Toilets use more water in the home than any other appliance or fixture
totaling approximately 30 percent of residential indoor water consumption. As a
result of this usage, toilets often leak contributing to major water loss as
well.
Designed for water conservation, high- efficiency toilets
(HETs) have been defined by the plumbing industry and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) as those that use an average of 20 percent less water
per flush than the industry standard of 1.6 gallons (or, 1.28 gallons).
Using a high-efficiency unit (in place of 1.6 gallon flush units) can save up to
8,760 gallons of water each year for a family of four with average daily flushes
of six each. In municipalities like Washington D.C., this roughly translates to
a water/sewer usage annual savings of $50.00. Savings will be greater in
climates were water is in shorter supply.
There are four (4) types
of water efficient toilet systems currently available.
Gravity Fed Single- Flush Toilets
Gravity fed
single-
flush toilets operate the same way as any standard toilet, however,
they use less total capacity per flush. Typical flush capacities that are
available for these models are 1.1 and 1.28 gallons.
Dual-Flush Toilets
Designed for light and heavy flushes,
dual-flush toilets tend to average less than 1.2 gallons per flush. They meet
HET criteria of 1.28 gallons per flush or less (HET criteria for dual-
flush toilets identifies the effective flush volume as the average
of one high flush and two low flushes). Dual- flush models are
available from many well-known manufacturers with light flush capacities from
0.8 to 1.1 gallons and heavy flush capacities from 1.3 to 1.6 gallons per flush.
These toilets typically operate with a handle that can move up or down, or a
two-button system. One direction or button will activate the lower flow flush,
while the other will activate the higher flow flush.
Pressure Assist Toilets
Pressure assist, or pressurized
tank, toilets are another high- performance, low- consumption alternative. These
toilets use either water line pressure or a device in the tank to create
additional force from air pressure to flush the toilet. The device in the tank
could either be a storage device with compressed air that would require
replacement or a tank that creates pressure when the tank is being filled. These
toilets typically average 1.1 to 1.2 gallons per flush. Some pressure assist
systems move a greater volume of water at a significantly lesser volume of
sound.
Power Assist Toilets
Power assist toilets operate using a
pump to force water down at a higher velocity than gravity toilets. Power assist
toilets require a 120-V
power source to operate the small fractional horsepower pump. Typical flush
volumes are between 1.0 and 1.3 gallons per flush and dual-flush models are also
available.
Companies that produce these types of products, such as Niagara conservation
, and the
Chicago faucet company, will be exhibiting at the annual WaterEC conference.
All of these systems are strong alternatives that offer attractive cost
savings and contribute to our conservation efforts. For additional information
please search our archives at www.waterefficiency.net.