Nettlesome Low-Flush Law May Get Flushed
Flushers frustrated by low-flow toilets may have some relief in sight.
Responding to complaints about backed-up toilets, Rep. Joseph Knollenberg, R-Mich., is seeking to repeal a law requiring less water per flush for new toilets and lighter sprays in shower heads and faucets.
A conservation law that took effect in 1994 limited toilets to 1.6 gallons a flush. The older toilets allowed 3.5 gallons.
Plumbers and handymen say that while the old toilets are outlawed in new homes, there is a surging black market for them.
“There have been a phenomenal number of toilets installed that just don’t flush well,” said Jim Kronk of Universal Plumbing Supply in Berkley, Mich.