Save Water With Dual Flush Toilet Tanks

Dual flush tanks on toilets give you two choices of flushing the toilet. It's an innovation in toilet  plumbing this new toilet design that helps to save water. The dual flush toilets and low flow toilets are quickly gaining interest in countries where water is in short supply, but are also gaining popularity among concerned consumers in the United States.

How regular single flush toilets work

A toilet cistern is a plumbing tank in which water is stored at atmospheric pressure to flush when desired. Water is received into the cistern through an 'inlet' valve set at a predetermined level to incorporate an air gap that prevents cross-contamination of the water supply inside the cistern. An 'outlet' valve then releases the water from the toilets tank when the toilets flush button is pressed.

In simpler terms, a toilet consist of the tank, the toilet bowl (or pan) and the toilet seat. From a plumbing point of view, toilets consist of two major parts: the bowl and the tank (or cistern). The toilet cistern acts as a reservoir of clean water that, when flushed, fills the bowl and washes any refuse in the bowl down the drain. All this is great, except when it doesn’t work.

Common toilet problems which will prevent or impair function include blockages, a constantly running toilet cistern which over time will waste a significant amount of water, a leak from the base of the bowl or a toilet suite that won’t flush, or a broken syphon diaphragm. A professional plumber will be able to repair or replace all toilet parts - including the tanks inlet valves and outlet valves, the bowl and the seat - or if necessary the suite in its entirety. In the event of a blocked toilet, a plumber will be able to clear the blockage using a plumbers snake or high pressure water jetting.

Dual flush toilets - save water and money

A dual flush toilets tank is a reservoir that has two buttons - one for a full flush and a second for a half flush - and is designed to save water when a full flush is not required. Older toilet tanks are much less water efficient and will use approximately two gallons of water per flush. Modern units will use little over a gallon for a full flush or half a gallon for a half flush, saving significant amounts of water.

All major brands manufacture dual flush toilets, including TOTO, Kohler and American Standard.

If you need to call a plumber for a leaking tank or toilet repair it may be a good time to install a new dual flush unit to reduce your water usage and save money.

External References

• How Dual Flush Toilets Work (howstuffworks.com)
• The Lowdown on Low-Flow Toilets (hgtv.com)