How Long Does an Average Toilet Last in a Home?

Theoretically, a toilet can last until its porcelain cracks, which could be 50 years or more. That doesn’t mean that you as a homeowner want it to last that long, however. A number of factors may influence you to replace your toilet. These factors include environmental sensitivity, economics and personal taste. Eco-Friendliness Older toilets use as much as six gallons in a single flush. That means that a single person who uses the toilet five times a day is going to waste approximately 30 gallons of water unnecessarily. The new standard set by the federal government dictates that toilets should use no more than 1.6 gallons in a single flush. A number of low-flow toilets are on the market today. These include the following: Composting toilets Sink/toilet combos WaterSense-certified toilets Dual-flush toilets WaterSense is an EPA program that assesses the efficiency of water-using equipment much the same way that ENERGY STAR programs evaluate electrical efficiency. A WaterSense logo on a toilet indicates that the device uses only 1.28 gallons per flush. Dual-flush toilets have options that allow you to select how much water you want to use with each flush. Composting toilets use no water at all and aren’t practical...

View Article

Read More