5 Types Of Toilets That Can Help You Save Water

Large swaths of the United States are currently dealing with droughts and water restrictions. Taking shorter showers and letting your lawn die can help reduce your water usage, but the biggest use of household water isn't your shower or your sprinkler; it's your toilet. Older toilets can use as much as 7 gallons of water per flush, and the average person flushes about 5 times a day. Installing a new type of toilet that doesn't use as much (or any) water is an easy way to cut back on your water usage. Here are five types of toilets that can help you save water.

Composting toilets

Composting toilets are used in places that don't have water connections, like rural areas and national parks. . These toilets require no water. Beneath the toilet seat is a large chamber that stores waste; materials like sawdust or peat moss are added to the chamber to soak up urine, control odors, and to aid the composting process. On the side of the unit there is an access door that allows you to access your compost. How frequently you need to empty out your compost varies based on the type of composting toilet you choose. Hot composting units may need to be emptied after months while cold composting units may be able to go years without being emptied. As an added benefit, you may be able to use this ultra-rich compost to fertilize your garden; check your local laws to see if your town permits this.

Incinerating toilets

Incinerating toilets don't use any water. They deal with your waste by burning it instead of flushing it away into the sewer system. These toilets heat your waste to very high temperatures of about 600°C (1112°F) and turn it into sterile ash. This ash needs to emptied out of the unit periodically, so choose a unit with a large storage unit to avoid needing to empty the ash out often. Some models have small storage units and need to be emptied out every few days. The one downside of this toilet is that the smoke it creates when it burns your waste is quite pungent and may be noticed by your neighbors.

Chemical toilets

Chemical toilets have been used on construction sites, in recreational vehicles, and in airplanes for a long time, but the drought is making them more appealing for home use. These toilets use chemicals to deodorize your waste. The chemicals are stored in a reservoir beneath the toilet seat. Since these toilets aren't connected to the sewer system, you'll need to get the reservoir pumped out occasionally. Companies that handle septic tank pumping also deal with chemical toilets.

Freezing toilets

Freezing toilets are a fairly new invention. They don't require water or a sewer connection to operate; all you need is electricity. Beneath the seat of the toilet is a refrigeration unit that stores all of your waste. When the toilet is plugged in, the refrigeration unit is held at -15°C (5°F). The freezing temperatures kill any bacteria in your waste and keep it from smelling. Once the holding tank gets full, you need to take the toilet outside and dump its frozen contents into your compost bin.

Low-flow toilets

If you're not quite ready for a toilet that doesn't use any water at all, you may want to trade your current toilet for a low-flow toilet. Low-flow toilets only use about 1.6 gallons of water for every flush. That's still a lot of water in a drought, but since they work the same way as your current toilet does, there won't be any adjustment period where you have to get used to its function.

Toilets are the biggest water wasters in homes, so if you've been told to cut back on your water usage, you need to switch to one of these five water-saving options. For more information navigate to this web-site and check out options.