Anyone who lives or works in the Western states has experienced a water shortage, however brief. California fights a constant battle to supply enough water to its expanding population. Boom towns like Las Vegas and Phoenix have seen increased demands on their water infrastructure, and even areas where water might seem abundant, such as Seattle and Denver, have seen fit to restrict water use at times over the years. Recently, parts of Texas were soaked by record torrential rains, while other parts of the country are suffering historic dry spells.
    Local and national efforts to conserve water have been both legislated and voluntary. And it’s evidently not just the amount of water available and the cost of supplying it that factors in. There’s also the cost of water and sewage treatment.
    Bathroom fixtures designed to use less water are playing a greater and greater role in the big water conservation picture. For example, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California June 10 voted to make available some $6 million in rebates to entice businesses and consumers to install specific water saving products to help reach its goal of saving 7 billion gallons of water each year. We talked to manufacturers of toilets and toilet products to get their perspective on where product development and design is headed.
    Sharing their perspective this month are: Lloyd Hathcock, director of program management, Niagara Conservation of Cedar Knolls,  N.J.; Derek Kirkpatrick, North American manager, Caroma USA in Hillsboro, Ore.; Rich Katzmann, vice president/marketing and sales, MJSI in Sherwood, Ill., and Bob Lechler, national sales manager, SFA Saniflo in Edison, N.J.  

Reeves Journal: What are the most pressing issues facing the water-saving toilet industry today?

Niagara Conservation: With the Maximum Performance Testing and Unified North American Requirements for toilets developed several years ago, most of the problems with poor performing 1.6 gallon per flush toilets were fixed by better industry-wide engineering and design. Today, toilet manufacturers are engineering high-efficiency toilets that deliver great performance with only 1.28 gallons per flush. With the new market for HETs, manufacturers are faced with designing a toilet that performs well and meets or exceeds industry testing standards, gaining consumer acceptance of new flush technologies, and offering HET technology at a price competitive with other toilets on the market. 

Caroma USA: Public perception is that low-flow toilets do not perform to the standards they are willing to accept. That goes back to pre-1992 when 1.6 gallons per flush was mandated. Every manufacturer was told to adjust the fill volumes and that they did, but they didn’t adjust the functionality of the product itself. As a result there was double flushing and triple flushing and the negative backlash to that.       Also, people don’t see conservation as stylish. You don’t want to compromise performance, design or economic benefit. If the toilet is ugly, nobody will buy it. If it is beautiful, but it’s $2,000, you’re not going to buy it. If it performs exceptionally well, looks good and is comparably priced to another quality product, then you’ll buy it. And, by the way, it also saves water.
    Another concern is a lack of consumer awareness about water costs. Water costs in many areas are not high enough to keep it top of mind. I use gas as an example. When gas prices go up people are always up in arms and hybrid cars come out, people are carpooling and talking about all the issues around gas and gas prices.  

Saniflo:  Key issues are performance, drain line carry, and bowl cleaning. Many low-consumption toilets do not meet the expectations of the consumer by either clogging or requiring a double flush, defeating the purpose and losing any water savings. With less water to push the waste through the drain lines in the home, the sewage may accumulate in a lateral part of the sewage line and never to make it to the sewer.  This will eventually cause clogs. Less water for the flush also means less water to clean the bowl during the flush. Homeowners expect the rim wash to sufficiently clean the bowl each flush.  

MJSI: Leak detection, calibration, and improper flapper use are concerns in water conservation. The EPA estimates that 20 to 40 percent of all toilets leak and a leaking toilet can waste between 20 and 200 gallons of water per day. All of the positive results by installing a 1.6 or 1.2 gpf toilet can be “given back” if 20 percent are leaking. Toilets in apartments (where the tenants are not responsible for the water bills) often have leak rates substantially higher than 20 percent.
    One of the hidden water wasters with all toilets is the amount of water being delivered to the bowl.  Most replacement fill valves deliver the maximum amount of water required to fill the largest bowl. When a replacement fill valve is used with a bowl that isn’t the largest, the excess water being delivered to the bowl falls over the trap.  This is easily seen as most bowls fill substantially sooner than the tank.  Once the bowl starts to “ripple”, every 15 seconds approximately a quart of water is wasted.  Our research and pilot projects have shown that 1.6gpf toilets waste on average 36 ounces of water with every flush after the original fill valve has been replaced.
    If a 1.6 gpf toilet flapper is replaced with a 3 gpf flapper, the toilet can use up to 4 gallons with every flush.  Many consumers don’t know this and still buy 3gpf flappers for their high efficiency toilets.  Adjustable flappers are an easy solution to this problem, assuming that the consumer calibrates them properly.  

