Based in arid Australia, Caroma invented the dual flush toilet to conserve water. Now the manufacturer Caroma is taking its invention to the next level with the Sydney Smart toilet.
The two-piece fixture uses a meager .8 gallons for low flushes and 1.28 gallons for full flushes. Contrast that with .9 gallons and 1.6 -- long the standard for dual flush toilets. And then consider that before 1994, most toilets in the US used 3.5 gallons or more of water per flush.
Caroma estimates that the toilet can save a family of four 6,500 gallons of water per year, compared to a standard 1.6 gallon single flush toilet.
But how well does it work, really?
With a four-inch trapway and a wash down system of flushing, the toilet is virtually clog-free, claims Caroma. And they test these things. (Hint: Check out YouTube videos of flushing potatoes).
Standard flush toilets use a siphon to pull waste through a narrow trapway. The Sydney and other dual flush toilets use a wash down system. The open rim bowl is steeply pitched. Waste first washes down, followed by water. And no tank flappers mean no leaks.
Users say the system works surprisingly well, although most admit that the small waterspot (amount of standing water in the bowl) of dual flush toilets takes some getting used to.
This toilet qualifies for the WaterSense program of the Environmental Protection Agency. Toilets are certified by independent laboratory testing for efficiency and performance. In addition, the Sydney Smart meets the requirements of a high efficiency rating, meaning that a full flush uses 1.3 gallons of water of less.
California has already mandated high efficiency toilets. Expect other states to follow suit.
The flush is operated by two buttons on the tank top.
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