August 2009

Heffner and Associates, LLC

A Plumbing Service Company

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A Higher Toilet That Is Easier On The Back And Knees

I have installed Toto Drake toilets for two customers in the last month. One customer had a bad knee and immediately noticed the difference in the "Comfort Height" Toto as compared to the standard height toilet that came with the house. In addition to sitting higher, these toilets come with an elongated bowl and the optional soft closing seat.

Toto Drake toilets

I have some customers that cringe when I mention changing over to a new toilet because of all of the horror stories about 1.6 gallon toilets. The good news is that the technology has come a long way since 1994 when the Energy Policy Act went into effect.

Water conservation is becoming increasingly important and there are different ways that this can be achieved. This newsletter will be the first in a short series on plumbing products that can help you save water and lower the cost of your monthly water bill. In "Green Speak," using less water reduces the size of your carbon foot print.

Where It All Started

In 1992, the United States Congress passed, and President George H. W. Bush signed, the Energy Policy Act. This act mandated that all plumbing fixtures in the United States meet a maximum allowable flow-rate standard. The maximum flow-rate established for toilets was 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf). This was a radical change from the more recent 3.5 gallon toilet tanks and older tanks that could hold anywhere from 5-7 gallons.

Most of the 1.6 toilets on the market in the early 90's did not work well and many consumers complained about double flushing and frequent stoppages. The technology and design have evolved since 1994 however and a majority of the toilet manufacturers today have products that work well. My personal choice and the brand that I install exclusively is Toto. We have three Toto toilets in our home that have been installed over the last 10 years and they all work well compared to the toilets that were installed when the house was built.

Toto Web Site

Return On Investment (ROI). Don't Just Take My Word For It

This may sound funny when speaking about a plumbing fixture, but there is an ROI that can be attached to an upgrade from a older style toilet to the new 1.6 gallon models.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a web site with a wealth of information on water conservation and water saving products. As an example, a household with 2.6 people (national average) using toilets that were installed between 1980 and 1994 will save over 11,000 gallons of water or $64.00 on their water bill over a year's time by choosing a WaterSense labeled 1.6 gallon toilet. This is an average calculation. Savings can be more or less relative to use and utility billing rates.

Toto Information

EPA Water Savings Calculator

Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractor's Association

Save $50.00!	Purchase a Toto toilet from Heffner and Associates during the month of August and save $50.00 with this coupon. Please feel free to share this with your family, friends or anyone else that may need a new toilet.
Offer Expires: August 31, 2009

Sincerely,

David Heffner
Heffner and Associates, LLC