Discover down under! Each day a different picture pertaining to Starfire's tour of Australia is featured, along with a brief explanation written by Australia enthusiasts.
2005 July 7
Do toilets really flush in the opposite direction down under?
Nope,
it's a myth!
The direction of the water's rotation is more dependent on the shape of the bowl than the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect is responsible for the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of
the ocean currents in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively, but it does not operate at the scale of water in a toilet.
In Australia, for water conservation reasons, some toilets are "dual flush toilets," which flush with either 1.6 or .8 gallons per flush. Note that on this Caroma model the buttons are marked with the half and full icons.
Authors & editors:
Bob Bolles
&
Phil Bolles