WaterSense Issues Flushometer-Valve Toilet Specs
Flushometer-valve toilets are typically found in commercial, institutional or industrial restrooms, in such places as airports, theaters, stadiums, schools and office buildings. These types of toilets have two main components — the toilet bowl and the flushometer valve.
To help commercial facilities become more water efficient, WaterSense has issued its Notice of Intent to develop a specification for flushometer-valve toilets. Many of the older flushometer-valve toilets currently installed use 3.5 gallons per flush — far more water than the federal standard of 1.6 gpf. With many of these models reaching the end of a useful life, replacing them with more efficient models could result in significant water savings. If commercial facilities nationwide replaced all older, inefficient and standard flushometer-valve toilets with high-efficiency versions, it would save an estimated 56 billion gallons of water per year.
Due to increased demands for improved toilet performance and a growing emphasis on water efficiency, manufacturers are producing high-efficiency flushometer-valve toilets. These toilets are designed to use no more than 1.28 gpf — a 20 percent water savings over standard 1.6 gpf toilets. In the future, EPA’s specification will ensure that all flushometer-valve toilets that earn the WaterSense label will perform well while still saving water.
Interested parties are invited to provide written comments on WaterSense’s NOI to label flushometer-valve toilets. Please send any comments or suggestions to watersense-products@erg.com.
Additionally, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST on Sept.12, EPA will host a teleconference and webinar with stakeholders to discuss the NOI. Call in and other meeting information will be emailed upon registering. Meeting materials will be sent to registered participants via email closer to the meeting date. Please register if you are interested in attending this meeting.
