Toilet Fixtures
Flappers & Flush Valve Seals | High Efficiency Toilets (HETs) |
Maximum Performance (MaP) Testing & Uniform North American Requirements (UNAR)
Plumbing Standards | Ultra Low Flow Toilets (ULFTs)
Drainline Studies
The discussion and debate over waste transport (from toilets) in drainlines has been going on for many years. Some plumbing engineers and plumbers contend that 1.6-gallons of water are insufficient to move waste in conventional drainline systems. They further contend that, because of this lack of sufficient water, waste stops moving in the drainline before it reaches the sewer, thus leading ultimately to line blockages. This becomes even more important as flush volumes are reduced below 1.6-gpf to the now-popular HET threshold of 1.28-gpf maximum.
As a consequence of the assertions by those involved in plumbing system design and with a desire to inform their constituency on this subject, eight Canadian organizations sponsored the "Evaluation of Water-Efficient Toilet Technologies to Carry Waste in Drainlines." Those organizations were: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the cities of Calgary and Toronto, the province of Manitoba, the regions of Peel, Waterloo, and Durham, and the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The Final Report is written for both Canadian and U.S. applications and may be downloaded here:
- Final Report: Drainliine Transport Study (PDF)
In addition, with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Texas A&M's Energy Systems Lab also conducted a drainline transport study. Although the study was completed in August 2005, the final report was released in 2006. This report may be downloaded here:
- Final Report: Texas A&M Waste Transport Study (PDF)
Drainline Testing in Australia
An article in the latest issue of World Plumbing Review (Issue 1 for 2007) covers extensive drainline waste transport testing performed by Caroma in Australia. Once you get through some of the sales "pitch" for Caroma products, there are some interesting observations in this article.
- Testing Times Down Under (PDF)
WaterSense Program Sponsors Additional Drainline Testing
As part of the analyses conducted on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense Program, additional drainline testing was performed to establish that WaterSense HETs were, in fact, suited to residential applications. This testing regime used the same testing media as the Canadian study described above.
- WaterSense Drainline Testing Results (PDF)