Dual-flush Toilets: The Innovative Alternative

These toilets use less water than even a really good low-flow, so why haven’t they caught on in North America?

If you visit Australia from North America, one of the first differences you’ll notice (besides that whole driving on the left side thing) is that nearly every Aussie toilet is a dual-flush toilet, or utilizes two flush buttons rather than one. The first button is for a half tank and the second is for a full tank. It doesn’t take long to figure out which toilet-related activity goes with which button.

The leading Australian company to sell these dual-flush toilets is Caroma and they’ve been doing it for 20 years. The technology has been in response to the country’s constant drought cycles (the current one has been going on for nine years) and the need to conserve water whenever possible.

[what's this?]

Advertiser Links for Dual flush Toilets

Toto Toilets Huge In-Stock Inventory of Toto Products. Ira Woods Est. 1918.www.IraWoods.com/TOTO

Toilets - Home Depot Receive Free Shipping on Orders Of $249 or More. Some Exclusions Apply www.HomeDepot.com

Dual Flush Uppercut Buy the Sloan Valve Uppercut Dual Flush Kit that retrofits to most all commercial flush valves and gives you a 30% water savings. Complete stock available for immediate shipment.www.AirDelights.com

This make of commode has been put through a battery of tests in North America since 1996 but has yet to become a mainstream fixture in the bathroom. It’s hard to figure out why: the research has come out overwhelmingly in favor of dual-flush toilets. Surveys have found that under real-life conditions, a dual-flush toilet uses an average of just 6.9 gallons per day, compared to 9.5 gallons of a low-flow toilet and a whopping 19 gallons with the older models.

This can translate into huge savings for the both the money- and eco-conscious consumer. The dual-flush toilets can save up to 2,250 gallons per year, and some consumers who went directly from an older model toilet to a dual-flush say they saw a 60% drop in their water bills within one month.

Yet North American market penetration has not been great, and this is probably due to a number of factors. Some consumers may still hold some lingering resentment over being legislated to use low-flow toilets and may not want to switch to yet another system so soon. The up-front price of having a dual-flush toilet in North America may be a factor as well, as the average one costs about the same as a high-end 1.6-gallon low flow. Some who have purchased these toilets have complained that installation is far more complicated than a standard North American toilet.

But whatever the short-term headaches are to get this toilet into your house, the evidence has shown that the long-term benefits are phenomenal. If they can catch on, these toilets may well replace the low-flow as the leading choice of cost-effective and environmentally friendly porcelain thrones.