Kohler Santa Rosa 3810-0 Review

by Dan | Last Updated: March 10, 2023

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Let’s begin here, how many toilet brands do you know? Or simply put, which is the best toilet brand on the market today? It’s very likely that Kohler featured among the first three big names on your list.

This American manufacturer is best known for pushing toilets with all sorts of designs and styles.

It also comes to mind when there’s need to get a small toilet for a bathroom with limited space.

This Kohler Santa Rosa 3810-0 toilet review brings a throne that is bound to turn heads due to its space saving design, high level of comfort, and efficiency.

I’ll be digging deeper into its features in a short while.

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The Kohler Santa Rosa Toilet

The Kohler 3810-0 is one of the best performing models from this manufacturer. This is a Kohler one piece toilet that comes in a wide array of colors including almond, biscuit, black, dune, ice gray, sandbar, and white thus offering homeowners a unit that matches with their bathroom’s hues.

From the design front, the Santa Rosa 3810-0 promises comfort without grabbing much space in your bathroom. It fulfills this by combining an elongated bowl with a round front. Its chair-height not only makes it an ADA-certified commode but also comes as a relief to the tall people and the elderly.

360-Degree Washing Mechanism

It’s also not left out regarding water efficiency. This toilet is WaterSense-certified and uses 1.28 gallons only per flush. That does not translate to poor flushing performance though. The 3810-0 Santa Rosa uses Kohler’s AquaPiston flush engine and a 360-degree washing mechanism to ensure that waste is flushed precisely with the least amount of water (more about this in the review).

Regarding competition, the Kohler 3810-0 competes favorably with the current best-seller, the Toto MS604114CFEG-01. Similar to the Santa Rosa toilet, this Toto toilet is also a single unit model. It’s both ADA and WaterSense compliant too.

Good Choice For A Small Bathroom

The major notable difference between the two is that the Santa Rosa is more compact and might, therefore, be a better choice for a small bathroom. The Kohler 3810-0 is also way affordable and saves you money that you could spend on other bathroom projects.

What’s In The Package?

• One toilet fitted with the seat and lid
• Installation manual

Kohler Santa Rosa 3810-0 Features And Benefits In-Depth

1. Ease Of Installation

   The Santa Rosa is a  one piece elongated toilet with the standard 12 inch rough in. As I told you before, this model has a round front. This feature means that you could install it where your previous toilet (either round bowled or elongated) was without lots of plumbing.

   The installation part is pretty straightforward. I wouldn’t call it a walk in the park considering how heavy the one piece unit is – 102 pounds. However, with the installation guide and a little help in positioning the toilet, any DIY enthusiast with the least skills might be able to fix it quite easily.

   On this note though, it’s important to notify you that the installation bolts and wax seal are not included in the package. You’ll require 5/16’’ Tee bolts. You may use the previous supply depending on its condition although the Kohler advises using a new set for durability and safety.

2. Flushing Performance And Water Efficiency

   If you are looking for a toilet that won’t escalate your water bills as it’s the case with most traditional toilets, the Kohler 3810-0 might be a good bet. This is a WaterSense-certified unit designed to utilize 1.28 gallons only per flush.

   As a WaterSense labeled commode, the Kohler 3810-0 is legally available in most States that only approve High Efficiency Toilets (HET). This feature also means a lot if you are looking forward to cutting your water bills, especially in a busy home.

3. Water Consumption

   Enter the AquaPiston technology. This is a newly introduced flushing system that offers a good mix of power and performance.

   AquaPiston uses a canister with 3:2 inlet to outlet ratio. Upon activation, water flows through the wider opening replicating a waterfall. It is then forced out through the narrower outlet thereby harnessing the power of gravity and gaining momentum as it leaves the tank.

   The water then goes through the rim and the bowl and falls into the trapway resulting in a super powerful gravity-fed force that forces all the solid waste down the drain.

4. Fully Glazed Trapway

   This is yet another aspect that aids this commode’s excellent flushing performance. The glazed interiors ensure that no debris attaches to the sides. This feature doubled with the strong flushes eliminates the need of scrubbing the bowl on a regular basis. It also prevents plug and clogging.

