What does GPF mean on a toilet?
Rather, this refers to the gallons per flush (GPF), and it is applicable to every flushing toilet. Therefore, GPF is actually the rate of flow of water for every toilet or gallons per flush GPF. Whether you have a dual flush or single flush toilet model, you will need to mind the amount of water that a toilet uses when you flush it.
What is GPF (gallons per flush)?
Gallons Per Flush (GPF) simply refers to how much water is needed for a toilet to flush and dispose of the water and waste left in the toilet bowl. So, what is a GPF toilet? A GPF toilet is generally a new toilet made with efficiency in mind and will let you know the GPF number when it is sold.
What does LPF mean in toilets?
LPF in toilets means “Liters per flush”. This is a flush rate that shows how much water a toilet uses in liters when flushing. LPF don’t differ anywhere compared to GPF. It is only a way of displaying the “water usage rate” of toilets to countries where liters are the common way of liquid measurement.
What is GPF and how do I check it?
GPF tells you how much water is consumed by your toilet every time you flush. This information is usually stamped behind the seat hinge of the toilet bowl. If this is not the case, lift up the lid of your toilet tank and look for the manufacturer’s date stamp.
What is a good GPF for a toilet?
A rating of 350 to 600 grams for a 1.6-gallon flush is good, although some toilets can handle up to 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds!) using only 1.28 gpf.
Is 1.6 or 1.28 toilet better?
Water Efficiency As you can probably guess by now, a 1.28 GPF toilet does save a bit more water per flush than a 1.6 GPF toilet. So if you have a larger household or want to save as much as possible on your water bill, you may lean towards the 1.28 toilet. On average it uses about 20-25% less water per flush.
How many gallons per flush is good?
Recent advancements have allowed toilets to use 1.28 gallons per flush or less while still providing equal or superior performance. This is 20 percent less water than the current federal standard of 1.6 gallons per flush.
What is a GPF toilet?
Gallons Per Flush (GPM) Strictly speaking, gallons per flush or GPF is a metric to measure the volume of water a toilet uses with each flush. This measurement varies between toilet brands and specific toilet models.
Is shorter or taller toilet better?
Benefits of Comfort Height Toilets The taller seat simply makes it easier to sit down and stand up. The higher seat alleviates discomfort that comes from squatting down and cocking the knees out to the sides. A comfort height toilet is especially beneficial for taller people, seniors and anyone with knee or back pain.
What makes a toilet flush more powerful?
If you want a more efficient and powerful flush, look for a new toilet with a tower flush valve instead of a flapper. Tower flush valves allow water to exit the tank from 360 degrees, resulting in a faster and more powerful flush.
Does gallons per flush matter?
As mentioned, the only real difference here comes down to volume. Volume of water and the audible volume of the flush. A 1.6 GPF toilet uses substantially more water each time you flush the toilet. Not only is that hurting your water bill over time, but it's also a waste of precious natural resources.
How many GPF is a low-flow toilet?
1.6 gallonsGovernment plumbing standards for low-flow toilets specify that they use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. There are also high-efficiency models that use 1.28 gallons per flush or less.
How many GPF are old toilets?
Toilets built before 1982 use 5 to 7 gallons per flush. Now, toilets are designed to flush using only 1.6 gallons of water.
Is it better to buy a one piece or two piece toilet?
One piece toilets are typically heavier and easier to clean, and there's less space for bacteria to grow. Because two piece toilets feature a detachable tank, they're more customizable for preferred styles and heights. Both styles can include bells and whistles like bidet attachments or low-flow energy saving.
How do I know if my toilet has a GPF?
appear right behind the seat hinge on the bowl. If you don't see a gpf label, lift the tank lid and check the inside back of the toilet tank for the manufacturer's date stamp—it is usually stamped directly into the porcelain.
What are the four types of toilet?
What are the different types of toilets?Low-level toilet. Low-level toilet - the cistern is positioned on the wall just above the pan with a short length of plastic pipe connecting the cistern and the toilet. ... Close-coupled toilet. ... Back to wall toilet. ... Wall hung toilet.
