Toilet Types Differ in How They Flush, and the WaterSense Label Tells You How Much Water They Use

Toilets differ in how they flush, from gravity and pressure-assist tanks to dual-flush designs, and the WaterSense label shows which models meet EPA’s water and performance criteria, so ask each dealer which type and label the quote assumes. This is general information and not plumbing advice, and Good Haus is a free matching service and not a contractor.

Which toilet types does the EPA specification recognize?

EPA’s WaterSense tank-type toilet specification applies to single flush and dual flush tank-type gravity toilets, to tank-type flushometer tank (pressure-assist) toilets in single and dual flush versions, to tank-type electrohydraulic toilets and to any other technologies that meet its performance specifications. Ask each dealer which of these designs a quoted model uses, because the design decides how the toilet flushes and what upkeep it needs.

What does the WaterSense label tell you?

EPA says design improvements have allowed toilets to use 1.28 gallons per flush or less while still providing equal or superior performance, which is 20 percent less water than the current federal standard of 1.6 gallons per flush. It says WaterSense labeled toilets are independently certified to meet EPA’s criteria for both performance and efficiency. It notes that EPA has paused the effective date of Version 2.0 of the specification and that Version 1.2 remains in effect until further notice. Ask the dealer for the label and the specification version of each model on the quote.

How does a dual-flush toilet differ?

EPA says that with a WaterSense labeled dual-flush toilet you can save even more water by choosing a reduced flush mode that uses a smaller volume of water to remove liquid waste. The specification says the flush performance criteria apply to single flush toilets and to the full flush option of dual flush toilets, and that no solid waste removal requirement applies to the reduced flush option on dual flush toilets. Picture a household where everyone uses the reduced flush for liquid waste and the full flush otherwise: ask the dealer how the two buttons are labeled and what a guest will understand.

Which standards sit behind the fixture?

The specification says all single flush toilets must conform to ASME A112.19.2 and all dual flush toilets must conform to ASME A112.19.14. EPA says WaterSense performance criteria have since been adopted into the national plumbing standard, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) A112.19.2/Canadian Standards Association (CSA) B45.1 Ceramic Plumbing Fixtures. Ask the dealer to show the standard marking on the model you choose.

What care does a toilet need?

EPA says household leaks can waste 180 gallons per week, that toilets are often the culprit and that most toilet leaks are due to old or worn-out toilet flappers. It describes a flapper as an inexpensive part, typically made from rubber, plastic, or silicone, that controls the flow of water to the toilet bowl. Picture a toilet that keeps running after a flush: ask a plumber to check the flapper first and to tell you which parts of your model are easy to replace.

What should you ask before choosing a type?

1. Ask which design the model uses and what upkeep it needs.
2. Ask for the WaterSense label and the specification version.
3. Ask how a dual-flush model is operated and labeled.
4. Ask which standard markings the model carries.
5. Ask which parts are easy to replace.

Put the Toilet Model in Every Quote Request

Ask each contractor to name the toilet model and label it prices when you request bathroom remodeling quotes, so the bids compare the same fixture.