Good Ideas - Efficient Toilets
April 25th, 2008Written by Greg Demetrick
Now no one really enjoys the idea of thinking about their toilet(s). It’s one of those necessary evils that has to be in every home, cleaned on a regular basis, and is ready for you when you really need it. But since we don’t tend to think about it is exactly why we should look at it as a place to save water.
As we mentioned in our grey-water article, most toilets installed in the last century will “flush” a whopping 5 gallons of water every time you pull the handle. To properly illustrate that, think about 5 of the gallon bottles of milk filled to the top and poured one after another down the toilet. That happens every time you flush. In recent years we have seen more ultra low flow (ULF) toilets come on the market with the same amount of power as the older models but they work with only 1.5 gallons of water per flush.
Replacing your toilet is no easy task but it is one that any DIY type can do. It will typically take about 1-2 hours and you should be strong enough to remove your old toilet. You can purchase a ULF toilet at any major retailer for $100 to $600 depending on model, style, and brand. Once you have replaced your old toilet, don’t forget to bring it to the recycling center and not the dump. Some communities have an Ultra Low Flush Replacement programs in place that will get you a tax credit for replacing your current toilet with a more efficient one.
If the average household flushes 35 times a week, with a ULF you would save 122.5 gallons of water per week as compared to a 5 gallon per flush toilet. Within 2 months the new toilet will pay for itself from savings to your water bill and that savings will carry on well into the future. If you also add in a grey-water system to the mix, you can eliminate the water expense from your toilet completely.
Tags: bill reduction, greywater, saving, toilet, Water Conservation
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