It's Low-Flow Toilet Time!

Zurn EcoVantage Z5560 Series
Photo courtesy of Zurn

Is it ridiculous to get worked up about toilets? Probably. But I get excited when it comes to saving water, and one of the easiest ways to cut down on water use in the home is by replacing your toilet with a low-flow model.

If you live in an older home and the toilet has been around since before 1995, you may be using as much as 3.5 gallons of water per flush—and some pre-1980 models use more than 5 gpf! In 1992, the National Energy Policy Act mandated that toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, but some of the old water-wasting versions still remain.

When low-flow toilets first made their way into homes in the early ’90s, customers complained that they did a poor job of flushing—if they flushed at all. Fortunately, today’s low-flow models take care of business thanks to larger drain passages, redesigned bowls and tanks, and new technologies. Here’s how they work.

Of course, not all low-flow toilets are created equal. Check out plumber Terry Love’s comprehensive recommendations for low-flow toilets, based on his own experience and that of his customers. And The Green Guide’s 5 Tips for Choosing a Low-Flow Toilet provides good info on what to look for when shopping for a low-flow model.

Perhaps you already have a toilet that gets 1.6 gpf and are looking for even more ways to save water. That’s where high-efficiency toilets (HETs) come in. To be considered an HET, a toilet must flush at least 20 percent below the 1.6 gpf maximum, or 1.3 gpf. Get this: Some HETs get as low as .8 gpf.

I know what you’re saying: How can HETs possibly flush down everything they … ahem … need to? Yet HETs are growing in popularity, in part because manufacturers are using a variety of technologies to ensure they work well. Learn more about HET models—dual-flush, gravity-fed, single-flush, pressure-assist, and power-assist—here.

Starting this summer, HETs that use less than 1.3 gpf can earn a WaterSense label (which is similar to the Energy Star label energy-efficient appliances earn) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the EPA, switching to WaterSense models could save approximately two billion gallons of water per day in the United States—and they’ll save you cash thanks to substantially lower water bills.

Considering that HETs are priced similar to standard toilets, why wouldn’t you want to install one in your home? It’s at the top of my list of upgrades for my new house—and not just because the current toilet is blue!

Oh, and if you really want to save water, how about a waterless composting toilet? Before you run away screaming at the thought, read what witty Umbra Fisk over at Grist has to say about them.

Until tomorrow,
The Home Know-It-All