Easy as 1, 2 ...
(Article)
Save Water as Easy as 1, 2...
by Don Logay
Living "green" means conservation of all kinds. In addition to things like recycling and better-planned resources for construction, it also includes taking steps to achieve greater energy-efficiency and saving one more often overlooked, but critical resource: water.
Water conservation has become a national priority and it is now an urgent concern - with regional water districts in some parts of the country mandating up to 20% reductions in usage.
Saving water starts with the obvious. First, fix leaks, from dripping faucets to running toilets. Second, monitor and reduce the amount of water you are actually using. This includes less yard watering, sweeping driveways versus hosing them down, shorter showers, not running water while brushing teeth or doing dishes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... you get the idea.
Next up is installing water saving products, such as low-flow showerheads and high-efficiency toilets, which reduce both water usage and your monthly water bill without any real extra effort on your part.
How important are toilets? If yours is more than 10-years old, it uses about 3.5 gallons of water per flush. In an average household with three or four people and a couple of toilets, that's a lot of water used per day.
Newer high-efficiency toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush. Big difference (about 2 gallons per flush) and they cost as little as $100.
Toilet-wise, things got even better when an Australian named Bruce Thompson invented the "dual flush" commode that uses a small one gallon flush for liquids and a larger 1.6 gallon flush for solids.
While these super-johns are catching on fast, they are a bit pricey and can cost from $200 to $750. Still, they are gaining in popularity and sales are steadily increasing.
However, for those who are both water-conscious and cost-conscious, a new product introduced at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas meets both criteria and appears to be an extremely easy and affordable solution.
With just a few tools and less than 30-minutes time, the new "One2flush" DIY toilet conversion kit lets you turn any standard commode into a high-efficiency, low-flow, dual-flush model. And being the first of its kind, the new One2Flush conversion kit won both the NHS Retailer's Choice Award and was honored as an Innovative Product of the Year.
Just a little math makes this product a serious consideration for almost any home. It costs just $29.95, and for that you can update any old 3.5 gallon-per flush water-waster into a snazzy dual-flush john that reduces water usage, saves money and - hey, maybe even impresses your friends. Just push the handle to the left for a light flush or to the right for a full power flush - and you're saving both water and money.
The One2flush kit can also be used to upgrade a new or existing 1.6 gallon flush water-saving toilet to an even higher-efficiency, dual flush model for under $30, versus $200 to 4750 for a top-of-the-line, high-end unit.
Got your calculator handy? The EPA says that toilets account for 30% of the water used inside a home (assuming they don't leak or keep running). Once installed, the One2Flush immediately reduces the water flushed by 40%. So, in turn, 40% of 30% tells you can reduce as much as 12% of your water usage each and every month.
Again using EPA calculations, with One2flush, the average American family can save as much as 30 gallons of water a day and over 10,000 gallons per year - every year.
Not only is the payback period attractive (often only a few months), but in drought-stricken regions like ours, you can be part of the answer - not part of the problem.
Check it out. One2Flush Toilet conversion kits are available online at www.beingwater.com and at retailers such as Ace Hardware, True Value and Do-It-Best. For more information visit www.one2flush.com.
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Don Logay is an award-winning home improvement writer. Formerly editor-in-chief of three national professional remodeling magazines, he also created the widely quoted Cost vs. Value study for remodeling investment and return. Today Logay also writes tips for homeowners heard daily on hundreds of radio stations nationwide.