Codes and equipment evolve over time.

I have been a master plumber since 1979 and have seen ongoing improvements in plumbing fixtures. The move to "go green" and meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) requirements has also affected the design and manufacture of plumbing fixtures.

When I entered the plumbing, trade toilets used an average of five gallons of water each time they were flushed. Later on, the water conservation demands brought the use of three-gallon-per-flush toilets. After that the usage
went down to 1.6 gallons per flush.

The use of low-flush and ultra-low flush fixtures did not go smoothly in the beginning. Since drainage piping was designed and installed for a larger flow of water, when a toilet was flushed the low-flush toilets often clogged
piping or had to be flushed twice when flushing solids. This defeated the purpose of 1.6-gallon flush toilets.

Toilets are not the only plumbing fixtures that have been updated in design. Lavatory faucets that use about half has much water as old faucets did are now common. The same is true of shower heads. All in all, the goal to
make plumbing function with the use of less water has been ongoing.

A lot of progress has been made in design elements over the last few years. Ultra-low-flush fixtures were not liked by all consumers when they came to the market. With modifications in their engineering and design the fixtures
have become very effective. By some accounts, upwards of 80 percent of the public is now satisfied with the fixtures.

Some of these high-tech fixtures require a trade off. While they use a fraction of the water that an older fixture, the cost of the new fixtures can be staggering. A good example of this is a pressure-assisted toilet. This type of
toilet can flush with only 1 GPF. These toilets work extremely well with minimal water. They are able to do so because of a burst of air that pushes waste as it is flushed. The drawback is that when compared to normal toilets
the pressure-assisted toilets can cost four to five times the amount of a normal toilet. Both are approved for use.

Retrofitting existing structures for low-flush fixtures can be problematic. The fixtures themselves can be retrofitted fairly easily. However, the old plumbing may cause problems. The most common problem comes from the
drains for toilets. If the piping is old, metallic, and does not have a dependable pitch or grade on it, a low-flush toilet can clog the drain. The situation gets even worse if the existing piping is rusted and rough on the inner
surface. While the drain may work fine with a 3-gallon-flush toilet, a super-low-flush toilet may not give suitable service.

There is a way to test for drainage problems before you replace existing toilets. Cut the water off to the toilet and flush the bowl. Use a siphon or a plunger to empty the rest of the water from the toilet bowl. When the bowl is
basically empty, wad up some toilet paper and put it in the bowl. Measure out the amount of water that a new fixture will use. For example, put 1.6 gallons of water in a bucket and then pour it into the toilet bowl. Repeat this
process a few times to see if the fixture drains.

If the above procedure does not work, turn off the water and remove the toilet from the closet flange that it is bolted to on the floor. Put 1.6 gallons of water in your bucket and add wadded toilet paper to the water. Then pour it
down the drain. Do this a few times. If the water and toilet paper flushes through the pipe all right, you should be okay with a fixture replacement.

When old plumbing drains are likely to cause a problem with flushing a toilet, you can use a pressure-assisted toilet. These toilets work great with all types of piping that have a minimum diameter of three inches. Be prepared
for sticker-shock when you price the fixture, but you can feel comfortable that the toilet is flush properly.

Waterless urinals require a special type of filter trap. These filters have to be replaced periodically, so they must be accessible. Normally, the cartridges used with waterless urinals have to be replaced after a couple thousand
flushes. Even so, making the swap between a typical urinal with a waterless urinal should not cause any real problems.

Another factor that is not usually problematic is water pressure. This is especially true in the case of water-saving faucets and shower heads. A minimum water pressure should be 60 pounds of pressure per square inch. This
can be tested with a pressure gauge that is fitted to be screwed onto a hose bibb.

Given the expense of some fixtures, plumbers may not offer them in their initial bids for a job. Doing so could price them out of the market. General contractors and architects may present the fixtures to their customers and
clients, but how does the contractor justify the added expense of being environmentally responsible?

Conserving, recycling, and other sustainable methods are noble goals. Unfortunately, money often rules in construction. In order for end-users to authorize additional construction expenses, they may want a reward. Their
reward can come in the form of reduced water bills from municipal sources. For this to be effective, developers must be educated in the long-range benefits of water conserving plumbing fixtures.

Review the chart below to see flow rates for various types of plumbing fixtures that are generally accepted as an industry standard.

