- aqus
Think about how many times a day your household toilet(s) are flushed. The potable water used in the bowl makes up an average of 40% of your overall household water use. If you've got a more than a few occupants in your home, this can add up to a lot of water usage ending up on that utility bill, not to mention the thousands of gallons of clean water wasted every year.
Fortunately, Sloan Valve Company has invented an innovative way to store and reuse the grey water from your bathroom's hand sink to use in the toilet bowl, the AQUS system. This DIY kit takes little time to install and could save up to 6,000 gallons of water a year.
Andrew Michler of Inhabitat explains how it works:
"Sloan’s AQUS system is built around a box that rests inside the vanity and holds up to 5.5 gallons of reclaimed sink water. A small pump, activated by a water level sensor in the toilet tank, transfers the grey water to the toilet and fills the reservoir alongside the toilet’s water supply, off-setting 65% of the potable water needed per flush. If the Aqus is out of water, the toilet’s regular water supply fills the tank, and if the Aqus is full, excessive water goes through the normal drain. The system also requires maintenance only once a year, reducing the complexity and improving the safety of using grey water."
This article appears in Sep 8-14, 2011.