5. Ease Of Cleaning

   This toilet’s one piece design speaks volumes about its ease of cleaning. You see, unlike in a 2 piece, one piece models do not have hidden and hard-to-reach crevices that could be breeding sites for bacteria.

   The ability to reach all areas means that the Kohler Santa Rosa is quite hygienic. This toilet also reduces cleaning time since you are dealing with one unit only.

   Again, as I have just mentioned above, once you hit the lever, a 3600-fall keeps the bowl clean by scrubbing the debris. This partial scrubbing eliminates the likelihood of bacteria build-up thereby keeping stains at bay with much ease.

Santa Rosa Kohler Pros & Cons

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Who Should Go With The Kohler 3810-0 Santa Rosa Toilet?

Whether this toilet is a good bet for your bathroom or not depends on your exact needs. Anyone looking for a toilet that combines a powerful flushing performance with water efficiency at a mid-range price might find it an ideal choice.

Speaking of water efficiency, this commode also renders itself nicely as a reliable model for people who live in States that highly recommend High Efficient Toilets.

One Piece WaterSense-certified Toilet

On the flipside, this unit is somewhat noisy. The AquaPiston flushing technology and ‘non-SoftClose’ lid mean that you cannot install this toilet in a bathroom with thin walls. Though you can fix this partially by replacing the lid with a 3rd party lid, the flushing system may still be audible across thin walls.

If this is among other issues that you want to avoid, I would recommend you to check out the Toto MS604114CEFG-01 Ultramax II among other units. This model is among Toto’s best-selling commodes today. It’s also a one-piece WaterSense-certified unit with a ‘comfort-height’ design.

Low-Noise Flushing Performance

Its low-noise flushing performance makes it ideal for a bathroom that is near other rooms. It might also be fit for large houses with thin walls. Unfortunately, it’s way pricier than the 3810-0 Santa Rosa. Its elongated design also means that it might not fill well in compact bathrooms.

What Features Do You Go For When Buying A New Toilet?

• Keep The Available Space In Mind

  However simple this may sound, you don’t want a commode that won’t allow you to close the bathroom or cabinet doors. True to their name, elongated toilets have large bowls that take up a little bit more space than their round bowl counterparts. So, if you have small space, the latter might be the most ideal.

• Comfort And Ease Of Use

  Regarding comfort, elongated toilets always win since they accommodate different users including large adults.

  As the toilet industry continues to expand, we now have elongated toilets that are as compact as the round toilets. This is a huge leap forward and a great deal especially for people who don’t want to trade comfort for a compact unit.

• Standard Height vs. ‘Comfort’ Height

  The ideal toilet height is the one that allows you to relax and unwind without working against your height. Standard toilets are around 15’’ tall. They are great for short people, kids, and people who suffer from constipation problems.

  Unfortunately, standard height toilets can be real trouble for tall users and people with hip and back problems. In that case, you might consider going for a throne with comfort height. These units can be as tall as 17 inches.

  They make getting ON and OFF the throne pretty easy.

Other features worth checking out include:

• Water Efficiency: Consider a toilet that uses utmost 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF)
• Flushing Performance
• Single Or Dual Flush
• Ease Of Cleaning

Conclusion

In my opinion, the Kohler 3810-0 is among a few other excellent flushers and good-looking toilets that you could get at its price. I do like that this model comes in over five colors. So, getting a perfect match for your bathroom walls shouldn’t be a hassle.

Again, Kohler’s AquaPiston flushing technology and the fully-grazed trapway offer you a clean bowl with each flush. This is a nice feature if you don’t want to slave on the toilet brush every time you use the throne.

The only issue that I have with it is the noisy and seemingly cheap lid. However, if you can replace it with a better quality SoftClose lid, this toilet might be a solid option.

Dan is the editor in chief and founder of this site, after running into troubles with his own old toilet a while ago. Discussing toilets is not your everyday topic, so let’s talk toilets today.