How lush does it flush?

The newest high-efficiency toilets use only 1.28 gallons of water. Not lush. And that's the point.

While 1.6 gallons per flush still is the standard, the new versions use 20 percent less water. The Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary WaterSense program, begun in 2006, will certify that products use less water.

Ten models have been certified to bear the Water Sense logo. These are made by American Standard, Kohler and Toto USA.

Before 1984, toilets often used five to seven gallons of water per flush. In '84, the standard was revised to 3.5 gallons. By 1993, the EPA had reduced that to 1.6.

Some models are dual flush and offer a 1.6-gallon flush for solids and a 0.8-gallon flush for liquids.

Toilets work in several ways, and each type can be eligible for WaterSense certification:

• Line-pressure or pressure-assisted. This type uses pressure from the water pipes to carry away waste. Rob Zimmerman, senior staff engineer with Kohler, said this mechanism provides more water faster and can use 1.1 gallons per flush.

Some pressure-assisted toilets have motors in the tank that push water faster. But if the power goes out, these have to be flushed with a bucket.

• Gravity. Water drops from the tank into the bowl to move waste. The force of gravity moves the water with more velocity. High-performance gravity toilets take less than a second to flush.

• Vacuum-assisted toilets pull air out of the trap below the bowl so it fills with water and moves waste.

• Flapperless toilets have a canister in the tank that lifts when the handle is pushed and then drops. This mechanism is found in Sterling dual flush toilets (made by Kohler).

Toilets cost $100 to $1,500, with most HETs between $200 and $300.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@