Did you know around 11% of the household water is used to flush toilets in Florida? Last Water Wednesday was all about the toilets.

Toilets made before 1994 use anywhere from 3.6 gallons per flush (gpf) up to 8 gallons per flush, while new low flow toilets are mandated to use 1.6 gpf or less. According to the WaterSense Program, replacing old toilets with water efficient toilets can save 13,000 gallons of water for an average family. It could also save more than $140 every year in water bills. If we could replace all the old and inefficient toilets in the U.S., we would save 360 billion gallons of water every year. This is the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls in about 9 days.

Believe or not, around 25 gallons of water are wasted through household water leaks every day. Toilets are often the culprit. If your toilet has a leak, most likely it is caused by an old or worn-out toilet flapper. Flappers are inexpensive rubber parts. They are easy to build up minerals or decay over time.

Meanwhile, what you should flush down into your toilet? During the national shortage of toilet paper, people are getting creative to find toilet paper alternatives. The question is, however, should you flush these toilet paper alternatives, such as wipes, napkins, or paper towels? The answer is no. Even products marked as “flushable” do not mean you should flush them. They may not clog your toilets, but they may clog the lift stations or the pumps at the wastewater treatment plants, or your septic systems. Remember, only flush 4Ps no matter you are a septic system user and a public sewer user.

Watch this Water Wednesday video to find out what these 4Ps are and how to check if your toilet is leaking.

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