Is 1.6 A low-flow toilet?
Government plumbing standards for low-flow toilets specify that they use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. There are also high-efficiency models that use 1.28 gallons per flush or less.
What is the most common size toilet?
Overall, a standard toilet will be between 27 and 30 inches deep, with a back height of 21 to 31 inches and a width of about 20 inches. An ADA-compliant version needs to have a seat height of 17 to 19 inches.
Are bigger toilets better?
Pros and Cons Elongated bowls are also considered more 'hygienic' in that the larger surface area of the bowl makes is easier for men and children to use with less mess. The longer bowl size is also a requirement for ADA use, and the longer/wider bowl is generally easier to use for those with mobility issues.
Do 1.28 toilets work?
Toilets with a flush rate of 1.28 GPF are really good. They are water efficient, flushes well and can be sold all over the United States. 1.28 GPF toilets are WaterSense labelled, CEC and CalGreen compliant.
What is the Best GPF for a Toilet?
The best GPF for a toilet is the one that consumes the least amount of water while still being able to remove solid waste with a single flush. The federal law states this as 1.6 GPF for all toilets that are currently sold on the market. More water-efficient models, however, are available on the market nowadays. These toilets have GPFs ranging from 1.28 to 0.8. While these fixtures use less water, the design of their system dictates how successful they are in flushing out the waste.
How much water is needed to flush a toilet?
The water consumed by your toilet depends on its GPF. If your toilet is an old model and uses 3.5 gallons per flush, each person can end up flushing away 17.5 gallons per day. This figure is based on 5 flushes, the average number of times a person uses a toilet.
Do 1.28 GPF toilets work?
1.28 GPF toilets are water-efficient fixtures that can still perform the regular functions of a 1.6 GPF toilet. They have been available in the market since the early 2000s. These kind of toilets are the ones the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stamp with the WaterSense seal. They reduce water consumption by 20-60%. That translates to a savings of 13,000 gallons of water and $140 in costs per year.
What is LPF in toilets?
GPF, however, is more prevalent in US and Canada. Either way, both are acceptable ways to measure water used by a toilet. The table below is a summarized conversion chart between the 2 systems:
How much water does a 1.28 GPF toilet use?
This translates to approximately 2,920 gallons of water consumption for the average flusher per year. By contrast, the 1.28 GPF toilet uses 2,336 gallons of water per year for the average flusher. This means that each person can save about 584 gallons per year if he or she uses the 1.28 GPF toilet.
What is 1.6 GPF?
Toilets which follow the standard requirement of 1.6 GPF are usually single flush toilets. This toilet has been the manufacturing standard since 1994 due to the Energy Policy Act. Toilets which has this water efficiency figure has been generally reported to clear solid wastes, even massive ones, with a single flush.
How to tell how much water is used in a toilet?
GPF tells you how much water is consumed by your toilet every time you flush. This information is usually stamped behind the seat hinge of the toilet bowl. If this is not the case, lift up the lid of your toilet tank and look for the manufacturer’s date stamp. This information alone can already tell you how much water is used by your toilet every time you flush. Below is a table summarizing the water consumption of toilets base on their manufacturing date:
Learn what this common metric means and how to identify the GPF of your toilet
Timothy Dale is a home repair expert and writer with over a decade of hands-on construction and home improvement experience. He is skilled in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional plumbing, electrical, carpentry, installation, renovations, and project management.
Gallons Per Flush (GPM)
Strictly speaking, gallons per flush or GPF is a metric to measure the volume of water a toilet uses with each flush. This measurement varies between toilet brands and specific toilet models.
National Water Efficiency Standards
For the purpose of improving environmental protection and conservation efforts across the country, Congress and President George H.W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) in 1992 that included national water efficiency standards for toilets, faucets, and showerheads.
Calculate GPF
It's a little bit more difficult to figure out the GPF if it isn't listed clearly on the body of the toilet, but as long as you have a tape measure, a calculator, and a basic understanding of mathematics, you can calculate the GPF with minimal effort.
Which Flushes Better: 1 28 GPF Toilet vs 1 6 GPF Toilets?
