Have you ever noticed that toilets in commercial restrooms don’t have tanks? It’s the same with the urinals in mens’ rooms, although they have always been tankless. Both urinals and commercial toilets rely on high pressure water to flush. Their flushing systems are made possible by a nifty little piece of kit known as a flushometer.
Interesting name. Right? Any potential jokes aside, a flushometer is crucial to commercial plumbing. It guarantees that both toilets and urinals can be flushed clean without the need for tanks, thus saving significant water in the process. When you consider the number of flushes a commercial toilet or urinal undergoes in a year, the potential water savings become apparent.
Gravity vs. High Pressure Water
Assuming you have a standard toilet in your home, it is designed around the principle of gravity. The toilet has a tank filled with water and positioned higher than the bowl. When you flush, you are simply lifting a rubber gasket that allows water to flow from the tank into the bowl. It’s powered by gravity. The force of the water flushes the toilet, and all is well.
When toilets were first invented, they were known as water closets. The tanks tended to be much higher back then in order to maximize gravity’s effects in the days before indoor plumbing was an actual thing. At any rate, gravity provided the force to flush cleanly.
Commercial toilets and urinals are more efficient if you can get the tanks out of a system. Enter the flushometer. It is more or less a high-pressure valve that connects the toilet or urinal to the waterline.
When you flush, the flushometer maintains the proper water pressure (even increasing it if necessary) to ensure that water flow is consistent and forceful enough to do the job. The pressurized nature of the water makes it possible to cleanly flush while using less water by volume.
Simple but Still Complicated
The flushometer is fairly simple in its design and principle of operation. And yet it is still a complicated piece of machinery. Not only does it have to do the job correctly, but it also has to be able to withstand hundreds of thousands of flushes.
Beehive Plumbing is a residential and commercial plumbing contractor serving the Salt Lake City, Utah, area along with a couple of surrounding counties. They say a commercial toilet can be subject to as many as 250,000 flushes over a 4-year period. A flushometer has to be able to stand up to that kind of punishment.
A good unit will last 4-5 years. But as with everything else in plumbing, no flushometer lasts forever. The units do need to be repaired and replaced. These commercial outfits handle flushometer repair and replacement as easily as any other service a plumber might offer.
Why They Aren’t in Our Homes
It’s understood that flushometers are highly efficient devices that make commercial toilets and urinals more efficient. But if they work so well, why aren’t they in our homes? Two reasons. First, residential toilets are not compatible with the technology. Second, the water pressure in a typical residential line is not high enough. Increasing the pressure to accommodate a flushometer could compromise a home’s plumbing system.
Commercial plumbing takes advantage of the flushometer to save water. Fortunately, the seemingly simple device is very good at what it does. It saves a tremendous amount of water and eliminates the need for tanks and cisterns. Who knows? Maybe a creative designer will eventually come up with a flushometer for the home.
The Two Main Types of Flushometers
Flushometers are not all built the same. In fact, commercial plumbers usually deal with two primary types:
- Piston-operated flushometers – These rely on a piston mechanism that opens and closes to regulate water flow. They’re known for durability and are often found in places with consistent water pressure.
- Diaphragm-operated flushometers – Instead of a piston, these use a flexible diaphragm to control water flow. They are more resistant to impurities in the water, making them common in high-use environments like airports and stadiums.
Both types serve the same basic function, but the choice depends on building infrastructure and maintenance considerations.
Water Conservation Benefits
Flushometers are praised not only for their efficiency but also for the way they help businesses and institutions reduce water consumption. Compared to traditional tank toilets, they can save thousands of gallons annually.
Key benefits include:
- Lower water usage per flush – Many models operate at 1.1 gallons per flush or less, compared to older tank toilets that may use 3–5 gallons.
- Consistency in performance – Each flush delivers the same amount of water with the same pressure, unlike tanks that may refill inconsistently.
- Environmental sustainability – Reducing water waste contributes to broader sustainability goals, which many businesses are now required or incentivized to meet.
Common Maintenance Issues
Though robust, flushometers are not immune to wear. Facility managers often deal with predictable issues:
- Leaks and drips that waste water and drive up utility bills.
- Handle malfunctions, where the flushing mechanism becomes stiff or stuck.
- Pressure problems, leading to either weak flushes or overly forceful ones.
- Internal wear of pistons or diaphragms, which must be replaced periodically.
Routine inspections and timely repairs can prevent costly water waste and restroom downtime.
Where Flushometers Are Most Useful
Flushometers shine in environments where restrooms handle large crowds. Examples include:
- Office towers
- Schools and universities
- Shopping malls
- Hospitals
- Sports arenas
These are places where tank toilets would require constant refilling and frequent repairs. With flushometers, facilities can handle heavy restroom traffic without interruption.
Looking Toward the Future
The flushometer has been around since the early 1900s, but modern engineering is still refining it. Touchless sensors are now integrated into many models, reducing the need for handles and improving hygiene. Some are even equipped with smart technology that tracks water use and alerts facility managers to potential issues before they become emergencies.
There’s growing discussion about whether future residential plumbing could adapt to flushometer-style systems. With improvements in water pressure regulation and fixture design, it’s not entirely far-fetched that homes of the future might one day benefit from this commercial-grade efficiency.