After-market replacement of flush valve flappers in ultra-low-flush toilets: a study of compatibility and flush volumes

摘要

Since 1990,the metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) and other local water agencies have funded the replacement of over 1,200,000 water-wasting residential toilets with gravity-fed tank-type ultra-low-flush (ULF) toilets.The functional lifetime of a typical porcelain toilet is believed to be in excess of 20 years.Yet,the flush valve closure device (usually a flapper) within the tank of these new ULF toilets is likely to fail within 5 years,leading to water leaks that could,unless corrected,substantially erode the water savings anticipated over the 20-year life of the porcelain.the question to be asked,then,is that if consumers are motivated to repair those4 leaking ULF toilets,will they be able to find the correct flaper that is designed to maintain to 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) characteristic of the original flapper in the ULF toilet?