Bathroom innovation can be a conservation effort

Next time you brush your teeth, do the unthinkable -- stop running the tap water. Did you know that you can save more than 5 gallons of water every time you break out your toothbrush? At three times a day, seven days a week, that little change can add up to saving more than 5,000 gallons a year, and equals more than one month of water for the average person in the United States.

There are many other similar, small changes that translate seeming no-brainers into big savings.

Choose wisely

Numerous companies, from hybrid car manufacturers to bathroom fixture manufacturers, have joined the environmental effort, giving us smarter choices for everyday products. The bathroom is among the best places in the house to put water conservation into action.

Did you know that if you have a toilet from 1994 or before, it can use as much as 7 gallons for a single flush? That's a lot compared to today's 1.6-gallon-per-flush (gfp) toilets -- the maximum allowable flush volume by law. Older toilets also can waste water through leaks, which are often undetectable. Worn rubber flappers degrade and warp and can leak up to 200 gallons of water a day. You can check for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring into the tank. If the coloring has trickled into the bowl over the course of 15 minutes, you've got a leak. (If you try this test, don't leave the food coloring in the tank more than 15 minutes or it could permanently stain your fixture.)

A relatively inexpensive way to conserve is to purchase a new, low-consumption toilet. The American Standard FloWise toilet was the first gravity-fed toilet to reduce water consumption by more than 20 percent from 1.6 gallons to a 1.28-gallon flow rate. Many people are afraid to let go of their old, water-guzzling toilets because they think the newer, low-flow models don't work. But the FloWise can deliver high-efficiency performance because it uses American Standard's proprietary Champion 4 flushing technology, which forces the water into the bowl three times faster than a standard toilet. The FloWise gets a lot of power out of less water.

Now the Environmental Protection Agency is helping consumers choose the right products by marking them with the new WaterSense label. WaterSense works much like the Energy Star program for appliances. By prominently designating products and services that conserve water and perform as intended, the labeling program makes it easy for consumers to identify and select high-performance water-efficient products for their homes.

American Standard's FloWise toilet carries the WaterSense label. FloWise uses 1.28 gpf, so it qualifies as a high-efficiency toilet or an HET.

To earn the WaterSense label, a toilet must use only 1.28 gpf. American Standard is a partner in the EPA's program to promote water efficiency and market efficient products, programs and practices.

Make easy changes

Replacing showerheads is also a simple and quick change. The new American Standard FloWise showerheads, for example, have a small, turbine-like mechanism that spins the water stream through the head, creating an energizing spray just like the standard 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm) showerheads.

The best part is that these new showerheads use only 1.5 gpm -- that's 40 percent less than the current code requirements for showerheads without sacrificing performance.

Get smart

As consumers, we can educate ourselves. Anyone can check the Internet and local department of natural resources for specific information about how to conserve water. The EPA also helps consumers locate their local watershed information and provides water conservation tips.

Courtesy ARAcontent