Whether you need a new toilet, are looking to improve your property’s water usage or you’re aiming to achieve a combination of both, one solution is installing a low-flow toilet. Introduced in the 1990s, low-flow toilets are water-saving toilets that use fewer gallons of water per flush compared to a conventional toilet. In this post, we’ll cover what you need to know about these efficient bathroom toilets and some of the benefits they can offer to any property.
Low-Flow Toilets: What You Need to Know
As we mentioned in the intro, low-flow toilets use less water per flush than conventional toilets. Specifically, low-flow toilets use as little as 1.28 gallons per flush compared to 1.6 gallons or more per flush that conventional toilets use. While this might not seem like a significant reduction, consider that the average person flushes the toilet about 5 times per day. For a family of four, that’s 20 flushes per day. Do the math by week, month, quarter and year while factoring in your current water utility rates and the savings can be significant. The more water your current toilet uses, the greater the savings potential. Considering that some older toilets can use anywhere from 5 to 7 gallons per flush, purchasing and installing a toilet that uses just 1.28 gallons per flush is going to make a huge difference.
Low-flow toilets flush via one of two ways: gravity or pressure assistance. Both are effective, though it is imperative that a low-flow toilet is properly installed so that it can adequately flush away waste at one turn of the handle. Improper installation is likely to result in repeated flushes, which could negate the water-saving benefit of a low-flow toilet.
Benefits of Low-Flow Toilets
When you consider that toilets are the single biggest source of water consumption in American households and account for about 30 percent of household water usage, you can’t ignore the cost savings of installing a unit on your property. It’s estimated that a conventional toilet costs at least 1.3 cents per flush and a low-flow toilet about a penny per flush in water usage. One hundred flushes would cost at least $1.30 on a conventional toilet compared to $1 on a low-flow. The more people you have using the toilet, the more cost savings you have to gain.
Other benefits of low-flow toilets include:
- Some are customizable and offer different flushes for different waste. For instance, it would deliver a lesser flush for No. 1 than it would for No. 2, as less water is needed.
- They’re easy to clean and maintain.
- They can increase your property value.
- They aren’t used any differently than a standard toilet.
Contact ToiletKing Today
For more information on low-flow toilets and how they can help instill a more sustainable property, contact ToiletKing today. While low-flow toilets may cost a bit more upfront, the long-term water savings will often pay for themselves over time. Contact us today for more information.