Environmental demands often warrant greater conservation efforts, especially when it comes to water flushed down the toilet. Steve Maxwell writes for Mother Earth News:
“If the toilets in your home are from the mid-1990s or earlier, consider installing new ones to save big on your water bills. All new models are “low-flow” toilets — by law they can use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Prior to 1994, most toilets on the market used at least 3.5 gallons, or about 20 gallons of water per person per day — the most water used by any household appliance. What a waste!”
Edmonton already has an extensive water system supplied by the North Saskatchewan River and several satellite lakes/reservoirs. However, in an age of water conservation, every drop counts; the city government takes the lead in developing sustainable water resources through The Way We Green strategic plan together with EPCOR Utilities Inc. The preservation starts at home by replacing your toilet with low-flush models, and that can be done through professionals who offer the best plumbing in Edmonton like those from Capital Plumbing and Heating.
The second class of low-flush toilets, the pressure-assist model, works on drainpipes that are not properly sloped; your Edmonton plumbing expert may recommend such an installation if the evaluation of the drains reached the same conclusion. Standard drain slopes are set at 1/4th of an inch per square foot for three- or four-inch drainpipes. Pressure-assist toilets work by using compressed air to push the waste down the bowl and through the drainpipe, thus eliminating the danger of water backup.
The benefits of low-flush toilets are very much worth considering, especially in terms of water conservation. While Maxwell notes the normal usage at 1.6 gallons, some models actually use as little as 1.1 gallons. This translates to around 27,000 gallons of water saved over a year when installed in a house servicing a family of four.
