Our house was built in 1964 and though we did not buy it until ’95, I am fairly certain the commodes were vintage British Invasion. Boasting nearly 5 gpf. (gallons per flush) the original toilet was a beast. Unfortunately, the only thing this beast was eating was money out of my wallet. Nationally, nearly 30 percent of all residential water is flushed away. Going green saved me green in the end.
So in October when our sewer lines backed up I started researching a replacement. I discovered that not only had toilets changed, but our state was offering a rebate program that encouraged the replacement of outdated commodes to the tune of $75 dollars. I decided that now was the time to do my part and see tangible monthly savings by modernizing my bathroom.
I chose the Glacier Bay 2-Piece High Efficiency Elongated toilet (model# 331725) in white. This ceramic toilet is WaterSense certified by the EPA and met with the current rebate requirements our utility company was offering. After a quick trip to Home Depot and $88 bucks later, I was in business.
At 84 pounds this toilet is heavy so if you are installing it yourself use a dolly or a friend to help you. Glacier Bay was kind enough to include everything needed for installation, including an elongated toilet seat, floor bolts, caps and the wax ring for the floor flange. The two piece kit came as advertised and after attaching the basin to the floor the tank fit on the basin securely. The flushing assembly was preinstalled and the included instructions were helpful. Using basic tools the installation completed in roughly twenty minutes.
At nearly 31 inches assembled, the Glacier Bay toilet is a gravity assisted toilet. So it’s tall. The 17 inch chair height bowl meets all ADA standards and I noticed immediately that there was less water in the bowl than I was used to. This had absolutely no impact on the toilet operation. Not only did it flush with power but it filled in half the time. No more listening to the water run in the middle of the night and I reduced the water consumption from 5 gpf. to 1.28 gpf. This is significant because a family of four will flush the toilet about 20 times a day or roughly 5 times per person. Saving 3.75 gallons per flush we reduced our household water consumption by nearly 56 gallons a day or a staggering 20,367 gallons annually. Total cost after rebate was $13 dollars and I expect to see savings of $141 dollars a year. Water is a precious commodity and I am thrilled to date with the Glacier Bay 2-Piece High Efficiency Toilet.
Source:EPA
Source: Alliance for Water Efficiency