Stop Flushing Money Down The Drain

Summertime is nearly here. As temperatures start to rise, water becomes more and more scarce. It is important to conserve water during the warmer and dryer months Conserving water is not only good for the environment but also good for pocketbooks because conserving water allows for saving on monthly utilities.

 

When looking to conserve water in the home, first start with the bathroom. Water usage in the bathroom accounts for about 75% of water used in the household, so its important to assess bathrooms for leaks and outdated plumbing fixtures. A leaky faucet or shower head can account for thousands of gallons of wasted water a year!! Replacing leaky faucets or shower heads with a water saving plumbing solution like a low flow aerator can help  conserve water and save money.In a typical American household, toilet flushing alone constitutes up to 38% of all water-use in the home. So, another water saving plumbing solution for the bathroom is a high efficiency toilet. Many older toilets can waste upwards of 5 gallons per flush compared to the water saving plumbing solution HET toilet that uses as little as 1 ½ gallons of water. That is an incredible difference, making HET toilets one of the most efficient water saving plumbing solutions around, that will for sure reap financial perks in addition to water conservation benefits!

A pre-1980 model using 7 gallons per flush saves almost 42,000 gallons / year
A pre-1980 model using 5 gallons per flush saves almost 30,000 gallons / year
A post-1980 model using 3.5 gallons per flush saves over 16,000 gallons / year
A post 1990 model using 1.6 gallons per flush saves over 2,000 gallons / year

Water-efficient toilets also reduce our collective pressure on limited water supplies and, in urban areas, the amount of waste flowing to sewage treatment plants. Less waste lowers the plants’ operating energy and costs.

In rural areas not served by municipal wastewater treatment plants, water-efficient toilets reduce the amount of waste flowing into septic tanks and leach fields, extending the lives of these systems. If you use well water, an efficient toilet will also cut down the run time of your well pump, reducing electrical consumption. Plus, the less your pump runs, the longer it will remain in service.

WaterSense, a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is helping consumers identify high-performance, water-efficient toilets that can reduce water use in the home and help preserve our Nation’s water resources. The WaterSense label is used on toilets that are certified by independent laboratory testing to meet rigorous criteria for both performance and efficiency. WaterSense toilets not only use at least 20 percent less water than the current federal standard of 1.6 gallons per flush; they also provide equal or superior performance. After the widespread toilet disappointment of the late 1990’s, WaterSense is careful to advocate only the best in toilet technology. WaterSense toilets are truly the best of all worlds.

What Are Your Options?

Water-efficient toilets fit into three categories: single-flush at 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf), dual-flush toilets (1.6 gpf/0.8 gpf) and pressure-assist toilets (1 gpf). Single-flush toilets using 1.6 gallons per flush are now required by law in most new home construction and bathroom remodels. Although the earliest water-efficient toilets had some problems (such as tanks that were too small and lacked sufficient flushing power), most water-efficient toilets on the market today work well. 

As the name implies, dual-flush toilets provide two flushing options. Solids are flushed with 1.6 gallons of water. Liquids are flushed by about half that volume — 0.8 to 0.9 gpf. Most manufacturers offer at least one dual-flush toilet.

The third option is a toilet equipped with pressure-assist technology, available from all leading manufacturers. Most common in hotels, restrooms and commercial buildings, these toilets also can be installed in homes. The pressure-assist system consists of a plastic pressure tank mounted inside the toilet tank. It uses pressure from the water supply line to compress air inside the pressure tank. This system traps and compresses air as it fills with water. The compressed air forces the water into the bowl when the toilet is flushed. The pressure-assist unit uses this force to push waste out, creating a vigorous flushing action that whisks away waste and cleans the bowl with only one gallon of water per flush.

Cost?
WaterSense labeled toilets are available in a wide variety of prices and styles. The EPA estimates that if a family of four that replaces its home’s older toilets with WaterSense labeled ones, it will save, on average, roughly $1,000 over the next 10 years – enough for the WaterSense high-efficiency toilet to pay for itself within a few years.

Testing for the WaterSense program shows that there is no correlation between price and performance of a high-efficiency toilet. WaterSense labeled toilet prices can range from less than $100 to over $1,000, much of the variation due to style alone. In this region, WaterSense labeled high-efficiency toilets cost anywhere from about $250 to $750.