Sunrise Specialty » How Much Water Does a Toilet Use? (Saving Tips)

How Much Water Does a Toilet Use? (Saving Tips)

Each of us flushes a toilet approximately five times per day. If you know that the national average cost of water is 2 cents per 1000 gallons (almost 3 800 l), you may ask where was the problem. What if I told you that 300 million Americans waste over 5 billion dollars on flushing their toilets every single year? It sounds more significant now, right?

It seems that it is high time to determine the flush volume and begin controlling how much water we waste whenever flushing the toilet. That way, we can reduce the unreasonable consumption of drinking water. How much of it you will use annually primarily depends on the type of toilet in your home. Let’s see.

How Much Water Does an Old Toilet Use?

The Old Toilets

All the toilets manufactured before and during the 80s belong to the category of old toilets. These ones made before that decade use from 5 to 7 gallons (19 – 26.5 l) per flush. Can you imagine that some older ones need more than huge 8 gallons (30 l) per just one flush? Models from the 80s use approximately 3.5 gallons (13 l) per each flushing the toilet.

If you know that we flush our toilets five times a day on average, you can quickly calculate how much water each of us wastes every single day. Not to mention that we need to pay that wasting!

Shortly speaking, if your home is a typical pre-90s American house, you probably still have an inefficient toilet in your bathroom. It flushes the bowl thoroughly but wastes too much water without a valid reason.

How Much Water Does Low-Flush Toilets Use?

Luckily, most manufacturers have realized the importance of saving water. As a result, every average American standard toilet manufactured since 1994 uses less than 1.6 gallons (6 l) of water per flush.

When they appeared for the first time, many users complained about their low flushing capabilities. Over time, they have become efficient as older models, but without unnecessary wasting too much water.

Be aware of the fact that a toilet spends almost one-third of the water needs of your household daily. That means that you can save several thousand gallons of water and a lot of money per year by switching to a low-flush toilet.

How Much Water Does Ultra Low-Flush Toilets (ULF) Use?

Ultra Low-Flush Toilets (ULF)

Nowadays, we have a federal law, enacted in 1992. It mandates that every toilet made in the US after 1994 must not use more than 1.6 gallons (6 l) of water per flush. The goal is to improve the efficiency of water consumption nationwide.

Plus, this law has finally coordinated state standards. As a result of this law, ultra-low-flush toilets have occurred on the market.

How Much Water Does High-Efficiency Toilets (HET) use?

High-Efficiency Toilets (HET)

These modern toilets use approximately 1.3 gallons (4.9 l) of water per flush. If you purchase this particular model, your family of four will need less than 9.000 gallons (just under 34.100 l) per year for flushing the toilet. Well done!

You can pick out one of over 1.100 models of HET toilets available on the market. Always look for a label to check performances and the level of efficiency of your new toilet.

How Much Water Does Dual-Flush Toilets Use?

Dual-Flush Toilets

A dual-flush toilet is a contemporary version of a high-efficiency model. It uses both half flush capability and full flush depending on your needs. These models use the impressive 0.8 to 1.1 gallons (3 – 4.2 l) of water per half flush and 1.4 gallons (5.3 l) per full one.

That makes them the most efficient toilets available on the market. Buying one of these toilets will be the best environmental-friendly decision you have ever made.

Can you calculate the total annual cash savings in your household if you reduce overall water usage by 30% after installing a dual-flush toilet? The calculation is precise.

Let’s try to determine the overall savings if you replace a toilet using 3.5 gallons (13 l) of water per flush with a model using 1.6 gallons (6 l), for example. Believe it or not, you will reduce the average annual consumption per person from 27 300 gallons (over 103 000 l) to 12 500 gallons (over 47 300 l).

Now, it is enough to multiply this value by the number of household members. In the end, calculate the price of one gallon and make the correct calculation.

I am sure that you are surprised how much money you spend on the water bill just because you have the wrong toilet model in the house, right? Not to mention lower sewer costs after you reduce the load on the local waste system.

How Much Water a Leaking Toilet Consumes?

The sad truth is that approximately one in five toilets leaks. If you know that water costs have increased by 200% over the past decade, it is worth checking your toilet.

When a toilet works correctly, it uses more than 27% of your average water consumption a day. When it starts leaking, you can count on thousands of lost gallons of water a month.

Usually, the problems begin when the rubber parts inside the tank wear down. When your toilet leaks slowly, it will waste 30 gallons (113.5 l) of water a day. A medium leaking means that the toilet uses roughly 250 gallons (946 l) daily.

Not to mention monstrous 4,000 gallons (15 150 l) of water you can waste every single day when a large leak starts! You can calculate how much your water bill will increase for the next month if you don’t solve the problem.

Toilet Water Saving Tips

I will list some crucial tips to help you to save water while using the toilet.

  • Never use the toilet instead of a trash can. That way, you won’t need to flush the toilet more than necessary.
  • You should adjust the water running in your toilet tank if it takes too long to stop.
  • Check if your toilet tank has a water line indicator. Take care to adjust the level of water at or below this line while your toilet refilling.
  • If you have installed a dual flush toilet, use a lower volume flush mode whenever possible.