Dual Flush is an interactive water saving design for a toilet. It is created with the internal flush valve allowing two separate flushing volumes for disposing waste. This type of cistern gives you the choice between a half flush for disposing liquid waste or a full flush for disposing solid waste.
This image shows how much water is left in the tank for a half flush (left) and full flush (right)
There are currently two different types of dual flush valves which you can install. Firstly there is a toilet syphon which is operated by a toilet handle (For more information on how a dual flush syphon works, check out our article How a Dual Flush Syphon Works.), or a dual flush drop valve which can be operated by either a lever handle or a push button.
Think you don’t waste much water?
Thanks to a factsheet from Waterwise we have the following water usage data:
As you can see flushing your toilet uses more water than any other household item totaling to 30% of all consumed water.
How much water would I save with a half flush?
Most toilets have a flush volume of 6 litres and half flush of only 3. This means that each half flush would save 3 litres of water. To put this into perspective, each half flush will save more than your recommended daily intake of water! This could equate to a massive saving of 24 litres (over 40 pints) of water per person each day, and of course, a massive saving on your water bills.
To sum it up
A dual flush toilet is something that should not be overlooked as they are easy to install and will fit into your current toilet cistern. Whether it be a replacement toilet syphon or a drop valve, they will be readily available in your nearest plumbers merchants and at a relatively low cost.
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