Probably the same reason the rest of the toilet is -- it's strong, durable, scratch resistant, doesn't degrade with age (toilets can last for decades, my parent's toilet is original with the house, so is 40+ years old), and is easy to clean. It's heavy enough to not need any fastening mechanism to keep it on. And it perfectly matches the rest of the toilet, so you don't end up with a yellowed plastic lid on your bright white ceramic toilet.
> Probably the same reason the rest of the toilet is
Not all of the toilet is ceramic/porcelain. Seats are typically made of durable plastic and are designed to be replaced every decade or so. A plastic lid would probably last much longer.
They're referring to the cistern AFAICT - so they mean that the water storage cistern has a ceramic lid, the lid of the toilet bowl is likely wood, resin, or such.
TBH I can't see why with a close coupled toilet anything other than the bowl needs to be heavy ceramic.
Ok, as an American I have to say I marvel at the toilet technology in other countries. For example you guys often have two buttons on your toilets -- a #1 and a #2 button. It just makes sense.
I see.. you mean tanks that are enclosed in a wall. This supports the theory that heavy lids on unenclosed tanks help with noise suppression.
OMG I just realized that may be why the author experienced temporary hearing loss! The lids are designed to capture and reflect noise back into the tank water!!
(Sorry, a little too excited about toilet lids today.)
But they're heavier and more expensive to ship. I doubt it's that hard to make matching lids to spec. The industry makes matching toilet seats separately, after all.
It must have something to do with the material. A thread on Reddit suggests a couple possibilities:[1]
- porcelain in more anti-bacterial than plastic (is that true??)
- a heavy lid offers more sonic insulation of the rather loud hydraulic mechanism (this seems plausible)
Man, I did not plan on getting obsessed with toilet lids today.
Why are lids made from ceramic anyway? I get why the bowl is, but the lid? Beyond the loudness / hearing loss issue, it’s just so darn heavy!