Did you know that toilet use accounts for a whopping 25 to 30 percent of household water use? If your home operates on a septic system, that 25 to 30 percent of toilet use water can quickly add up into high volumes of wastewater to be processed by your system. Many homeowners with septic tank problems and flooding choose to install high-efficiency toilets to not only avoid flooding and extend the life of the septic system, but to also reduce household water use.
High-efficiency toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, as compared to older toilets with 3.5 – to 5-gallon water reservoirs. The benefits of high-efficiency toilets are widely known and recognized, as the U.S. government is not encouraging the use of high-efficiency toilets, while Federal law requires that new toilets not use more than 1.6 gallons per flush.
Homeowners can easily distinguish high-efficiency toilets from older models by looking for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense label and certification. This WaterSense label may only be applied to high-efficiency toilets that are certified by an independent testing laboratory to meet criteria for both performance and efficiency.
Beyond following Federal regulations, the decision to install high-efficiency toilets will ultimately reduce the strain on your septic system and lower your water costs. The more water a household conserves, the less amount of water enters the septic system.
Installing high-efficiency toilets is not only a responsible decision, but also an economical decision. For further advice on how to maintain an efficient, healthy Northern Virginia septic system, contact Soils and Environmental Services, Inc., Serving the Northern Virginia residential and commercial markets since 1987, Soils and Environmental Services, Inc. specializes in assessing and designing septic tanks for homes, commercial properties, and sub-divisions throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area.