Hello,
We are working on a CI project that changed the toilets only few years ago with 6lpf. Less than 3 years.
We can not change only the tank of these toilets so we would have to change it all.
We installed very low flow fixtures everywhere: urinals changed to 1.89 lpf, 1.89 lpm kitchen sinks, 1.3 lpm bathroom sinks and 5.7 lpm showers. Despite all these efforts, it is impossible to obtain 25% savings (we have 24,48%).
The owner of the building thinks it's ridiculous to change the toilets that have just been changed and we do not quite disagree with his point. In addition, the plumber told us that the building piping is not designed to receive less water and that this could create a lot of clogging problem and even breakage.
Is there any way we can reach 25%?
Thank you!
emily reese moody
Sustainability Director, Certifications & ComplianceJacobs
LEEDuser Expert
476 thumbs up
June 26, 2018 - 3:27 pm
Hi Erika,
I assume you're asking about meeting 25%, specifically, so that you can earn some points under this credit. Certainly a worthy endeavor.
Based on the values you've stated above, if you cannot find any suitable lower flow fixtures than what's stated in order to get over the 25% hump, the only other thing I can think of would be to try and locate a flow restrictor or aerator that could further reduce the flow to one (or more) of your fixtures. I agree that it can seem wasteful to full replace toilets that are relatively new; maybe you can try calculating the water savings in money over time to justify the cost of replacement, and see what the payback is?
Only other thing I can recommend is to request a call with a GBCI reviewer to go over your water calculator. It can be a tricky tool; there's a chance that maybe one or more of the numbers you're showing should be shown a different way, and could affect your end savings.