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April 14, 2000Bid to flush regulations goes down the canCurrent standards require toilets to use 1.6 gallons of water per flush instead of 3.5By CARI NOGARecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Say what you will about politics - at least they inspire passion. Take Elian Gonzalez. Take Al Gore vs. George W. Bush. Take toilets. Toilets? While most of Washington spent Wednesday either embroiled in Elian's fate or fundraising for one of the two presidential candidates, the lowly-but-essential porcelain tank and bowl was the centerpiece of conversation at a Congressional committee meeting. The upshot: A Michigan congressman's effort to eliminate 1992 federal water conservation regulations for so-called low-flow toilets, urinals, shower heads and faucets fell one vote short. But Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, vows to continue his battle to get the government out of the bathroom. "The fight's not over," said John Akouri, spokesman for Knollenberg. Bravo, say a host of contractors, plumbers and homeowners who hate the regulations that have reduced the amount of water in toilet bowls. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't hear one of my customers complain," said David Van Dyke, retail manager at Walters and Hemming, Inc., a Traverse City plumbing and heating contractor. "People don't like it." "It's a nightmare," agreed Don Wichern, a master plumber and owner of Masters Plumbing in Maple City. "You're constantly getting callbacks and it's nothing but a pain." Current standards require toilets to use 1.6 gallons of water per flush instead of the 3.5 gallons that were the previous norm. Supporters say the rules save some 600 million gallons of water a day and avoid a 50-state patchwork of commode regulations. Critics, however, contend that the low amount of water in the toilet bowl makes it hard to keep clean. The low-powered potties also often take two or three flushes to clear all the waste, they say. "You've just defeated the purpose of the whole thing," said Wayne Tyge, owner of Wayne Tyge Builders, LLC. He's experienced the problem from both ends - as a builder and as a new homeowner himself. Others say the magnitude of the problem is overblown. Matt Taylor, assistant store manager at Home Depot in Traverse City, installed a low-flow toilet at his mother's house last summer. "I've never had a problem with the amount of waste going down. Never had to flush the toilet twice," he said. But Taylor's in the minority. Wichern has gotten to the point where he gives customers a plunger after a new installation. That's bad for business, he said. "It tells everybody we're just terrible plumbers," he said. Of course, rules are made to be broken. After eight years of dealing with the regulations, several bypasses have been developed: - Run for the border: Van Dyke said he has customers who go to Canada or Mexico to import toilets with greater flushing capacity. - "Power flush:" These toilets hold the 1.6 gallons, but at a higher pressure. The flaws of these include being about twice as expensive as a standard toilet, and being noisy. "The neighbors know you flushed," Van Dyke said. - Cheat: Some manufacturers now make toilets with a flushing mechanism that can be easily modified. The so-called "gravity flush" toilets allow more water per flush. "If the public asks, there are ways to circumvent the law," Van Dyke said. Plumbers who do so risk their license, however, Wichern noted. Those involved in the local plumbing industry say they understand the conservation motive for the regulations. "They got kind of scared, I think, from out West. We need to save water, and that's one way to save water," said Taylor of Home Depot. In the Great Lakes State, however, even in this year of low water levels, the tradeoff seems less worth it. "It does seem a little ludicrous in a state like Michigan, where water's not a problem," Van Dyke said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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