There is no doubt that these two are some of the high efficiency toilets with good performance. However, most people wonder whether the 1 28 GPF toilet flushes as well as the 1 6 GPF toilet.
Both the 1.28 vs 1.6 GPF Toilets are Efficient
So, in regard to which flushes better between the 1 6 gallons per flush toilet and the 1 28, both are very effective. Therefore, both are high efficiency toilets. Therefore, when you flush with either, you will not be able to tell the difference. The toilet will be very clean.
Hands-free flushing
This is one of the best toilet technologies in the market. After all, the toilet is not a germ-free space and therefore, some are bound to be lurking on the surface. Therefore, the less the contact that you have with the toilet, the better!
Overflow Protection
Just as its name suggests, toilets with overflow protection are going to save water even when they block. For instance, instead of water flowing continuously to the toilet bowl when the trap is blocked, overflow protection automatically shuts the water supply down.
Self Cleaning Toilets
Cleaning flush toilets is something that we would all like to avoid. However, there is some technology that can help you in that regard. When you install the cleaner, you just need to press a button and then it does the job.
How many gallons of water can a family save?
Multiply 0.32 gallons by 4 family members by 5 times a day then multiply the daily consumption by 365 days in a year. The answer is 2336 gallons. A single family can save 2336 gallons yearly by choosing to install a 1.28 GPF toilet over a 1.6 GPF toilet.
Why did the federal government abolish the 3.5 GPF toilets?
Toilets with a high water consumption rate put a strain on our natural water resources. That is why the federal government abolished the 3.5 GPF toilets. California’s government also came up with even stricter regulations due to the droughts affecting the state.
How much water can you save by using a 1.28 GPF toilet?
WaterSense estimates that you can save more than 90 dollars a year by using a 1.28 GPF toilet instead of a 1.6 GPF toilet. To make even more sense out of this, let us see how much water an average American family of 4 would save in a year, assuming that each family member uses the toilet 5 times in a day.
How much water does a toilet use?
Today there are many toilets using less than 1.28 gallons per flush but still flush powerfully.
What is the flush valve?
The flush valve is the opening at the bottom of the toilet tank where water leaves the tank and enters the bowl during flushing. The rate at which water enters the bowl (its force) determines the toilet’s flush power. A bigger flush valve means water enters the bowl more forcefully resulting in a stronger flush.
Why are toilet tanks mounted high up?
Not at all. Most toilet tanks were actually mounted high up the wall to give the water more force as it dropped to the bowl and hence a stronger flush. The first models of low flow toilets were however bad at flushing. One needed to flush them more than once to clear everything.
What does a bigger flush valve mean?
A bigger flush valve means water enters the bowl more forcefully resulting in a stronger flush. Older toilets have a small flush valves (2 inches) which means the flushing process takes longer and are hence not as powerful. The best flushing low flow toilets have a 3-inch or even 4-inch flush valve.
What is the GPF of a toilet?
GPF, or gallons per flush refers to the amount of water used to flush a toilet. While many people may not think about this toilet feature, it is in fact a very important aspect. Older toilets generally have a higher GPF compared to modern toilets, making them more wasteful and not very environmentally friendly.
What happens if you use too many GPF in a toilet?
If a toilet is using too many GPF, it is wasting a lot of money, quite literally flushing dollars down the drain. Since 1992, the Energy Policy Act was implemented as a means of water conservation. It was regulated that toilets sold in the United States after January 1994 use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush.
How many GPF does a toilet flush need?
If you are purchasing a new toilet in either California, Texas, Georgia or New York, then the toilet flush cannot exceed 1.28 GPF.
What is a pressure assisted base?
The pressure-assisted base includes front jets to propel waste at a slightly faster rate. These toilets are considered a lot noisier than traditional gravity based toilets.
What does double flush mean?
A double flush means more water wasted and more money down the drain. In the past couple of decades, the toilet industry has really improved the performance of low flush toilets and changed people’s overall feelings towards them.
What are the criteria to evaluate a toilet?
