| Saving water in toilets |
| By Green Living Tips |
Published
11/18/2006
|
water , home , family
|
|
|
|
Toilet water saving tips
Every time you flush the toilet, it uses from 1.5 to 7 gal. of water. In some places in the western world, it's estimated that around a third of all water consumed in the average home is used by the toilet.
One of the easiest ways to save money and our precious water resources is the displacement method. This simply consists of a bag or bottle filled with water and placed in the cistern. You can easily save a litre (quart) per flush by using this method. Just be careful to place the displacement contain or bag in such a way that it doesn't interfere with the flushing mechanism.
In some old Australian toilets, I've seen rocks used to act as displacers :).
By saving just a litre each flush, the average family can reduce water consumption by thousands of gallons a year!
Another common problem with toilets are small leaks from the cistern into the bowl that you may not notice which can account for thousands gallons of extra water per year. Listen for your toilet refilling between uses or try sprinkling pepper around the wall area towards the back of the bowl - if water is leaking, you'll see a trail.
Have added tips on saving toilet water? Please add them below :)
Michael Bloch
Green Living Tips.com
Article reproduction guidelines
Comments
-
Comment #1
(Posted by Shawn)
Use a half-gallon milk jug filled with water. Careful with a rock or brick to displace as any sediment could cause harm to your drain pipes and plumbing.
-
Comment #2
(Posted by Rich Zab)
A leaky wax ring seal can be a huge water waster. Not because it leaks water, but because it leaks air. If it leaks air, the toilet will not flush properly because the air leak reduces the siphon action. This results in repeated flushings and more clogs. Often, the flush valve is adjusted to flush with more water to compensate for this problem. If a toilet rocks on the floor the seal is probably shot.
-
Comment #3
(Posted by Michael - Green Living Tips)
Thanks for the tips Shawn and Rich
-
Comment #4
(Posted by Andrea Paulinelli )
A regular toilet is not designed to flush paper and solid waste with reduced amounts of water, so the likelihood of clogging or having to flush twice after installing a conversion kit increases. Standard US toilets clear the bowl with siphon technology, so the diameter of the trap way has to be a small as possible (please view siphon vs. washdown technology here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z6pymOet7g&feature=channel_page.) If you are serious about saving water, want a toilet that really works and is affordable, I would highly recommend a Caroma Dual Flush toilet. Caroma toilets offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 Gal flush for solids. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the nineteen eighties and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5” trap way, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled HET’s http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/find_het.htm and also qualify for several rebate programs currently available throughout the US as well as LEED points. Please go to http://www.caromausa.com for more detailed information or visit http://www.ecotransitions.com/howto.asp to see how we flush a potato with the half flush (0.8 gallons), meant for liquid waste. To learn more about toilets you can also visit my blog http://pottygirl.wordpress.com/. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli
Submit Comment (reviewed before publishing)
|
