A July survey by Kohler Co. took a look at American households' toilet "headaches and habits" and found that 27 percent of 1,000 adults claim to experience a toilet clog each month - sometimes up to three times. That translates to 28 million clogged American toilets per month.

The study also found that 57 percent of the respondents said their fixtures were more than 10 years old.

The 1994 Energy Policy Act brought gallon-per-flush down to 1.6 gpf, but with so many new developments in toilet design since then, homeowners may want to consider upgrading their toilets every five to 10 years to keep up with new technology and low-flow water regulations, suggests Kohler.

Also discovered in the survey:

  • The Northeast boasts America's oldest toilets (23 percent were older than 20 years old); the newest are found in the West (56 percent less than 10 years old).

  • Drought-suffering states were more likely to provide incentives to change to water-conserving fixtures.

  • Of households with children, 34 percent had replaced their toilets within the past five years.

  • Nearly 20 percent of Americans have attempted to install a toilet by themselves.