Heart Matt

The trap is the outlet path that carries waste away and holds a water seal against odour. An S-trap exits downward through the floor and is standard in most Indian construction. A P-trap exits horizontally through the wall and is common in apartments and newer buildings. Your existing plumbing determines which you need — check before choosing a model, because the two are not interchangeable.

Rough-in is the distance from the finished wall to the centre of the waste outlet in the floor. Indian bathrooms are usually built at 225 mm or 300 mm. If you buy a WC with a different rough-in, it will either stand away from the wall with a visible gap or will not connect at all. Measure it once, write it down, and bring it to the showroom.

A wall-hung or half-pedestal basin, because nothing sits on the floor and the room reads as larger. If you need storage, a compact table-top basin on a narrow 400–450 mm deep counter works well. Avoid full-pedestal basins in tight spaces — the pedestal blocks floor cleaning and adds visual bulk without adding storage.

Vitreous china is a clay body fired at very high temperature and coated with a vitreous glaze, producing a surface that is essentially non-porous. That is what makes it stain-resistant, hygienic and easy to clean, and why it has been the standard material for basins and water closets for over a century. The quality of the glaze is what separates a good piece from a cheap one.

A dual-flush cistern offers a 3-litre half flush and a 6-litre full flush, against a single 10–12 litre flush on older cisterns. For a family of four, that typically works out to tens of thousands of litres saved a year. Every dual-flush unit we stock is designed for the water pressures found in Indian overhead-tank systems.