Al Kondo wrote:
I have recently been working on my toilet because of some simple
flapper leakage problems. While working on it, I decided to settle my
curiosity about how much water it took per flush. Much to my surprise
I found that it took 4 gallons of water to fill it to the usual flush
line! I wondered why my family was having such high water usage....
now I know why. Anyway, I have decided to change the toilet out for
a more efficient 1.5 gal model. What I would like to know is what do
you look for when buying one of these things. Also.... are they as
efficient in flushing as the one I presently have?? I noticed that
the price of toilets at Home Depot also ranged from about $75 to $300.
That is quite a range. What is the difference??

Thanks, Al Kondo

Hmmm. At a difference of 2.4 gallons per flush and $3/1000 gallons, you'll
save about seven-tenths of a cent per flush. The cheap toilet, $75, should
pay for itself in a little over 10,000 flushes. Assuming 3 flushes per day
per person, that's 9 person/years.

A family of 3 could save enough water to pay for the new toilet in but three
years - for the cheap toilet. For the more expensive toilet, twelve years.
Less, of course, the opportunity cost of investing the $75 - $300 in the
stock market. The actual difference could be millions.