Benefits of a Low-Flow Toilet
admin • April 6, 2015

If you’ve been looking for ways to save water in your Olympia, WA, home, we may have a very easy solution for you: consider the installation of a low-flow toilet. Why? It all comes down to water usage, and if you have a toilet or toilets that aren’t low-flow, then these toilets comprise over 25% of your home’s total water usage. Putting this another way, if you have a toilet that is a 5 or 7 gallon toilet, and you average 5 flushes a day, your toilet uses between 9,000-12,000 gallons of water per year. Low-flow toilets use a maximum of 1.6 gallons, cutting this amount down to just over 2,900 gallons of water per year – an amount 3-4 times less that of 5-6 gallon toilets.

How do low-flow toilets manage this? First, they have some simple yet key design differences from higher-flow toilets, starting with the bowl outlet hole. In a regular toilet bowl, the outlet hole is located toward the back of the bowl; in a low-flow toilet, the outlet hole is located in the center of the bowl so that waste can more easily and directly exit the bowl. Another modification that you’ll find with a low-flow toilet is that the balance of the water in the bowl is toward the front of the bowl; this helps move waste quickly and effectively. The last difference you’ll find between a low-flow toilet and a regular one is that the flush valve is larger. Having a larger flush valve creates a stronger flush, which helps push waste out of the bowl and into the outlet pipe.

Now that you know the differences between a low-flow toilet and a regular one, let’s take a look at the benefits:

  • Water conservation – as we discussed in the top paragraph, you can save a great deal of water by switching to a low-flow toilet
  • Space-saving – because low-flow toilets use less water, most are smaller in size, particularly the tank area
  • Easier installation – a smaller toilet means a less cumbersome toilet, so low-flow toilets can be easier to install

Interested to see what a low-flow toilet can do for your home? Call the plumbing experts at Brooks Plumbing today!

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