This includes how quiet the toilet is when flushing, how much it clogs (if at all), and the power of its flush. All these features are largely dependent upon if the toilet is gravity or pressure-assisted based.
Which states have a rule that saves more water?
For states like California and Texas, where droughts are a problem, high water wastage is a big concern. California implemented this rule first and not long after, Texas followed suit. It became a means of saving more water and in the long run helped the states become more environmentally focused.
What About Modern Single Flush Toilets?
However, we shouldn’t forget modern Single Flush toilets. Single Flush toilets can be just as efficient as Dual Flush models. In fact, many modern Single Flush units are WaterSense certified and use 1.28 GPF. Compared to an old Single Flush model that used 3.5 GPF, that makes a huge difference. A WaterSense certified toilet is eco-friendly, a money saver and a necessity to have in certain American states.
How Do Dual Flush Toilets Work?
However, a high volume of water is needed to perform this action effectively. On the other hand, Dual Flush systems use gravity to remove waste from the toilet. With a combination of gravity, a larger trapway and the push down flushing system , Dual Flush toilets are capable of using less water, compared to Single Flush models.
Do Dual Flush Toilets Save Money?
Since water costs money, and a Dual Flush toilet will use less water than a standard Single Flush model, then of course a Dual Flush toilet will save money. But the question is, how much money will you be able to save.
How much water does a dual flush toilet save?
In fact, by using 13,000 gallons of water less per year, you will make a saving of roughly $130 annually.
How many gallons per flush?
On average, a standard toilet used 3.5 Gallons Per Flush, where as the first Dual Flush toilet used 3 GPF for a full flush and 1.5 GPF for a half flush. Of course, at the time this helped make significant savings on water use.
What is the difference between a dual flush toilet and a dual flush toilet?
However, a Dual Flush toilet does give you the option of a half flush for liquid waste. A half flush can be as little as 0.8 to 0.9 GPF.
How many GPF does a single flush toilet use?
In fact, many modern Single Flush units are WaterSense certified and use 1.28 GPF. Compared to an old Single Flush model that used 3.5 GPF, that makes a huge difference. A WaterSense certified toilet is eco-friendly, a money saver and a necessity to have in certain American states.
What Does a 1.28 GPF Toilet Mean?
From the outside, a 1.28 GPF toilet looks the same as a 1.6 GPF toilet or any other toilet for that matter. The differences are all in the internal mechanics, and you will only really notice the differences in your overall water usage. As one can tell by the number, a 1.28 GPF toilet uses around 33.3333% of a gallon less than the classic 1.6 GPF toilet.
Is a 1.6 or 1.28 Toilet Better?
Although the 1.28 GPF toilets is a high-efficiency flushing toilet when it comes to water conservation, it is not so simple as one being better than the other. While the 1.28 GPF toilet will save you a lot of water per flush, there are a few drawbacks.
How much water does a 1.28 toilet save?
A 1.28 GPF toilet will save you 10 gallons more per day in a family of five than a 1.6 GPF toilet can. Per annum, this adds up to approximately 3650 gallons of water. This is both environmentally friendly and cheaper on the wallet. Additionally, the 1.28 toilets are also often nice and quiet, which can be a huge benefit if you want to use the bathroom at night without waking up the entire household.
How many gallons of water does a toilet use?
The average toilet needs about 1.6 gallons per flush, equating to about 9.1 gallons a day for the average person’s bathroom use. This may seem like an excessive waste of water, but it is a vast improvement on former toilet models. The current toilet standards came about in 1992 with the passing of the Energy Care Act, which abolished toilets that use more than 3.6 GPF.
What does GPF mean in toilets?
Gallons Per Flush (GPF) simply refers to how much water is needed for a toilet to flush and dispose of the water and waste left in the toilet bowl.
How many gallons of water do you use flushing twice?
If you must flush twice, you end up using 2.56 gallons which is more than you would need with one flush with a 1.6 GPF toilet.
Which toilet saves the most water?
One of the best toilets to save water is Mansfield toilets , which are highly efficient and perform better than the average commercial toilet. They also have an elongated toilet seat for more comfortable seating.
