Toilet Fixtures
High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) | Drainline Studies | Specifications and Test Protocols | Plumbing Standards | Flappers & Flush Valve Seals
Performance Testing of Wall-Mount Siphon-Jet Flushometer Toilet Fixtures (Commercial) (2003)
Seattle Public Utilities funded a comprehensive 2003 study of the flush performance of 28 flushometer toilets (8 different models) coupled with 34 manually operated flushometer valves (6 models), all of which were installed on the campus of the University of Washington. A battery of tests was run on each of the eight toilet models that included various combinations and amounts of test media consisting of toilet paper, seat protectors, tofu, and concentrated brine solution. Download a copy of the study report for further information, however, readers should be aware of the following CAUTION by Seattle Public Utilities and the CUWCC:
NOTE: This research is not intended as a selection guide for commercial toilets and flush valves. The site-specific performance requirements (weighting criteria) in the report are specific to the facility staff at the University of Washington. The author cautions readers not to directly apply the rankings or results of this research to other sites or locations without further testing. Under different circumstances and using different testing protocols and larger sample sizes, much different results, rankings, and conclusions could be obtained. Few research studies have attempted to document flushing performance outside the lab due to the many variables that exist. This paper documents variations in actual flushing performance between lab tests and functional installations. We hope that this research will stimulate more realistic laboratory and field testing protocols.
Download the study:
- Performance Test-UW (PDF)
Roger van Gelder, P.E., consultant to Seattle Public Utilities, was the project manager for the testing and analysis. Roger may be reached as follows:
Email: rogervangelder@aol.com
Telephone: 206-615-1257
ULTRA-LOW-FLUSH TOILETS (ULFTs-1.6-gpf)
- Testing of Popular Flushometer Valve/Bowl Combinations (Commercial) (2005)
- Jordan Valley (Utah) Study of ULF & HE Toilet Fixtures (2003)
- NAHB Research Center Low-Flow Toilet Study (2002)
- Customer Satisfaction Survey (gravity-fed residential toilets) (1999)
- Long-term Durability of Toilet Fixtures (2001)
- Testing of Toilet Fixtures Against Proposed National Standards (2000)
- Functioning of Aging ULF Toilets in Tucson AZ (2000)
- Toilet Flush Volume Study (2001)
- Effectiveness of Data Logging Residential Water Meters to Identify and Quantify Toilet Flush Volumes: A Pilot Study (2004)