So you're looking for a new toilet but don't know which route to go, we've all been there before...I'm sensing deja-poo. There are a few options for eco-friendly toilets. These toilets reduce waste in sewage plants and use significantly less water than a traditional toilet. Although some may be more expensive up front, they will save you more in the long run.
Composting toilets are one of the more popular options for eco-friendly toilets, they are often used in mobile homes or tiny homes. There are two kinds of composting toilets, self-contained and split system.
Self-contained are used in smaller places that aren't going to have very many people and homes that don't have an accessible crawlspace/basement. These toilets are built with the container (tank where the waste goes) and the pedestal (toilet bowl/seat) in one piece. You may think that these toilets will make your bathroom smell but they use an exhaust fan within the container that leads outside to get rid of the smell and help speed up the compost process.
Split systems have a larger capacity so they work better for bigger homes and areas where large amounts of people will be present. These toilets can only be installed if there is an accessible crawlspace/basement below the house. These are built with the pedestal as normal but the container is much larger than the self-contained toilet so it is placed below the home with pipes leading to the toilet. They also operate with an exhaust fan to speed up composting and reduce the smell.
Incinerating toilets do exactly what you think they do (they heat your waste until it turns to ash). As there's no water to keep the bowl of the toilet clean, these require you to insert a coffee filter like paper to keep the toilet bowl clean when you "go". Once you've done your business you press down on a pedal that opens the toilet bowl and allows the paper (with the waste) to fall down into a chamber below the seat. Once it closes back up, you press a button that then starts the incineration process. This then turns your waste into ashes. And no, this toilet does not eliminate the need to wipe your ash. If it's hard to visualize, here's a link to a video explaining the process posted by Tiny House Listings on Youtube. Once the compartment gets about an inch full of ashes you will need to empty it or you will severely decrease the lifespan of your toilet. This toilet, including the incinerator and the exhaust fan that gets rid of the smell, runs completely on electricity. This could pose a problem in the instance of a power outage. Hopefully, you have a generator to eliminate this problem.
High-efficiency toilets are designed to use less water per flush than a regular toilet. They use 1.28 gallons per flush rather than the 1.6 gallons per flush that is now the standard. If your toilet was made between 1980 and 1994, it uses 3.5 gallons per flush. If it was made before 1980, it uses a whopping 5 gallons per flush. Even though these toilets use less water, there is no loss in flushing power. Most high efficiency toilets today can handle two and even more times the grams of waste that is considered average (about 450 grams).
Bidets are used in virtually every modern country but they haven't really become popular in the US. They are a great alternative to toilet paper, some even claim it cleans much better than toilet paper. If you don't know what a bidet is, it is essentially a stream of water that sprays at your undercarriage to cleanse it after you use the bathroom. Don't worry, it doesn't use toilet water. It uses the same tap water that comes from your sink. You can get an attachment for your current toilet or even buy a brand new toilet with a bidet built in. Using a bidet uses significantly less water than it takes to make a single roll of toilet paper. A bidet only uses ⅛ of a gallon of water per use while it takes 37 gallons of water to make one roll of toilet paper. If you live in a busy household, a roll of toilet paper could be gone in a matter of a couple of days. It makes you wonder if in the end we'll use so much toilet paper that we'll wipe ourselves out.
I would like to formally apologize for the jokes made in this post, puns about toilets aren't my favorite but they're a solid number 2. Alright I promise I'm done now but don't forget if you're looking to upgrade your bathroom or build a brand new home, give us a call at 209-772-9200 or toll free at 800-498-1833.
Sources:
https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/incinerating-toilets/
https://www.weirdbydesign.com/what-is-the-difference-between-low-flow-and-high-efficiency-toilets/
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