Monday 17 January 2011

Eco Toilets For the Home

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the entire house, and a major source of water waste and inefficiency. Showers and toilets are two of the biggest consumers of water.

According to a 2009 report released by the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States flushes over 4.8 million gallons of water per year and the average American flushes 9000 gallons of water per year. The report also stated that replacing flush toilets that use 3.5 gallons per flush with eco toilets that use 1.6 gallons per flush will result in a 34% savings in household water consumption.

There are a variety of different toilets that homeowners can install to reduce water consumption, save money, and save the environment. Many homeowners are choosing to install eco toilets such as the dual flush toilet to reduce water consumption.

The dual flush toilet works by providing the user with a half flush option and a full flush option on the same toilet. Typically a user would choose a half flush for urine and a full flush for feces. The half flush option only uses 0.79 gallons of water per flush, compared to the 1.6 gallons of water required for a full flush.

Many satisfied users report that the half flush is adequate for almost all flushing needs, and that the full flush is rarely needed. Experts suggest that a household can reduce household flush volumes by 68% using a dual flush toilet.

The composting toilet is gaining popularity around the world, and is just beginning to be introduced into American markets. Composting eco toilets work by using naturally-occurring bacteria to break down human waste into a usable compost material called humus.

The toilets do not use any water, are completely self contained, and all waste is collected and composted in the same unit. The toilets are carefully constructed with a special venting and air flow system to prevent unpleasant odors, bugs, and pests.

The composting toilet can even accommodate regular toilet tissue. A composting toilet is more expensive than a regular or dual flush toilet, and will require professional installation to ensure that the venting system is properly installed.

The squat toilet, although common in Eastern countries, is rarely used in the United States. These eco toilets are located flush to the ground, and the user must sit in squatted position to use the toilet.

The waste is removed by pouring water into the bowl with a hose or bucket. A squat toilet requires much less water than a conventional toilet, and many experts believe that it is more sanitary, as the buttocks and thighs do not come into contact with the toilet surface.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ezra_Plank

Tuesday 11 January 2011

A Toilet For Every Space

The basic components of a toilet include washbasin, toilet seat, flush and shower or bathtub in the bathing area. Here we find that to fix these components together, toilets require too much of wall space. The cisterns or tanks too wide and often tend to have the water inlet and overflow on the side of the tank, which takes up even more wall space. Redesigning an old toilet into a new one, with the best of the facilities in the available small space is a tedious task.

Today with the alarming increase in the population the land areas are getting quite expensive. Due to this people get comparatively smaller homes. Due to this, the size of toilets has greatly shrunken. People try to utilize every nook and corner of the home judiciously.

Though large toilets are a bliss because there a person spends a lot of time to rejuvenate and energize still the need of the hour is to find alternatives that utilize less space yet retaining the beauty of the ceramic palace, thus making toilet big enough to be used by all, and small enough to fit into the available space.Sanitary manufacturers in the field of hygiene products have come up with a range of pioneering products that require a bit too less of the wall and floor area, yet retain the spaciousness of a toilet. The innovative designs and product automation has opened whole new grounds for work and development for proper and careful space utilization. They have come up with a range of toilet designs like 2 piece toilet, a 1 piece toilet, a floor mount toilet, a wall mount toilet, a concealed tank toilet, a comfort height toilet and a corner toilet. Also the colors of the walls have a great effect. Light color paints in a small bathroom to give a feeling of space. Apart from that the direction of light and mirror placing also add to the feeling of space.

Corner toilets are one of the one of the best ways for utilizing the corner spaces. A pedestal sink does not take up the visual space or floor space that a cabinet does and will make a smaller area look larger. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes. For toilets of small spaces, plumbing is done such that it enters cistern from below instead of the side and the size of the cistern is chosen no more than 16 inches. Apart from this, round bowl fronts are preferred, rather than the usual elongated ones. A round-front toilet extends 25 to 28 inches from the wall while elongated toilet extends 29 to 31 inches. The round toilet bowls are shorter in length by a full 2 inches, making this choice a particularly useful toilet for small spaces - just perfect for when space is at a premium. There are a variety of variations available for the smaller toilets that can definitely be called as A Toilet for every space.

The basic components of a toilet include washbasin, toilet seat, flush and shower or bathtub in the bathing area. Here we find that to fix these components together, toilets require too much of wall space. The cisterns or tanks too wide and often tend to have the water inlet and overflow on the side of the tank, which takes up even more wall space. Wall Hung Toilets are a good option for small bathrooms.

Tag : toilet,toilet peper,toilet repair,toilet wall,toilet water

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amaan_Goyal

Sunday 2 January 2011

Sun-Mar Composting Toilets - A Few More Frequently Asked Questions

Let's face it, composting toilets are a very complex and little understood product. Many consumers don't even realize that compost toilets are actually odorless and present a great eco-friendly alternative for residential homes in urban and suburban areas. Through our website, we receive all kinds of questions from our visitors and customers about composting toilet systems, how they work, and their various pros and cons. Below are a few more of our most frequently asked questions that may be helpful to other consumers who are considering a composting toilet system or simply comparing brands. Please be sure to note that all the information in this article pertains specifically to Sun-Mar composting toilet systems.

1. Do I have to use a special kind of toilet paper in a composting toilet?
No. You can use any type of toilet paper you want, it will break down without a problem.

2. Can baby wipes, tampons, diaper liners, paper towels, or other similar items be put in the toilet?
No. We recommend keeping these and similar products out of the toilet because they can affect the capacity. When you choose a compost toilet system, the most important consideration is the capacity rating. Sun-Mar systems have capacity ratings based on the number of people using the toilet per day. If you add other products to the toilet, this will throw off the capacity and can cause a problem.

3. How do I clean my Sun-Mar system?
The outside of the toilet can be cleaned using any type of regular household cleaner of your choosing. Around the rim of the bowl and inside the bowl of the toilet, we recommend using Compost Quick Cleaning Spray. This is a special toilet and bowl cleaner designed for composting toilets. It contains a compost accelerating agent that will aide in the breakdown process of your compost. If you don't want to use Compost Quick, you can also use a solution of hot water and baking soda. You should not use chemical toilet bowl cleaners in your composting toilet, because these products can kill the aerobic bacteria that are a vital part of the composting process.

4. Is a compost toilet difficult to install? Do I need a professional installer?
No. In most cases, Sun-Mar composting toilets are a do-it-yourself installation. Before purchasing any system, be sure to download a copy of the product manual which contains complete installation instructions. We encourage our customers to read these manuals thoroughly before purchasing a unit so they will understand what is involved in installing the system before it arrives.

5. What is the expected life of a composting toilet?
The expected life of a Sun-Mar compost toilet is 20 to 25 years. However, homeowners should expect that some parts in the toilet, such as electrical fans or heaters, may wear out sooner and need to be replaced. Replacement components are readily available directly from the manufacturer.

Tag : toilet,compost toilet,toilet peper,toilet repair,toilet system