Building Steps: Install Low-Flow Toilets

Courtesy of www.EarthHero.org

Source: Earth Hero
Ease: Medium
Impact Rating (1-5): 2
Influence Beyond You: 1
Types of Impacts: Save Water, Money saver, Save Energy

Does it help with making your community resilient to disasters and emergencies? No

Tags: Rainforests, certified, Carbon sequestration

Money Saved (1-4 $): n/a

Description: How much water do you flush down the toilet each year? That depends on the toilet, but on average, each of us flushes four or five times per day, which is over a thousand times a year. Traditional toilets use roughly 13 liters per flush, so that adds up to over 20,000 liters per year, per person. That is huge!

Luckily modern, low-flush, high efficiency or dual-flush toilets have been invented and can lower the average flush down to five liters with no impact on performance. Now that is science and engineering in action!

Why does water usage matter? In areas with abundant water, it is easy to take the water cycle for granted, even though it is more complicated than it seems. There are many stages of collection, treatment, conveyance, distribution, end-use preparation, reconditioning, and release. Each step consumes energy and produces waste. By lowering your water usage you lower the demand you put on the entire system and reduce the effects on the environment. Plus it saves a precious resource, which is particularly important where water is less plentiful.

Also, with the predicted heatwaves coming to many regions due to climate change, water will become even more valuable. It is better to start protecting it now, than scrambling to acquire it later. And by reducing your flow, more water stays in the rivers and lakes, supporting other animals and plants, who also need it.

Tips:

• Not sure if your toilet is already low flush? The liters per flush is usually marked somewhere on it. Typically either inside the top of the tank when you take the lid off or on the bottom outside of the toilet near the floor. If the liters are around five then you are already good to go!

• Most municipalities charge you twice for your water usage. Once for using it and once for the sewage it creates. However, they only measure it on the way in! Lower how much comes in and you save money on both ends.

• When looking for a new toilet, look for certification for being water-friendly. Also, many good stores will make it easy to figure out the liters per flush of different options.

• Search online for reviews of different low-flow toilet options to figure out what fits your style and gets the job done.

• Never installed a toilet before? It is actually a moderately easy project if you fancy yourself as somewhat handy. There are step-by-step online videos to walk you through it. If not, recruit a friend, family member, or hire a professional.

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Image credit: Photo by Fran Hogan on Unsplash