So, you’ve been thinking about buying a water efficient toilet. But, how can you be sure the investment is worth it? Will a water efficient toilet actually work on your behalf reducing water consumption and saving you money? In the past, water saving toilets had a reputation for performing poorly. However today’s standards call for water saving toilets and this has resulted in modern designs that save a lot of water. What is even better is that many of these water-efficient toilets are made in America.
Pardon us if we get a little technical here. Before 1993, toilets used 3.5 gallons per flush. Gallons per flush, otherwise known as gpf, refers to the number of gallons it takes a toilet to completely flush. People were happy. The next year all new homes were required to use water efficient toilets that averaged 1.6 gallons per flush. Toilet manufacturers changed designs to accommodate the new mandates but didn’t change the design to actually flush waste away. That’s when America noticed that these new “low-flow toilets” weren’t working quite as well as the old standard – sometimes requiring you to flush twice to clear the bowl.
Today, things have changed. Manufacturers got to work. Now, high-efficiency toilets use as little as 1.28 gallons per flush. Some use as little as 1.0 gallon per flush. It is said that the average person flushes 5 times per day. Do the math. On average, you’re saving more than 11 gallons of water per day if you own one of these 1.28 gpf toilets.
Saving all that water really adds up to great savings. The average family of four can save $64 annually just by making a switch from a 3.5 gpf toilet to a 1.28 gpf. Think about all the water you’ll save for your children and the future of the planet – about 16,000 gallons of water each year! A neighborhood block could save over 300,000 gallons of water in a year. That’s about a year’s worth of water for the average family. Every twenty homes that trade in their old water-guzzling toilet for a newer water efficient one is the equivalent of having one less family in the world using water. So, it really does make sense to go as low as you can. Keep in mind, if you own an older home, you may want to stay with a 1.6 gpf. Older homes with cast iron piping tend to have more problems with the 1.28 and 1.0 gpf.
Affordable versions of water-saving toilets that look good in your brand new bathroom are easier than ever to find. Many models range from $200-$400.
When you’re shopping for a new water-efficient toilet, you may find something called a MaP rating. This stands for Maximum Performance. MaP ratings mark the actual efficiency of the toilet. When you’re looking for a new toilet and you’re not sure whether or not it will work as well as it should, check the MaP performance rating. If it’s over 500 grams, it should work well.
These fancy, newly designed toilets work well and they’re worth the money. But of course, things can always go wrong when you least expect it. And when they do, you can rely on Sun Plumbing of Melbourne, Florida to flush away the problem.