RJ: How is your company addressing these issues?  

Niagara: Niagara Conservation has engineered the cost-effective, single-flush 1.28 gpf Eco-Logic HET toilet that delivers superior performance, is highly-efficient and available. Niagara’s HET flushes up to three-times the minimum requirement for flush testing media and recently earned the EPA WaterSense label, a voluntary certification and product labeling program designed to ensure high-quality water efficiency products and services.  

Caroma: We have been making dual-flush toilets for over 30 years, a collaboration between our company and the Australian government to make a product that actually works. If you can ensure that the performance is there within the bowl, but also carries through the line and waste stack, that’s a properly performing product. We use third-party testing such as MAPP to back up with data that the product does work, and in fact, far exceeds the requirements; for example, up to 1,000 grams per flush versus the MAPP standard of 250.
    Because we produce a dual-flush toilet, we are now testing a half flush, which uses .8 gpf, so when a customer uses both buttons they have a confidence in the product. We’ve taken the time to ensure the product has been redesigned to work with less water, not just the fill valve being adjusted.—making sure that the tank works in conjunction with the bowl, which works in conjunction with the waste line.  

MJSI: Our first product, the HydroClean, addresses leak detection and calibration issues through innovative changes to traditional fill valves. The product uses anti-siphon technology and air to detect and signal if there are any leaks, no matter how slow. Our patented Mini-Valve allows the installer to exactly calibrate the amount of water being delivered to the bowl.  This simple process can save up to 200 ounces per flush.  Depending on water rates, this savings can pay back the valve in less than one year. MJSI is currently developing an adjustable flapper, that when paired with our HydroClean fill valve, tunes up a toilet so that it is operating at 100 percent efficiency.  

Saniflo: We manufacture macerating toilets which grind waste and paper with each flush so it can be pumped through a small diameter pipe.  We offer efficient models which use as little as 1.1 gallons per flush.  A macerating toilet allows installation of a bathroom without major construction where plumbing infrastructure does not exist. A macerating toilet has all the plumbing above the floor done in small diameter pipe, making it simple to add a complete bathroom anywhere in the home.  Macerating toilets are not designed to replace a traditional toilet in the home, however.    

RJ: How can water-saving products help during the chronic drought conditions in the West?  

Niagara: First and foremost, any and all leaks must be repaired.  It is estimated that about 14 percent of our water bills consist of water lost through leaks.  After repairing all leaks, utilizing water-saving products, hardware and technologies help reduce water waste, use water more efficiently, and save money. By installing water efficient products and hardware, there is typically less reliance on changing personal water use habits.
    Water-efficient technology also delivers water and money savings outdoors too.  Repairing leaks on garden hoses, hose bibs and irrigation systems is the first place to start.  Homeowners are starting to realize the benefits of “smart controllers” for irrigation systems that use weather data rather than a timed schedule to water.  There also are automatic timers for garden hoses as well.  

Caroma: Consumers have to become more aware that water is not a renewable resource. Although the cost of the water going into your home may be cheap, there is a cost associated to the governments and cities with respect to hydraulics and treatment facilities. If we can reduce the amount of water leaving the house, it reduces the impact on water treatment facilities and the need to build new treatment plants. Our toilets save over 40 percent over a standard 1.6-gallon toilet, which is a huge savings of water on the homeowner’s side and for treatment facilities.
     Water costs don’t reflect the issues at hand. In certain areas there are higher rates and people are much more aware. In others, someone may be cautious about running his hose while his neighbor out washing his boat. In others, water is costly and there are $300 rebates for toilets. There will come a time when consumers have to face the fact that they may not have the right to long showers and high water pressure.  

Saniflo: Not only can these products help save on the water bill, but they can also reduce costs on the sewage treatment.  The toilet is the second largest consumer of water in an average home, next to a washing machine.  With the cost of water and sewage treatment continuing to rise, substantial savings can be realized.  

MJSI: Our studies and calculations have shown that when communities of 100,000 people convert to the HydroClean fill valve, the community saves approximately 364 million gallons of water per year.  In addition, the community saves the electric power required to retrieve and process the water.  Because the cost of a fill valve is so low, municipalities can offer rebates as an incentive for the constituents to purchase.  

RJ: What recent developments on the regulatory side are driving the development of water-saving products? 

