Toilets are the biggest wasters of water in your home. In the past few years, there's been a move to install low-flow flushing systems to reduce the amount of water the average household uses.
Worried that installing a low-flow toilet won't do the job it's meant to? With the right system, properly installed, a low-volume flushing system will not only put money in your pocket, it also will save more than half of the water you currently use on a daily basis.
If you have an older home with older fixtures, I strongly suggest replacing or retrofitting them. If your home is older than 15 years and your toilets haven't been updated, you're probably using anywhere from 12- to 18-litres of water every time you flush. If your toilet runs and you need to jiggle the handle to get it to stop, or you need to double flush frequently, chances are you're wasting twice that.
By replacing an older 18-litre a flush toilet with an ultralow-volume (ULV) six-litre flush model, you'll save up to 70 per cent of your previous water usage. Your plumber can pick up a low-flow flush toilet for as little as $150.
When it comes to retrofitting, you can adapt your toilet by installing water-saving devices inside the actual tank or at the back of the toilet. There are devices for water retention, displacement, as well as early-flush and dual-flush gadgets. By far the most popular is the toilet dam, which will save about five litres of water a flush. Easy to install and costing only about $10, toilet dams are government-approved retrofits. They do have a tendency to leak over time, however, so keep your eye on them and replace them periodically.
Some people opt to fill plastic bags, big jars or bottles with water and keep them in their tanks to displace water each time the toilet is flushed. They have to be installed properly, and while they might be a quick fix, water displacement systems don't save as much water as other low-flow methods.
If you don't want to call the plumber to replace your entire toilet, you can have an early-closing device or a dual-flush device attached to the overflow tube inside the tank. Basically, they work by closing the flush valve or the flapper when the tank is only partially emptied. With the dual-flush attachment, the amount of water used depends on how long the handle is held down — lighter for the small jobs and longer for the — well, you get the picture.
Ultimately, a ULV toilet is the best approach, since it uses considerably less water and produces less wastewater. If your municipality applies a sewer surcharge on your water bill, the investment in a new toilet could mean even bigger savings.
If you are on a private well and septic system, you will really reduce the load on your tile field as well create less wear and tear on the system over the long term.
With the average person using 350 litres of water daily and spending a total of three years on the toilet in a lifetime, retrofitting or replacing your existing ones is a sure way to bring some comfort to your life by saving money — and water. If you prefer to keep your old water guzzling systems, you're just flushing money down the toilet.
Mike Holmes is the host of Holmes on Homes on HGTV. For more information, go to www.holmesonhomes.com
