Gerber Avalanche – Full Toilet Review

Even thought Gerber is a lesser known brand, they have some very notable toilets in their repertoire. Perhaps the most popular one is the Avalanche.

The Avalanche has a rare combination of power, practicality, easy installation, options, and a favorable price point. It’s generally hard to find all those qualities in the same toilet, but Gerber has made it look easy with the Avalanche line of toilets.

Gerber Avalanche

Easy installation + power.

What People are Saying

As you would expect from such a lightweight toilet, the Avalanche is very easy to install. We’ve seen this mentioned numerous times, even from homeowners who had a plumber come in and install it. Given the additional fact that this model is also a two-piece, it makes installation that much easier.

We’ve also seen a lot of praise in regards to the price itself. Depending on where you buy it from, this model can usually be found between $300 – $500. The performance on the Avalanche is pretty good, so the low price point is hard to beat.

What We Like About the Gerber Avalanche

I already mentioned the easy installation and favorable price point, so we won’t dwell on that much more. However, a tantamount advantage of the Avalanche is all the different options it has available. From one-piece, two-piece, round, elongated, etc, the Avalanche has it all. It even has skirted and multiple ErgoHeight toilets, like the one below, for those that want a taller toilet.

Dimensions

When compared to similar toilets, the Avalanche is a bit more compact. This primarily comes from the width, and the seat height itself. This isn’t a problem by any means, but may be a deal-breaker if there are disabled or elderly individuals in the house because of the shorter seat.

  • Rough-in: 12 inches
  • Height: 29 inches
  • Depth: 29 inches
  • Width: 17 inches
  • Seat height: 15.5 inches

Installation

At just over 80 pounds, as well as being a two-piece toilet, the Avalanche is an easy toilet to get installed. On the spectrum of self-installation, it’s far on the easy side vs professionally installed. It even comes with a mounting system that allows for installation to be done without tools.

All that said, you will likely still need to buy a wax ring to have all the components to install it. But if you forget the wax ring, this can usually be picked up at a Home Depot or Lowe’s, or you can order one on Amazon easily.

Since the Avalanche has so many variations though, you may be getting a one-piece, which would be significantly heavier. For example, the skirted CT one-piece is 105 pounds. This would make it a more difficult installation, but not impossible to still do on your own.

Flush Strength and Trapway

The trapway of the Avalanche is a standard 2 inches. This is typical and standard of most toilets. It’s also glazed, making it much easier for solids to pass through. This is also relatively standard with toilets now, but still equals up to good performance for the Avalanche.

However, it has a perfect MaP score of 1000, which puts it above many other top-tier toilets on the market. This score means that the performance is second to none in what it is able to physically flush.

The Avalanche also boasts a dual fed siphon jet flush. Many toilets will just have one, which is usually sufficient, but two makes it all the more beneficial when it comes to clearing out the bowl with a single flush.

Speaking of a single flush, the Avalanche has WaterSense certification. This means that the toilet uses at least 20% less water per flush when compared to more traditional 1.6 GPF toilets. This particular model has a 1.28 GPF rate.

Aesthetics

From our perspective, there isn’t much to brag about as it relates to the look and design of the toilet. It’s certainly not ugly, but it’s certainly a no frills design.

If I had to pick one standout characteristic in relation to the look of it, it would probably be the rounded feel of the toilet itself. The corners and edges of the Avalanche are much more rounded than most toilets. So if you don’t like sharp corners and the “box-y” type of toilets, the Avalanche (and Gerber in general) is right up your alley.

Height

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that the Avalanche is a compact toilet, it isn’t, but it’s not large either. This certainly applies to the seat height.

While this Avalanche model is one of the most popular, it only has a seat height of 15.5 inches. This is a traditional height, but may not be ideal for anyone using the toilet that is disabled, or elderly.

But if you have small children, this could be a perfect fit. Not to mention if your bathroom is a little on the small side, the overall dimensions could work in your favor. So it really just depends on your personal situation.

Durability

Gerber has confidence in all their toilets, as they offer a 5 year warranty on the toilet itself. This covers the china under normal intended use.

The company also does something interesting with their warranties: they have separate ones for their china and their brass. You can check this out in greater detail here: https://www.gerber-us.com/warranties/

Bells and Whistles

As this is a fairly standard toilet, there aren’t many extras in this model of the Avalanche. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other models of the Avalanche that don’t. If the Avalanche is a toilet that you’re seriously considering buying, I would advise looking at many of the other models to see if there’s one that you like more, while still getting the performance that the Avalanche excels at.

Where the Gerber Avalanche Could Be Improved

I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to spend upwards of $500 on a toilet, I want it to complement the bathroom. While the Avalanche is a great toilet, it’s very basic when thinking about the design.

This won’t be a huge concern for many, and that’s perfectly fine. If performance and price are your main factors for choosing a toilet, then you won’t be disappointed.

The ToiletsMan Verdict

We’re big fans of the Avalanche here at ToiletsMan. Even though we have some misgivings about the look of the toilet, it’s undeniable that the toilet is a solid piece of craftsmanship from Gerber.

If the Avalanche is in your final list of toilets you’re trying to decide upon, then our advice would be this: look through the other Avalanche models to make sure that you are getting the exact model that’s best for your situation.

The great thing about the Avalanche is that there are so many versions, AND you can mix and match many of the tank options as well (they have insulated tanks!). This might make the price jump up a bit here and there, but it ensures you will be happy with your choice for years to come.

Good luck, and happy flushing!

Gerber Avalanche GWS21812 pictured at top.

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