[Greenbuilding] History of toilet flush volume

[Reuben Deumling]

This has been most instructive. Thank you all for your links and insights.
Via Mark Piepkorn, and Gary Tjader of <ThisOldToilet.com> I eventually
chanced on at article (link below), by R. Bruce Martin, which of the several
dozen I've read today seems the most authoritative. Interestingly, although
it confirms my suspicion:
"Massive flush consumption of the typical North American water closet was
not always that way. Back in the 1920s, for example, the common toilet used
about two gpf. Because its storage vessel affixed to the wall up by the
ceiling, the greater head pressure resulted in a much higher injection
velocity of water into the bowl."
Mr. Martin also asserts that:
"Throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, water closet consumption per flush
continued to increase until reaching a plateau in the 1960s of five to seven
gpf for two-piece close coupled WCs and eight to 12 gpf for one-piece
units."

http://www.edcmag.com/CDA/Archives/639a46a3ab697010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0

Reuben Deumling