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Ultra Low Flush Toilet (ULFT) Replacement Program. Paula Mohadjer Conservation Programs Coordinator Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District. ULFT Pilot Study – 2002/3. Replace 275 existing high-volume toilets in the District’s service area with ULFTs and determine water savings by:
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Ultra Low Flush Toilet (ULFT) Replacement Program Paula Mohadjer Conservation Programs Coordinator Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District
ULFT Pilot Study – 2002/3 Replace 275 existing high-volume toilets in the District’s service area with ULFTs and determine water savings by: Measuring the water use (gpf) of the old toilet Measuring the water use (gpf) of the new ULFT Monitoring the number of flushes on 15% of the new ULFTs Conducting a follow-up survey Comparing indoor water use records before & after installation Determining cost-effectiveness of the program
ULFT Installation 203 Participants 131 received one ULFT 72 received two ULFTs Participants selected their ULFTs from three models: Caroma Dual Flush: 22% (61) Niagaras Flapperless: 44% (120) Gerber Aquasaver: 34% (94)
Two buttons: one for large volume flush (LVF - 1.6 g) and one for small volume flush (SVF - 0.8 g) Caroma Dual Flush Estimated 80% of flushes are small volume flush, so high potential for savings Water use of dual-flush in other studies: Toronto: 42% less than old toilet Oregon: 67% less than old toilet Seattle: 24% less than new 1.6 ULFT Ontario: 29% less than new 1.6 ULFT
Niagara Flapperless Unique flushing mechanism: bucket tips water rather than a traditional flapper Most common cause of toilet leakage is deteriorating flappers Replacing toilets in Ontario study saved 25% due to leaks alone -- the new ULFT saved 17% Flappers have 5 year life and generic flappers don’t work well – 85% bring flush volume up to 2.9 gpf
Follow-Up Telephone Survey A customer satisfaction telephone survey was completed with 92% of the participants People per household: 2.96 (range of 1 to 10), 28% changed household size from beginning of study, but average stayed the same Toilets per household: 2.7 (range of 1 to 6) 83% of the new ULFTs installed in bedroom bathrooms, 11% in basement and 6% other such as laundry bathroom
Survey – Overall Toilet Performance Overall performance rating of the toilets on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being excellent. -Caroma: 8.9 -Niagara: 8.8 -Gerber: 7.8 Would the participant recommend this toilet to others?
Survey – Double-Flushing How often does the new toilet have to be double-flushed?
Survey – Clogging or Plugging How often does the new toilet clog or plug up?
Metered Water Use (all ULFTs) Water use was metered on 94% of the old toilets (6% broken or leaking badly): Average water use of old toilet: 4.16 gpf Range of old toilet water use: 2.1 to 6.7 gpf 65% of old toilets used over 4 gpf Water use was metered on all new ULFTs: Caroma: 1.68 and 0.88 gpf (1.20 gpf) Niagara: 1.69 gpf Gerber: 1.80 gpf
Flush Counter Data - Ave of 42 ULFTs with counters 15% of the ULFTs had counting devices for 50 days: 13 Caromas, 14 Gerbers, 15 Niagaras Average water use of old toilet: 4.03 gpf Average water use of new ULFT: 1.56 gpf Water saved per toilet: 2.47 gpf Average number of flushes per day: 8.9 fphd Water saved per toilet per day: 22.7 gphd Water saved per toilet per year: 8,286 gphy
Cost Effectiveness • Average cost of $200 per ULFT • Annual Cost: $313 per AF in comparison to future water developments of $400 to $650 per AF • - 20 year life of the new ULFT • Water savings of 42 gallons per day • 4% interest per year • Without installation/monitoring equipment: • Average cost per ULFT is only $97, which would drop annual cost by more than half
Where next? JVWCD just completed another ULFT replacement program: modified voucher – possible expansion to Member Agencies in 2004 Applications and vouchers mailed to residential customers who picked up their free toilet/s 602 participants: 1045 Niagara Flapperless ULFTs Program cost: $120,000, or $113 per ULFT Assuming 42 gallons saved per ULFT per day: annual savings of 50 AF attributed to this program Billing data comparisons available April 2004 Reports of both programs available on website: www.slowtheflow.org