Bobcat From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 0 posts, RR: 0 Posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1688 times:
Toilet water: clockwise or counterclock-wise?
I apologize for this silly question. My
nephew asked me this question and
I didn't have an answer. I believe
the toilet water goes down in the opposite
direction when you live in the souther
hemisphere, correct? I realize the toilet
water on planes doesn't exactly act like
household toilet... but if it did, which
way would it flow... and does it change
direction after the planes flies to the
other hemisphere? (LAX to SYD,
for example)
Early Air From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 611 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1607 times:
Planes dont have toilet water. When you press the flush button a vacume sucks everything out. However, on older aircraft a blue liquid is released and it just goes straight down.
QANTASforever From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1577 times:
Although the toilets on planes do not act like their cousins on the ground, the sinks on the a/c do.
If you had a sinkfull of water while you were over mexico, it would not go down the drain in the same direction as it would if it was flying over Brazil.
Cx flyboy From Hong Kong, joined Dec 1999, 6341 posts, RR: 56 Reply 4, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 1573 times:
Actually I have noticed the blue water does swirl in some aircraft, but this is probably more because the water is deliberately angled, rather than the act of gravity and the earth's spin.
Mark_D. From Canada, joined Aug 2001, 1447 posts, RR: 6 Reply 5, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1545 times:
This is an urban legend, you guys
(want to calculate what the Coriolis forces are, in water in something the size of a toilet bowl, even at "max effect" Mid-Latitudes? They're pretty tiny, you'd be waiting a looong while --and would have to have the water real still, impossibly so, in fact-- to see it swirl down due chiefly to that effect)
Staffan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1534 times:
Mark, no it's not, haven't you seen the Simpsons episode when they go to Australia??
Seriously, I've also heard that this business about the water swirling clockwise or anti clockwise depending on northern- and suthern hemisphere is an urban legend.
Cx flyboy From Hong Kong, joined Dec 1999, 6341 posts, RR: 56 Reply 7, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1514 times:
I was under the impression that it did swirl depending on where you are. I distinctly remember seeing Michael Palin doing an experiment either side of the equator....
Lt-AWACS From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1514 times:
well I'll give you info on my AWACS. Most know we are based on the 707 airframe and we have one lav in the back. This has the blue treated 'water' in it. Mostly we do not flush, because believe it or not it mucks up the system. The 'flusher' chops up what is in the tank and just releases it back to top of the bowl. The blue water just falls straight down into the hole. There is also no water tank for the sink so we don;t have water either. We do not have flappers on our toilets so it is funny to screw with the new guys and 'blue ham' or blue ass' them. When we know someone is in the crapper the plane dives so the blue 'water' smacks them in the ass I've also been in some combat decents where afterword I've seen the blue water on the ceiling. Very nasty
Rydawg82 From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 818 posts, RR: 8 Reply 9, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1498 times:
Our tax $$$ hard at work
Ry
You can take the pup out of Alaska, but you can't take the Alaska out of the pup.
Lt-AWACS From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 1491 times:
I have more than enough stories about what the taxpayers spend on AWACS LOLOLOL
The best is when we convinced this Army General flying with us that the Radome actually flew off the plane then came back and reattached when the mission was over. We even dove a bit when we planned for 'Saucer seperation' and we jinked the plane a bit again when the radome ' came home'.
Sleekjet From United States of America, joined Jul 2001, 2045 posts, RR: 24 Reply 12, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 1470 times:
Probably depends on whether the flusher is left-handed.
777-200 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 1017 posts, RR: 8 Reply 13, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 1438 times:
Bobcat From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 0 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 1428 times:
Anyone in the souther hemisphere
right now? I never thought I'd ask
this, but would you do us a favor by
flushing your toilet and see the water
is clockwise or counter-clockwise?
FlightSimFreak From United States of America, joined Oct 2000, 720 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1384 times:
The way that the water flows out is determined more by the way that the container is tilted or the way that it was filled. Corialis effect has almost no influince over the way that a toilet is flushed.
Jsuen From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 211 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 6 hours ago) and read 1383 times:
Toilet water direction is a myth.
As a side note, the thing that does change from Northern to Southern Hemisphereis is color CRT tubes. The slightly different vertical magnetic field component is more than enough to destroy color quality. Southern hemisphere CRT tubes are Northern Hemisphere tubes upside down. (Try turning your monitor upside down). To compensate, aircraft have expensive electronic CRT compensation systems, which make LCDs a bargain.
NZ767 From New Zealand, joined Nov 2001, 1620 posts, RR: 1 Reply 19, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 4 days 3 hours ago) and read 1346 times:
I live in NZ Bobcat and I just did what you said.
Unfortunately my toilet doesn't have a "swirl" type flush; it comes from all directions really fast so it was hard to tell.
Hey Lt-AWACS,
That saucer prank sounds like a classic!
I would've been in tears if I was there.
H. Simpson From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 949 posts, RR: 3 Reply 21, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 1299 times:
Staffan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 24, posted (11 years 4 months 1 week 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 1266 times:
In our toilet in Belgium it goes clockwise too...
25 Airways1: It is true that the spin of the earth has an effect on the direction of water going down the plughole. However, this effect is minute and the initial
26 Lufthansa404: Be carefull with that blue water. I think its pretty acid! When there was a guy refulling that blue stuff from a bottle in a Lufthansa 737 he had to w
27 CF-CPI: The direction of the acidic blue liquid will depend on whether a UFO is hovering in the vicinity. This is the truth. I saw it on X-files.
28 Konstantinos: Yes that is correct. I noticed with the bath tab and toilet when I was in Southern Africa, the water went clock-wise and here in Europe (I just tryed
29 Bobcat: My toilet and sink water drains counter- clockwise here in North America. It's the opposite for my friends in Australia... Hmmmm.... what about people
30 Ikarus: Back to the original question: Assuming not a toilet, but a plug in a sink or something similar (unaffected by exterior disturbances), would the direc
31 Red Panda: The Coriolis forces have no significant effect on how toilet water drain down the hole. It's urban myth. Some toilet water going down clockwise and an
32 Squigee: The blue water will not dissolve a hair-weave. For our older passengers, and I notice we have some old people up here- how you doing?- we ask you to u
34 Canadi>nBoy: Toilet Water flushing directions rates 4 Stars???
35 9A-CRO: yes, initial movement of water and shape of the sink decide in which way the water will go we made an experiment of physics with a heavy metal ball ha
36 Jsuen: Nope, CRT's aren't a myth. (Did you try turning your monitor upside down?) The thing about CRTs is that color is very dependent on the angle at which
37 Jsuen: I forgot to mention, if you search for CRTs on the web, you'll find two different order numbers for CRTs too First one I found: http://apollo.maxnt.co
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I would have liked to see the look on the general's face! 
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