I am looking for the most water efficient toilet on the market. What can you recommend?
Answer:
As always it is a trade off between performance and reliability.
The Caroma Caravelle 3L/6L dual flush is installed at the Light House Centre and works great. 3L works really well for most things.
Clivus Multrum are the purveyors of composting toilets if you want to go that far. Clivus Multrum Toilet is a composting self-contained toilet requiring little water and designed to accommodate year round or part-time use. The Clivus system has a ventilation fan (powered by AC, DC, solar or other on-site systems) for an odour-free environment. Toilet waste empties into composting tank where wood shavings aid the composting process. Liquid flows to a separate storage area for composting and becomes a concentrated liquid fertilizer whereas the solid compost can be used as a safe, stable, odourless soil conditioner. This product can be used in a variety of climates. There is also an in-depth study by CMHC of ALL the different WC’s http://www.cmhc.ca/publications/en/rh-pr/tech/01-143-E.htm.
Low Flow/Dual Flush
While Caromas are fantastic, an Australian product (and they were the first start to the dual flush movement), they are rather expensive, stylized, and difficult to get. Shipping can take several weeks. TOTO is a brand that also has a low flow/dual flush toilet, quite simple looking, lower in price, and more readily available. As well TOTO has the most efficient flushing system. I work in a plumbing showroom and we have received a few compliants about Caroma. Hope this helps :)
Laura
Are composting toilets allowed under zoning regulations in major
The advice of WorldWise Stores is: "Check you local building codes first, as composting toilets are illegal in some areas."
Composting Toilet World notes: "At the present, most authorities forbid their use where a sewage is available, although there are now many who are challenging this and wish to be responsible for the treatment of their own waste."
Helen Goodland, Executive Director at the Sustainable Building Centre, believes that they are not illegal, but that they may effectively be difficult to implement as they would be required to meet the local plumbing code. Certainly Parks Canada installs solar composting toilets in their parks, and the C.K. Choi Building up at UBC has one, but that doesn't answer whether or not they are in fact legal in the City of Vancouver or other major Canadian cities, so I encourage those with more information or experience to answer this forum.