Water-saving toilets
Water-saving toilets are designed to use minimal water for flushing human waste, making them an effective solution for water conservation in residential settings. In industrialized nations, toilets account for the highest water usage in homes, with an average family of four consuming around 340,000 liters (90,000 gallons) annually. By transitioning to water-saving models, which typically use between 1.5 to 1.6 gallons per flush, households can significantly reduce their water and energy costs, while also contributing to the protection of water resources for future generations.
These toilets come in various designs, including gravity-tank, flushometer, pressurized-tank, and vacuum-assist types, each catering to different needs and preferences. Key factors to consider when selecting a toilet include trap size to prevent clogs, bowl-water surface area for cleanliness, tank lining to prevent condensation, and the footprint it occupies in the bathroom. Some communities have begun to mandate the installation of low-flush toilets in new constructions and offer incentives for retrofitting existing ones. Overall, replacing traditional toilets with low-consumption models can reduce household water usage by 25% or more, providing both environmental benefits and cost savings for homeowners.
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Subject Terms
Water-saving toilets
DEFINITION: Toilets designed to use minimal amounts of water to move human waste products into sewer lines or septic tanks
Because flush toilets account for the greatest amount of water used by residences in industrialized nations, toilets designed to minimize the water needed for each flush offer excellent opportunities for water conservation.
It has been estimated that an average family of four in the United States uses 340,000 liters (90,000 gallons) of water per year. Modest but conscious changes in water use and modifications of plumbing fixtures in and around homes can save thousands of gallons each year. Such savings reduce water and energy costs in individual homes and also help protect water resources for future generations.
Toilets are made to suit a wide range of budgets, decors, and functions, and choosing the right toilet involves informed decision making. Among the characteristics of toilets that consumers should consider are trap size, bowl-water surface, tank lining, and toilet footprint. Sufficient trap size ensures the ability of a toilet to flush well without clogging; larger traps are less likely to clog. The amount of bowl-water surface influences how well a toilet remains clean between regular scrubbings; toilets with larger bowl-water surface areas generally require cleaning less often. Whether or not a toilet’s tank is lined can be particularly important in a bathroom that is not adequately air-conditioned; lined tanks do not “sweat” during hot weather. The toilet footprint is the space that the toilet pedestal takes up on the floor.
A further consideration in selecting a toilet is how much water it uses. The toilet in a residence housing four people is flushed, on average, thirty times per day. Toilet flushing is generally considered to be the single largest source of water loss in the home because it accounts for about 38 percent of the water used each day.
The amount of water used by a toilet is called the flush rate, which is measured in gallons per flush (gpf) in the United States and liters per flush (lpf) in most other parts of the world. Typical toilets rate at 3.5 gpf (13 lpf) or higher. However, designs have been introduced that rate at 1.6 gpf (6 lpf). Some of the best available rate at 1.5 gpf (5.7 lpf). Toilets that perform at these levels are called low-consumption, low-flush, ultra-low-flush, or water-saving toilets. They come in a variety of engineering designs. The four designs that are the most common are gravity-tank, flushometer, pressurized-tank, and vacuum-assist toilets.
It has been estimated that water consumption in the home can be cut by 25 percent or more through the replacement of an old-style toilet with a low-consumption model. This reduction is both automatic and permanent. In order to achieve these savings on a larger scale, some communities in Canada and the United States now require that all new or replacement installations of two-piece tank-type and floor-mounted flushing toilets rate at no more than 1.6 gpf. Water management officials in these communities also provide incentives to owners of existing homes to install low-flush toilets.
Bibliography
Cech, Thomas V. Principles of Water Resources: History, Development, Management, and Policy. 3d ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
George, Rose. The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters. New York: Henry Holt, 2008.
Ruiz, Fernando Pages. "Water-Saving Toilets." Green Building Advisors, 8 Aug. 2022, www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/water-saving-toilets. Accessed 24 July 2024.
Young, Olivia. "How Low-Flow Toilets Save Water." Treehugger, 21 June 2022, www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/water-saving-toilets. Accessed 24 July 2024.