Type of Fixture Maximum Allowable Flow Rate

 Toilets 1.6 Gallons per Flush (GPF)

Urinals 1 GPF

0.5 Gallons per Minute (GPM) at

Commercial Faucets
80 pounds per square foot (PSI) of water pressure

Standard Faucets 2.2 GPM at 60 PSI

Metering Faucets 0.25 GPM at 80 PSI

Shower Heads 2.5 GPM at 80 PSI and 2.2GPM at 60 PSI

Recommended Flow Rates for Plumbing Fixtures

A urinal is allowed to use up to 1 gallon per flush. How about a urinal that would use only .16 ounce per flush? They are available. There are even waterless urinals that are made with urine-repellent finishes. These require no
moving parts, but the trap does have to be replaced periodically. Toilets are allowed to use 1.6 GPF, but you can buy toilets that use only 1.28 GPF. They are available as both floor-mount units and wall-mount units.

If you do the math, a toilet that uses 1.28 GPF instead of 1.6 GPF can save more than 8,000 gallons of water. Now consider a sports stadium that would have a large number of toilets. Let's say there are 75 toilets in use. The
annual reduction of water use could be more than 600,000 gallons. Then figure local rates for water usage and the money can add up quickly. When you consider that the toilets should give dependable service for many years
the additional investment in the fixtures can be recovered in the savings on water expenses. The side benefit is using less water.

The plumbing code allows for the collection and recycling of gray water for flushing toilets and urinals. This water can come from lavatories, showers, bathtubs, laundry trays, and clothes washers. The drain water is piped to a
collection point where it is filtered and stored. Then the gray water is made available to toilets and urinals through a separate water distribution system. If the reserve of gray water becomes depleted the system can be piped to
allow potable water to be used until the gray water reserve is rebuilt. Some of the code regulations are listed below:

 • Any holding tank is required to have a minimum capacity equal to twice the amount of water needed for dialing flushing. At a minimum, gray-water collection reservoirs must contain at least 50 gallons.

 • Gray water can only be held for the use of flushing toilets and urinals for a maximum of 72 hours.

 • All gray water is required to be disinfected with an approved substance. The types of substances normally used are chlorine, iodine, and ozone.
 • Before gray water can be used to supply plumbing fixtures, the water must be dyed either blue or green with a food-grade vegetable dye. This makes it easy to tell that the water is not potable water.

 • Should a reservoir of gray water run empty, a back-up potable water-distribution system can be used to flush fixtures.

 • All distribution piping and gray-water reservoirs must be identified as a gray-water source.

Contractors who are working with old buildings are not likely to add a gray-water recycling system. Unless the building is built over a crawl space or basement and does not have multiple levels, getting the gray-water piping in
the building will require opening existing walls and ceilings. This is okay if a building is being gutted down to studs and joists, but it does not make financial sense if the finished walls and ceilings are in satisfactory condition.

What else can be done to save water and justify added expense? One available solution is a dual flush handle. This is a device that can be used on toilet flush valves to control the amount of water used per flush. When
flushing liquids the handle is pulled up. The handle is pushed downward to flush solids. Using this type of handle can reduce water usage by up to 30 percent when flushing liquids.

What is the point of replacing the aerator on existing lavatory faucets? Saving close to 10,000 gallons of water per year per faucet is a pretty good reason. The replacement process is simple. Aerators either screw in or onto
faucets. When normal aerators exist and are replaced with pressure-compensating aerators, the water savings can be substantial.

The types of modifications and new fixtures are much more difficult to justify for small restroom facilities. But when they are used in large commercial buildings that experience high use of bathroom facilities, the savings can
add up quickly.

The use of hands-free metering faucets offers two advantages. They save water and they do not require any touching or physical strength to operate. This is good in reducing the transfer to germs and it can mean a lot to
people with some types of disabilities. These faucets use long-life batteries that can last up to 10 years.

Water availability and cost per gallon become factors in making a decision. Not all cities have access to as much potable water as others do. This can make the decision to conserve water more than just a responsible means
of conservation. In the rare cases where private waste disposal systems are used, reducing the volume of water entering the system can be advantageous.

A lot of thought goes into the design and layout of a building. Architects and plumbing engineers often work together to make a good marriage between plumbing fixtures and piping diagrams. When using ultra-low-flush fixtures
there can be advantages to using a drainage system that is specifically designed for them.

We are still left with the question of whether to spend extra money on the front end of a project to save water and money down the road. Projections on water usage and the cost of water can be used to make a mathematical
decision on how long it will take for plumbing fixtures to pay for themselves. Since a lot of property owners do not pay the water bills incurred by their commercial tenants, the idea of spending money now for tenants to save
money later may not fit the financial expectations of a commercial building.

Small buildings that have minimal use of restrooms probably will not be fitted with the most expensive fixtures. Large gathering places that house numerous plumbing fixtures and high usage demands can justify the additional
cost of fixtures. Final decisions will normally be made based on data from several evaluations. It usually comes down to a financial decision, so the use of ultra-low-flush fixtures will generally hinge on how many fixtures are
being installed and who is paying for the water to use them.