A Pittsburgh toilet

My grandmother who lived in a suburb of Pittsburgh had a "Pittsburgh toilet". They were a common fixture in pre-World War II houses built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and the surrounding region.

Has anyone ever seen one or do they know what they are for?

"As Pittsburgh was historically an industrial town, toilets such as these were said to be used by steelworkers and miners: grimy from the day's labor, they could use an exterior door to enter the basement directly from outside and use the basement's shower and toilet before heading upstairs. This usage is largely unverified by historians. The Pittsburgh toilet may have been used to divert sewer backups out of the living space of the house. The toilet in the basement would overflow from the sewer backup because it is the lowest point in the system, and the mess would be relatively easy to clean compared to an upstairs bathroom."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_toilet

"So the idea was to put a toilet fixture in the basement, and that's why they're by themselves, because they really weren't meant to be used. And they are at the lowest point of the system. So, as the sewer backs up, it will make itself known in the basement, because the toilet in the basement would overflow and into largely an unfinished basement, and then you would know to alert the city that there was a clog that they needed to clear it. And once the clog was cleared, you could then clean up the mess."

https://www.wesa.fm/post/architect-offers-explanation-pittsburgh-s-basement-toilets-and-it-s-not-what-you-think#stream/0


Thanks for helping me learn something new today!

Interesting.

A former co-worker of mine back in Ohio had an older house that had a random toilet in the basement. It was a running joke with him. Kind of makes sense now.

It is also called a "Pittsburgh Second."

Houses did not used to have a bathroom for every bedroom. Old school houses had 1 bathroom. Family size was bigger then, three or more kids the norm. The 2nd was there to give a 2nd toilet to use as there will be waiting with that many people in a house.

The flip I just did I tore out the 2nd but left the plumbing as people will still use them in the older parts of town but build them out into more of a "powder room." Same purpose, though now it is more to force the husband out of the "nicer" one and for when guests come over.

I did not know anyone outside of the area ever heard of one.

Quote: ams288

Interesting.

A former co-worker of mine back in Ohio had an older house that had a random toilet in the basement. It was a running joke with him. Kind of makes sense now.

Just about everybody I knew in Ohio when I lived there had a toilet in the basement near a shower. I had never heard the term Pittsburgh toilet.

Quote: DRich

I had never heard the term Pittsburgh toilet.

I never heard of the term either. But my grandmother had one and she lived in Pittsburgh.

We had one in an old tool shed in the basement, but it had a sink and a shower, and you could close the door.

It always seemed strange at my grandmother's home that there were no walls, but if you think of it as a way to handle sewer backups, it makes sense. You might as well have a working toilet.

I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs. We had a shower and toilet in the basement, specifically the laundry room. That was in the 60s. I never heard the term “Pittsburgh toilet” until now.

I used the downstairs shower after football practice, and after fishing trips, pretty much any time I was too grimy for the real shower.

Quote: Mosca

I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburbs. We had a shower and toilet in the basement, specifically the laundry room. That was in the 60s. I never heard the term “Pittsburgh toilet” until now.

I used the downstairs shower after football practice, and after fishing trips, pretty much any time I was too grimy for the real shower.

n

s not used in the suburbs. There were real 2nds there. It was a city thing. I always heard "Pittsburgh Second" but assumed there were for example "Boston Seconds" in Boston.

I saw them in some MI basements. Came
in handy when a kid decided he wanted
his own bedroom in the basement. Lots
of privacy. People who live in states
where basements are uncommon don't
know what they're missing. Basements
add a huge potential living area to
most houses.

I must assume this toilet is strictly for sewer backups as it is about as awkward as you can get.


Funny bathroom story: Have you ever been to a country where the shower is the entire bathroom?


I knew someone who was taking a shower in South America when they turned off the water at night for conservation measures. In the morning he is sitting on the can when they turned the water back on and he realized he never turned off the shower handle.