Before 1980, plumbers had to rely on greater flush volumes (or rates) to provide a flush with enough force to push media down through the trapway and into the drainage system. When the EPAct of 1992 went into effect, it mandated that all toilets sold in the U.S. must flush at 1.6 GPF or less. Suppliers were challenged with the need to offer a larger variety of options for plumbers and contractors to choose from that met the new regulations. Attempting to avoid callbacks for issues with drain line carry, multiple flushes needed, backflow and other low-profit maintenance situations, plumbers opted to work around the low-flow regulations by rigging low-flow toilets to use a higher flush capacity of 3.5 or higher.
Thankfully, the technology of low-flow and HETs has improved over the last 30 years, and new HETs perform more powerfully than their predecessors. There’s now enough proven evidence to debunk any stigma your customers may have around low-flow toilets.