Would you consider a dual-flush toilet in your home?
You see dual-flush toilets in hotels, restaurants and shopping malls but would you consider one for your home?
My girlfriend who has three kids under 7 just installed a dual-flush toilet in their downstairs bathroom. It is next to the family room and is the toilet the kids use the most.
My friend was replacing the toilet anyways (more than 20 years old) and felt like she would save water and money by installing it. (She paid about $200 at Home Depot but then saw it for around $100 at Costco so look around before you buy.)
The kids are loving it and especially enjoy bringing guests into the bathroom to explain the system. (You press this side if you just pee and this side if you poop.) Her 5-year-old is particularly adept at describing what happens in the toilet.
“The average American uses 100 to 176 gallons of water each day. The average African family uses 5 gallons of water each day. There are easy steps you can take to dramatically reduce your daily water usage.”
“How much water will dual-flush toilets save?
Caroma, the manufacturer of our toilets, estimates that you can reduce your toilet’s annual water usage by 80%. The average American uses more than 18 gallons of water for toilet flushing. With an 80% reduction, this amount is reduced to about 3.5 gallons, saving about 15 gallons per day, a dramatic decrease in water use and improvement in efficiency.”
“How long does it take before the dual-flush toilets pay for themselves?
Toilet installation by a plumber generally costs about $125 per toilet, and the toilets themselves cost a little over $400. This puts the total price at $525. Assuming you save 15 gallons per day, this means the toilet would probably pay for itself in about 3–4 years in water savings.”
“Are there any other advantages to using this type of toilet?
Improvements in toilet technology mean these new toilets not only save water, but also are easy to maintain and rarely become clogged.”
So what do you think? Do dual-flush toilets make sense in a household of kids? Would you be willing to change out toilets that are not necessarily having problems for the water savings? Do you think the kids could master the two-button system?
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27 comments Add your comment
motherjanegoose
May 22nd, 2012
1:01 pm
We are redoing our guest bathroom this summer and I did see this model at Costco. I am curious to see what everyone else thinks. Luckily, my husband can install it himself. Thanks TWG!
Jeff
May 22nd, 2012
1:06 pm
I’m happy if they will press one button. Let’s not make it harder.
Augusta
May 22nd, 2012
1:16 pm
We subscribed to “if it’s yellow let it mellow..” theory….flush about every 3rd time….
Augusta
May 22nd, 2012
1:17 pm
Now I would LOVE a toilet that has a lip around the bowl, so the boys wouldn’t make a mess on the floor…if ya know what I mean…..their aim is pretty bad…..that’s why they have to clean the bathrooms.
Techmom
May 22nd, 2012
1:25 pm
I would definitely consider it if I were going to replace any toilets but we already have the low-flow ones and they aren’t old. These are pretty common in Europe and make total sense to me. There’s really no sense in using all that water to flush down urine.
catlady
May 22nd, 2012
1:40 pm
Wow! What entertainment! Think how much fun the kids could have explaining a bidet!
mystery poster
May 22nd, 2012
1:47 pm
I’d be willing to bet that most people who see those toilets in public areas (hotels, restaurants, malls) do not know how to use them.
malleesmom
May 22nd, 2012
1:50 pm
I don’t think they make sense anywhere therefore I would not want them in my house.
Techmom
May 22nd, 2012
2:04 pm
@malleesmom I hope you don’t live in the City of Atlanta or anywhere else who gets their water from Lake Lanier.
malleesmom
May 22nd, 2012
2:15 pm
@Techmom – nope, no longer in ATL. Moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul which has it’s own h20 issues.
Oh Look!
May 22nd, 2012
2:16 pm
More First World Problems.
FCM
May 22nd, 2012
2:24 pm
I was told by a few plumbers that low flow or this kind don’t make a hill of differnce in water savings. I am curious to know if anyone who has either saw a difference.
Augusta
May 22nd, 2012
2:33 pm
In DeKalb county, they are mandatory when you sale your home.
JOD
May 22nd, 2012
2:37 pm
I would definitely look at it if we were replacing toilets with issues. Ours are still new, so it would strictly be break-fix at this point.
usually lurking
May 22nd, 2012
2:38 pm
We replaced all 3 (2 of them needed to be replaced) of our 1997 builder grade toilets with the dual flush from Costco. I’m so happy to not have to flush 2 or 3 times to get number 2 to actually flush away, and not one single clog during the several months we’ve had them. Can’t speak to the water savings specifically because the 2 toilets we had to replace were leaking, so of course we saved on our water bill after replacing them. One caution – if you have little kids, these toilets are ADA compliant, so they are a little taller (18 inches I think) than the regular toilets.
Me
May 22nd, 2012
2:40 pm
We have installed these in all of our bathrooms but, with the pool and hot tub, any difference in savings wouldn’t be something we would notice anyway.
yuki
May 22nd, 2012
2:40 pm
Never heard of this. Seems like a good idea. But, low flow toilets may not always make sense. We have them here at work. When you flush, even if it’s just a little PP and a little TP, the stuff barely goes down the toilet and you have to flush again. Now, how does that make any sense. Why not just use enough water to flush it all down the first time instead of having to flush twice???
sp
May 22nd, 2012
3:09 pm
I’ve installed one – and love it. The small flush is great at night – not so loud….
Also, check with your county water co. A lot of them are running rebates – I believe Cobb Co. had a $100 rebate if you were replacing a very old one (20 years, I think).
Cement Pond
May 22nd, 2012
3:26 pm
Just pee outback in the yard.
Roto-Rooter
May 22nd, 2012
3:34 pm
Remember that SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE commercial bit for “The Love Toilet?”
Roto-Rooter
May 22nd, 2012
3:35 pm
Is a bidet for washing your lady parts only, or can it be used in a unisex manner for washing the mud off the back door of everyone?
Toilet Humor
May 22nd, 2012
4:39 pm
I’m gonna drop a deuce in the brownie bowl.
I’m gonna take the browns to the super bowl.
Step up to the bowl partner and make it a double!
observer
May 22nd, 2012
11:54 pm
Glad to hear about this but….we don’t have children that would be sharing the “news” about how to flush. Would not want to have to instruct guests about which side to flush, nor would want signage on toilets indicating such. May look into for personal areas in home only.
mystery poster
May 23rd, 2012
8:22 am
@Roto-Rooter
Yes, I remember SNL’s Love Toilet. Hilarious!
Kris
May 23rd, 2012
10:28 am
I want one of the toilets like they have in restaurants and stores – flush and everything is gone in a nano-second!! And on that note, why are some people so disgusting, vile, filthy and nasty that they don’t flush a public toilet at all???
Kat
May 23rd, 2012
1:28 pm
@Jeff: too funny
@observer: “May look into for personal areas in home only.” haha
jmb
May 29th, 2012
3:38 pm
I’d much rather have one with the sensor instead, poviding it works all the time.