy.com/mad/1996/coriolis.html http://zaphod.cs.uni-sb.de/Legends/all.html

[EricParticipant]

: I was wondering, in North America, in which directions do toilets flush?Eric, I dont know much about your part of the world but in Australia the vortex does run anticlockwise. Yes the design of bowls etc can effect this, so can the way you pull out the plug. I was in Dublin Ireland recently and found that Guiness goes down your throat the same way as it does in Australia.See Ya Mate.

[EricParticipant]

: John, : I guess that web site is down for some reason. Try it again later because it addresses the swirling drain situation more completely than the pages below. : The site that doesnt work now and the ones below came from a Yahoo search. They simply say that a sink or tub is too small to be affected by the force that would make them swirl in a certain direction. The site that wont come up now says that the direction of swirl is do more to design than anything (the author says that drains in Germany swirl opposite from those in the US). : I have always thought your view was correct but now I dont know.: http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.html: http://www.badastronomy.com/mad/1996/coriolis.html : http://zaphod.cs.uni-sb.de/Legends/all.htmlDon, I finally was able to access the website that you discovered. I read all the information, mathematical calculations, and postulated theories provided by that gentleman, and then tried the same Coriolis Effect experiment as I tried when I was in Australia, but this time in Timnath, Colorado, USA. My wife is currently visiting our sons family in Mosman, NSW, Australia, so I sent her an e-mail, and asked her to duplicate the experiment there.The result of both experiments confirmed what I found last year, clockwise in Colorado, and, as they say in Australia, anti-clockwise there. It may be an unscientific approach, but I tend to believe what I have found.Mossy, in Australia, found that Guiness Stout went down his gullet in the same direction while in Ireland as it does while in Australia. Sounds like a good experiment for me to try here in Colorado. However, I dont care for the taste of Guiness Stout, so I think I will try my favorite brew, Colorado Kool-Aid, Original Coors.Eric, it looks like your question has revealed a controversy which has been silently raging all over the world for years. From your e-mail address, it appears that you are from the United Kingdom. Which direction does the water swirl in the lavatories where you live? And, what about the Guiness Stout? JWA

[EricParticipant]

Sounds like an interesting topic.Personally I have always heard water in Australia drains counter clock wise.I think the reason is the differance in magnetic field between north and south hemesphere. If you look at a magnetic field (with iron filings) North and South are exactly the same but completely opposite (a mirror image).How about everyone takes a holiday to Australia. Im sure after a visit to the local pub Id see the toilet close enough to find out.

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