Niagara: A major development has been the WaterSense program to help consumers identify products and services that meet or exceed established industry standards for water efficiency. WaterSense has established product labeling standards for high-efficient toilets and it currently developing standards for weather-based irrigation controllers and additional water-efficient products and services.
    Many states and regional governmental and water management agencies are developing water efficiency programs and policies.  As the awareness of the limits of our water resources increases and the benefits of water efficient products and technologies becomes more apparent, manufacturers are developing new tools everyday to help use water more efficiently.  

Caroma: WaterSense would be the biggest push for all manufacturers. It discerns between a good and a bad product and I think that’s what was missing before to give confidence to the end users. Water Sense is pushing for a mandate 350 grams of waste removal, and a line carry test is being introduced. Your product must be able to push the waste to a certain level down the pipes. If it can’t, it doesn’t pass, and isn’t eligible for rebate, which is an incentive for manufacturers to move in the right direction and improve the product. We would have had no problem meeting the low-flush standard proposed by California. We were green before green was green. Nothing was modified on our products to meet U.S. requirements.

MJSI: WaterSense is a great step forward to both reward businesses and inform consumers about water-saving products. For our specific category of fill valves, regulatory movement has been slower. We are urging legislators and larger municipalities to incorporate fill-valve technologies into their overall conservation platforms, but they have different priorities.  Since flappers and fill valves are such high-volume replacement items, especially compared to shower heads and faucets, our strong belief is that they need to reprioritize and create standards and certifications for both.
    We are very encouraged that businesses have taken the lead in our area of conservation where the government hasn’t.  Many plumbers, home centers, and hotels have recognized the importance of both leak detection and calibration in toilets, and as such, have implemented our programs.   

Saniflo: Presently, the 1.6 gallon toilet has been mandated for more than 15 years.  Many jurisdictions are encouraging lower consumption toilets, as low as 1.1 gallon per flush, by offering incentives through the form of rebates.  This year, California tried unsuccessfully to pass legislation to mandate a 1-gallon-per-flush toilet in all new applications.

RJ: What is the lowest possible water-use level requirement for products like toilets and urinals? There already are water-free or waterless urinals. What about the application of this technology to toilets?

Niagara: Actually, there are toilets and urinals that use no water at all.  Waterless urinal technology has developed significantly over recent years. Waterless urinals can be found in many large, public facilities like sports arenas, airports, convention centers, etc.  Incinerating and composting toilets are also on the market.  Incinerating toilets use electricity to convert waste to dry ash.  Composting toilets rely on conventional composting methods to decompose waste.  Some composting toilets can also use electricity to accelerate the process. Waterless toilets and urinals are not suitable for all applications however.   

Caroma: We have products in Australia that flush at far less than 1 gallon of water and still exceed the performance requirements here in the U.S. and Canada. What has to be looked at is that we can push out half a gallon of water and say, ‘Okay, it clears the waste out of the bowl,’ but the impact must be on the drain line system and the hydraulics. It’s like: My car goes really fast, but it doesn’t turn. There’s an exhaustion point where you can go down (in flush water volume) only so low before having an impact on drain line carry and blockages.
    People want to be green, but they also want ease of use and a product that works to their standards. When we’ve gone as far as we can go, in reducing the amount of water per flush, maybe we’ll have to apply our water-saving efforts to reducing showerhead flow and aerators.  

MJSI: We believe there is a future for waterless toilets.  We also feel strongly that using grey water to flush is good alternative.  Countries like Australia have had great success implementing these systems. Our focus is more aimed at the current toilets in the world and ensuring that they are not wasting water and are operating as efficiently as possible.  As soon as a fill valve or flapper is replaced, there is a high probability that the toilet is now wasting substantial amounts of water.  We want to end that.

Saniflo: There are waterless urinals on the market.  Depending on the application, typically for residential use the 1.6 gallon is the most common.  Some companies, (energy performance companies) specialize in low-performance applications for residential complexes such as condo and townhouse communities, or commercial or industrial applications such as hospitals, colleges, and military bases.  I know some of these contractors to use a 1.1 gallon per flush or dual-flush toilets. Many of these contractors want a minimum of a 10 percent savings.
    Eventually this may need to be a reality, but I see it way off in the future for mainstream applications.  Waterless toilets do exist for special circumstances.  These are either composting toilets or incinerating toilets.  I have seen these used where plumbing does not exist in outbuildings or seasonal-use cabins.  Each of these types of toilets needs to be maintained differently than the toilet we are all used to seeing. These systems work off of a vacuum principle to evacuate the waste and have been designed to work on as little as a pint of water in regions where water and sewage systems do not exist, such as outlying remote villages in Alaska.