Our water bill is out of control. I assume the toilet and shower is the biggest user. I have tested the toilet so it is not leaking. I would like to get a low flow toilet.....not sure if it is already a low flow. I do not see any markings. Also....are all low flows created the same. I am worried about the performance of a new toilet. Don't want to have to flush twice. This would defeat the purpose.
How can I tell if I have a low flow toilet?
- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
The_Six
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
you could mesure the waterin the tank or look for a manufacure date on it if older then 94 its not a low flow. Also check your shower heads same thing they should be marked with 2.75 gpm or less if more then there not low flow. My kids liked to run the water bill up to fix that I turned the hot water heter down so it would run cold faster.
- Joined
- May 28, 2001
A leak between the house and the meter???
I second what Chuck wrote.
One way to check, at my home, there is a meter and cut-off switch where the city can cut off the water usually located at the front of the house near the curb.
With all the faucets turned off, the needle should not be moving at the meter. if it's moving, then you have a leak somewhere.
Dannyo
Phoneguy
Cometic HG stress tester
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2002
+1
Been there. The first summer after I bought my new house in 1996 my water bill was over $800.00.
The water company finally found the house side of the meter was broke and just flowing full time. I was credited the full amount.
Bryan
just curious, what is a high bill to you? It could be usage, but if its really high its a leak, or your neighbor has really green grass, and washes his car daily with your water.
If you get a low flow toilet, dont get the 1.28 p/g flush, i have it and it takes 2 flushes sometimes, I think 1.6 is good.
If you get a low flow toilet, dont get the 1.28 p/g flush, i have it and it takes 2 flushes sometimes, I think 1.6 is good.
My last bill was $168. Not sure about other places..... the bill is for sewage and water. They base your sewage bill on the amount of water you use. The water bill is only $19.....so I'm paying $149 to get rid of $19 worth of water. Only 2 people....my wife and I. Only a 1000sq ft duplex with a really small yard. Don't use the automatic sprinkler. My neighbors have similar bills. All the duplexes are built exactly the same. I don't think it's a leak....but I will check. It is just the counties high price. But if I can reduce our use by getting a low flow then it may be worth it. I am just don't want to wast more water by flushing twice.
Little6pack
Active Member
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2002
If your doing #1 just keep filling the bowl & flush at end of day.
Sounds like you might have a water leak at some underground location
Sounds like you might have a water leak at some underground location
TR Custom Parts
Mark Hueffman - Owner
- Joined
- May 25, 2001
If you have to flush it twice, then it's a low flow.
Yup!!
You can always follow this rule.
If it's yellow, let it mellow.
If it's brown, flush it down.
:biggrin:
novaderrik
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2004
my water bill isn't really based on how much water i use- they charge for 1000 gallons as a minumum. living alone, i don't ever even come close to using that much water.
i can't remember what they were charging a year ago, but i think that my monthly bills this year are almost double what they were last winter.
i can't remember what they were charging a year ago, but i think that my monthly bills this year are almost double what they were last winter.
TR Custom Parts
Mark Hueffman - Owner
- Joined
- May 25, 2001
Go here! Toilet Forum discussions
Just changed the shower head to a 1.5gpm unit and changed the bathroom faucets to 0.7gpm from the old 2.0gpm. Will go to home depot and lowes to check out low flow toilets.
I found a good article.
Our latest tests of 25 toilets show that the best performers still use the standard 1.6 gallons of water per flush. But some greener models deliver comparable flushing and save hundreds of gallons per year for the same price or less.
Kohler's new Cimarron K-3609, one of three CR Best Buys at $300, sailed through our tough solid and liquid waste tests nearly as well as two pricier models from the same brand. Yet it meets the 1.28-gallon limit for the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, which is to toilets what the Energy Star label is to appliances. It would save an average household roughly 650 gallons per year over 1.6-gallon toilets and 4,000 gallons compared with older models that use 3.5 gallons per flush. Gerber's 1.1-gallon Ultra Flush, $400, saves even more for the same price as many 1.6-gallon models.
