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Flush Green!

EcoHomes
EcoHomes's picture


 

Flush Green!

With water conservation being one of the most important issues in northern California, those who are looking to build or renovate a home have a wide variety of water-saving bathroom fixtures to choose from.   One of the hottest green items on the market today are toilets!  A water saving toilet will have an average flush of 1.28 -1.6 gallons, which is a significant water savings compared to the 5 gallon flush of the past.  Inside your house, bathroom facilities claim nearly 75% of the total household water consumption!

Until local jurisdictions adopt grey water recycling, everyone must remember that drinking water is being used to flush toilets!  Less than 1% of the Earth's surface water is potable. Until we have a permanent, drought-proof water supply, we must all work together to protect our most precious resource: water.

 And one of the most effective ways to save water is to FLUSH GREEN!

(Eco toilets range from $150- $600.  Check with the EPA WaterSence program to see a list of approved low-flow and dual flush toilets.)

Water use at-a-glance:

Believe it or not, the average water usage per person per day is 200 gallons.
Here's how...

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Showering wet down, soap up, rinse off = 4 gallons 

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Brushing teeth wet brush, rinse briefly, = ½ gallon 

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Shaving, fill sink basin = 1 gallon 

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Washing hands fill sink basin = 1 gallon 

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Tub bath minimal water level = 10 to 12 gallons 

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Flushing toilet using a smaller tank = 4 to 6 gallons 

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dishwashing washing and rinsing in the sink = 5 gallons 

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automatic dishwasher short cycle = 7 gallons 

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washing machine short cycle with minimal water level = 27 gallons 

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Outdoor watering average hose = 10 gallons per minute 

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leaks - even a small drip can add up to 25 gallons per day

The above gallon usage is calculated minimally. You can count on using quite a bit more if you leave the water running while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing the dishes, using old toilets that require more water, running the dishwasher and washing machines on longer cycles and filling the bath tub to the top.  Remember, water is not cheap or limitless. Please use this natural resource wisely and save on your water bill.

‹ Go Green with a Professional! Green Architects, Builders, and Green Consultants by Nichoel Farris, Lime Designs Power of the purse! ›
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Nichoel Farris

Green Builder / Designer

American Home Sales

www.ecomanufacturedhomes.com


Submitted by EcoHomes on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 16:41.

WendyWaterWoman
WendyWaterWoman's picture
Re: Flush Green!

Take a look at your choice of water filtration/treatment if you are concerned about water waste. Reverse osmosis wastes 3-4 gallons for every gallon it produces. Water softeners regenerate once or twice a week (for a typical family of 4) at approximately 75 gallons each time.

The technology already exists for zero waste water filtration - find whole house GAC (granular activated carbon) water filtration systems that recommend using the backflush for supplemental landscaping water. If you cannot spring for a whole house system, at least chek into the "Zero Waste" reverse osmosis units now sold - Google it. I don't have one but it sounds good.

As for treating hard water - technology already exists to eliminate virtually all of your hard water problems without using salt or potassium, which adds harmful chlorides to the environment. With a water softener, not only are you wasting water, but consider the energy/fuel/pollution impacts made by the trucks that service your softener. All unnecessary!

ECOsmarte Water


Fri, 07/18/2008 - 22:47

EcoHomes
EcoHomes's picture
Re: Flush Green!

While what you're saying may be true - I believe that every effort makes a difference.

 

A dripping faucet at 1 drip per second = 165 gallons of water wasted.

 

Any wasted water is bad.  Water guzzling Toilets, leaky faucets, and long showers by teenagers! 

 

 

--

Nichoel Farris

Green Builder / Designer

American Home Sales

www.ecomanufacturedhomes.com


Fri, 07/18/2008 - 20:11

athena
Re: Flush Green!

-And then there are the geothermal heat pumps that extract 12 gallons a minute from the water table and dump the effluent into the drain.  They should have a second well to return the water to the table, but a lot don't because of the extra cost for the well.  Water cooled air conditioners, and power spray washers should also be discouraged.

Green Lady builder, why do we allow people to build houses with basements that need energy using sump pumps? - and - please don't design any more houses with roofs that dump the water/snow onto the front door. 


Sat, 07/19/2008 - 13:21

athena
Re: Flush Green!

Low flow toilets are important because lower water consumption means less energy to pump the stuff.  When more people use less water, more people can be supplied with the same pumps and pipes.  This is a saving for the city which is reflected in lower taxes as well as the lower water bills for the users.

Unfortunately, 70% of our fresh water is used for agriculture and 20% for industry.  If all homeowners stopped using any water at all, it will not stop the water table in Arizona from dropping one meter each year.

From an environmental point of view, it is more important to keep toxins from entering the sewers.  Once sewage is polluted with toxins it can not be cleaned up, so toxic water goes back into the rivers and toxic sludge gets buried in toxic landfil. 


Fri, 07/18/2008 - 18:53