How Much Water Do You Need To Flush?

As plumbing products continue to become more water-efficient, including 1.0 gallon-per-flush water closets and urinals utilizing only one pint of water to flush, there's greater interest in low-consumption fixtures. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is expected to soon bring more clarity to some of these low-consumption flushing terms by defining them in applicable standards.

John Watson, director of technical services for plumbing manufacturer Sloan Valve Company and a member of the ASME A112.19.2 Working Group, says that no "official" definition has yet emerged in an approved consensus standard for High-Efficiency Urinals (HEU) and High-Efficiency Toilets (HET).

ASME will, however, likely provide those definitions when it next updates the ASME A.112.19.2 standard. For now, HEUs and HETs can be defined as follows:

An HEU is a urinal that performs to the current ASME A.112.19.2 performance standards while using no more than 0.5 gpf/1.9 Lpf to flush. This is a reduction from the current standard of 1.0 gpf/3.8 Lpf as required by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. By this definition, waterfree urinals are categorized as HEUs.

An HET is a water closet that meets the current performance requirements outlined in ASME A.112.19.2 but does so by either flushing at a maximum of 1.28 gpf/4.8 Lpf or by deploying a dual-flush device, which based on a typical 2:1 liquid/solid use ratio, averages a total flush volume of 1.28 gpf while achieving a MaP test score of removing at least 350 grams of waste.

"Dual-flush Flushometers are rising in popularity," says Watson, "partly because they easily meet HET performance standards."

In smaller buildings, Watson explains, it may be more advantageous to install manual dual-flush Flushometers in restrooms, because they have a regular set of users. "These users are more familiar with and conscientious about the facility, which means they are more likely to learn how to manually operate a dual-flush Flushometer to its full potential," he says.

But restrooms frequented by newcomers can certainly benefit from manual dual-flush Flushometers as well. Sloan includes signage with its UPPERCUT® dual-flush Flushometers, which can be affixed near the flush valve to quickly educate users on its usage and benefits. Proper operation by even a fraction of the users can equate to significant water savings.

Plus, as dual-flush flush valves become more common, restroom users will just intuitively know how to operate them—much in the same way they learned to adapt to sensor-operated Flushometers when they first emerged on the market.

Large commercial or institutional buildings with a transient population or restrooms in high-traffic areas such as airports, entertainment venues, and shopping malls may gain greater efficiencies from automatic operation. "For these restrooms, it makes sense to install the new electronic dual-flush Flushometers, which automatically initiate the appropriate flush cycle, depending on the amount of time the user remains in the sensor range," says Watson.

Plan a Spring Garden Makeover Now for Big Summer Savings

Water costs continue to rise. However, smart landscape design and simple watering habits can significantly reduce utility bills. By planning now, facility managers can save hundreds of dollars and thousands of gallons of water this summer. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recommends the following steps for a water-saving garden makeover:

Start Early. Plan ahead so that all new plantings take place in the spring. It keeps you out of the summer heat and plants require much less water to get situated compared to the warmer months.

Go Native. When deciding what to install, consider native and drought resistant plants. They typically require less maintenance and little watering once established (sometimes none at all!).

Must Mulch. Use compost when planting and cover the area with mulch afterwards. Compost helps keep the water by the plant’s roots and mulch prevents evaporation. Make sure to leave some space around the base of each plant and resist creating mulch mounds around plants and trees.

Less Lawn. Consider replacing grass with an attractive groundcover which is drought resistant, covers a large area, and requires zero mowing.

Super Soak. Up to a third of all water from sprinklers can evaporate during the heat of the day. Instead, give your plants fewer, heavy soakings. If you must use sprinklers, only use them in the morning.

Grey is Good. Recapturing grey water or rainwater can provide a free source of garden irrigation. These systems can be easily installed and even incorporated into irrigation systems.

Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip irrigation systems water plants right at the root and serve as an efficient alternative to sprinkler systems. Be sure to get a timer for maximum effectiveness.