Since they were first introduced in the early 1990s, low flow toilets have had a hard time shaking the reputation as poor performers to be avoided if at all possible. To be honest, the poor reputation was well deserved at the time. Toilet manufacturers were unprepared for government water conservation regulations that took effect in 1994 limiting the maximum amount of water that toilet could use to 1.6 gallons per flush.
Instead of designing new toilets that worked well with only 1.6 gallons of water, most toilet maker simply modified existing designs to reduce the amount of water that would flow out of the tank during each flush. Unfortunately, most toilets that performed well using 3.4 gallons per flush didn’t flush well when limited to less than half the usual amount of water. There was not enough water to clear all of the waste out of the bowl and the toilets were prone to frequent clogging.
Fortunately, the performance of low flow toilets has improved considerably since then and there is no reason to avoid low flow toilets any more. Toilet manufactures have responded to consumer complaints (and declining sales) by redesigning their toilets to operate efficiently using only 1.6 gallons of water. In fact, some new toilets use even less water and work just as well as standard toilets.
Experience has shown that redesigned low flow toilets flush fully and don’t clog any more frequently than older standard toilets. Low flow toilet prices start as low as $100 and considering the money you save on water, they can pay for themselves in just a few years.
