Toto One-Gallon Double Cyclone Toilet
Consumers can make an impact in the water conservation effort by choosing efficient plumbing products. WaterSense has even set water conservation goals for various products, including toilets, shower heads and faucets. In fact, according to the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, if all US households installed water-saving features, water use could drop by as much as 30 percent, saving about 5.4 billion gallons of water each day
The largest household user of water each day is the toilet. In fact, the commode uses an average of 26.7 percent of the average American household’s daily indoor water. The WaterSense goal for toilets is a 20-percent reduction, to no more than 1.28 gallons-per-flush. Consumers have historically been hesitant to install water-saving toilets. Contractor Leigh Marymor says when the first generation of 1.6-gallon-per-flush toilets hit the market in 1994, people despised them. It often took two flushes instead of one, which defeated the purpose.
Now that WaterSense has recommended an even higher efficiency level, and states such as California and Texas have passed laws requiring the 1.28 gallons-per-flush efficiency-level beginning in 2014, manufacturers have rushed to market new toilet technology. According to Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto, if an average American household—consisting of 3.2 people—changed from a 5.5 gallons-per-flush toilet to a 1.28 gallons-per-flush model, it would save 24,665 gallons of water in one year.
In fact, it is Toto’s ultra-high-efficiency toilet, which uses only one gallon of water per flush that is being called a great achievement in terms of toilet-engineering evolution and water conservation efforts. Roto-Rooter Atlanta, one of the largest plumbing repair services in North America, called the Toto 1G impressive in a company statement.
“Less than 20 years ago, people were used to toilets that used 3.5 gallons per flush, while today’s Ultra-Efficient models only require 1.28 gallons per flush,” the Roto-Rooter statement said. “With the same innovation and problem solving that these Japanese engineers put forth, manufacturers were able to greatly improve flushing power using less water and show that research and development can lead to great improvements in the world, step by step.”
In fact, the new Toto toilet is said to be capable of shooting a soccer ball at 160 kilometers-per-hour. The toilet utilizes Toto’s Double Cyclone flushing system, which uses both water and gravity to create its powerful one-gallon flush.