Some more-miserly toilets are a response to tougher rules. Parts of Florida and California now require WaterSense toilets. You'll also see more dual-flush toilets that use less than a gallon on their separate liquid-waste setting. But our liquid-waste tests show that some "green" toilets can be wasteful. Our tests with up to 160 plastic balls and seven screw-laden sponges also found some pressure-assisted toilets especially raucous and some full-flow models relatively low on flushing power. Here are the details:
Gravity-flush models get better
Larger flush valves helped the top-scoring, gravity-flush American Standard and Kohler vanquish waste as well as the most powerful pressure-assisted toilets, but without the wall-shaking whoosh that typifies pressure models. Indeed, both top-scoring gravity models aced our solid-waste tests with roughly half the noise.
When a miserly flush isn't
Toto's UltraMax II,$510, is among those that use just 1.28 gallons per flush. But clearing the blue dye in our liquid test took two flushes, or a whopping 2.6 gallons. The dual-flush Caroma and Kohler were also poor in our liquid tests. And like the other dual-flush models, they use a full 1.6 gallons on their solid-waste settings.
High flow can mean wimpy flushes
Kohler says its 1.6-gallon Cimarron K-3489 delivers "exceptional bulk waste removal," while the Briggs Maelstrom promises to virtually eliminate clogs. But don't expect a torrent of power. The Kohler clogged nearly one in four times in our solid-waste tests and often required multiple flushes. The Briggs clogged almost half the time and also needed multiple flushes.
I found a good article.
Our latest tests of 25 toilets show that the best performers still use the standard 1.6 gallons of water per flush. But some greener models deliver comparable flushing and save hundreds of gallons per year for the same price or less.
Kohler's new Cimarron K-3609, one of three CR Best Buys at $300, sailed through our tough solid and liquid waste tests nearly as well as two pricier models from the same brand. Yet it meets the 1.28-gallon limit for the Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program, which is to toilets what the Energy Star label is to appliances. It would save an average household roughly 650 gallons per year over 1.6-gallon toilets and 4,000 gallons compared with older models that use 3.5 gallons per flush. Gerber's 1.1-gallon Ultra Flush, $400, saves even more for the same price as many 1.6-gallon models.
Some more-miserly toilets are a response to tougher rules. Parts of Florida and California now require WaterSense toilets. You'll also see more dual-flush toilets that use less than a gallon on their separate liquid-waste setting. But our liquid-waste tests show that some "green" toilets can be wasteful. Our tests with up to 160 plastic balls and seven screw-laden sponges also found some pressure-assisted toilets especially raucous and some full-flow models relatively low on flushing power. Here are the details:
Gravity-flush models get better
Larger flush valves helped the top-scoring, gravity-flush American Standard and Kohler vanquish waste as well as the most powerful pressure-assisted toilets, but without the wall-shaking whoosh that typifies pressure models. Indeed, both top-scoring gravity models aced our solid-waste tests with roughly half the noise.
When a miserly flush isn't
Toto's UltraMax II,$510, is among those that use just 1.28 gallons per flush. But clearing the blue dye in our liquid test took two flushes, or a whopping 2.6 gallons. The dual-flush Caroma and Kohler were also poor in our liquid tests. And like the other dual-flush models, they use a full 1.6 gallons on their solid-waste settings.
High flow can mean wimpy flushes
Kohler says its 1.6-gallon Cimarron K-3489 delivers "exceptional bulk waste removal," while the Briggs Maelstrom promises to virtually eliminate clogs. But don't expect a torrent of power. The Kohler clogged nearly one in four times in our solid-waste tests and often required multiple flushes. The Briggs clogged almost half the time and also needed multiple flushes.
The_Six
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
Hes in Hawaii
its not the water thats killing him its the sewage they charge you buy the gal for waste water and its alot more then water for $19 of water they charged him $120 for waste. I had a friend fill a 3ft deep kid pool one time think he said his water bill was $2500 he was lucky they dropped it when he went and told themity was a pool.
its not the water thats killing him its the sewage they charge you buy the gal for waste water and its alot more then water for $19 of water they charged him $120 for waste. I had a friend fill a 3ft deep kid pool one time think he said his water bill was $2500 he was lucky they dropped it when he went and told themity was a pool.
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