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Do Water-Efficient Toilets Work?
Many people considering installing water-efficient toilets are concerned that they will not work as well as older models that use much more water per flush. Anecdotal reports from the early 1990s, when water-efficient toilets first became available, sometimes indicated that multiple flushing was necessary to make water-efficient models work. These problems, when they occurred, were frequently due to the lack of a single standard for toilet efficiency nationwide.
Massachusetts was the first state to require that all toilets sold use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. This standard was subsequently adopted at the national level. In the early 1990s, when standards varied from state to state, the water-efficient toilets that were available in Massachusetts were typically modified versions of older designs that were originally intended to use 3.5 gallons of water per flush or more. Some of these modified old style toilets did not work well in some installations.
As water-efficient, 1.6 gallon per flush, toilets have become a national standard, newer models have become available that are designed to operate effectively using lower water volumes. Today, most models of 1.6 gallon per flush toilets perform as well or better than older models using 3.5 gallons per flush or more.
Owner satisfaction surveys in communities that have implemented programs that provide water-efficient toilets were recently summarized in the report Saving Water, Saving Dollars. The findings include:
- Austin, TX: 95% of those surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied with their water-efficient toilets.
- Denver, CO: 87% of those surveyed were satisfied with their water-efficient toilets.
- San Diego, CA: 93% to 94% of those surveyed in multi-year surveys were satisfied with their water-efficient toilets.
- Tampa, FL: 84% to 95% of those surveyed on various measures of satisfaction indicated that their water-efficient toilets performed as well or better than the old toilets they replaced.
In addition, a study of water use in 12 cities across North America by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation found that “double-flushing” in homes using water-efficient toilets was just 6% higher than in homes not using water-efficient models. Comparative evaluations by Consumers Union reported in Consumer Reports magazine have also indicated that water-efficient toilets perform well.
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