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July 31, 2003
Someone Else's Great Idea: the Controllable Flush
This is something I don't even feel like I can take any credit for anymore, except maybe I'll be discovered by some science historian someday as support for a thesis about the simultenaity of good ideas. My idea was:
Flush-O-Matic: A retro-fitting toilet flush handle and inside flusher mechanism that would give you three options for flushing, depending on your needs: Number One, Number Two, or (as Tim suggested) Number Three (alt: Mach One, Mach Two, Mach Three). This would offer all the benefits of saving water when you really didn’t need that much flushing power, without sacrificing the availability of power when you need it (as you do by putting one of those water displacing “bladders” in your toilet). It could be very cheap, unlike some of those new super-toilets, and easy to install. And you wouldn’t have to sit still for yellow water just to save water.
The flusher would work by having a rachet of some kind, so there would be a bit of resistance as you moved through each level, which would correspond to the inside flusher moving up (perpidendicular) a bit more, thereby releasing more water. Or maybe you’d choose a setting before pushing down the plunger. I’m not positive how this would work technically, but I AM positive that it’s a good idea. Maybe they have something like this in California already.
So, since "inventing" this, I discovered www.flushingdevice.com
I had a really nice correspondence with the company's president -- after some persistence on my part. For some reason he didn't respond to my first couple of emails talking about how I thought I'd invented the idea and how great it was that he was doing it. Then he finally responded and was pretty friendly -- I think I might have even spoken to him on the phone. I intended to go visit the company because, amazingly enough, it's here in Oregon not far from me. But I never got around to it. Alas. He did send me a bunch of brochures and stuff that I shared with all my friends. I still think it's a great idea and hope someday to get out there. Since I have a low-water toilet now, the idea of getting one for myself is not that appealing, however.
I've also had friends who visited various other, more toilet-advanced countries than our own such as Australia say they saw them there, too. But so far I haven't heard of any that have a #3 on them. That's my contribution. Actually, I guess it's Tim's contribution!
Posted by mary at July 31, 2003 01:07 PM
Comments
Per our conversations in person, I feel that the controllable flush device would include a secret "#4" flush, accessible only by pressing a certain combination of buttons which would be undocumented. The #4 flush would be a "mega-flush," which would fill the tank slowly and somehow increase sucking power -- for those special moments when one needs additional power, but doesn't have access to a plunger.
Of course, any controllable flush device should be marketed both as an integrated unit with a new toilet, as well as a retro-fit on existing toilets. Frankly, the retro-fits would probably be more effective, since the water availability on those units would be greater.
;Chris
Posted by: Chris Higgins at August 18, 2003 12:12 AM
So today I gave the people at Environmental Building Supply here in environmentally-correct Portland a copy of the flyer the patient owner of the Athena Company (manufacturer of the flushing device) had sent me. I'm really hopeful that they will sell it beside their fancy-pants toilets which have two flush settings but cost a LOT more than the good old flushing device. I'm really wishing I'd just installed one in my house instead of getting that stinky old low flush toilet.
Chris and I refined the idea even more the other day to think that you could have: 1) a fourth flush setting, which would be equal to two flushes of a normal toilet ... wait, I'm forgetting exactly how it worked. Maybe I can get Chris to add a comment.
Posted by: Mary at August 27, 2003 07:35 PM
Oh, I forgot to credit old Environmental Building Supply, and they have a pretty sweet website:
http://www.ecohaus.com/
But what's with the teutonic spelling?
Posted by: Mary at August 27, 2003 07:38 PM
you are for a much cheaper investment and a big result in water(money)conservation then you found it at www.twoflush.com
Posted by: Joe Molho at November 26, 2003 08:03 PM
I think this might raise a technical issue, in that the flush of a toilet is performed by the bowl being flooded by water released from the tank. What you could have is a muli-chambered tank, so you could flush twice in more rapid succession than waiting for the tank to refill. Probably wouldn't take much to convert existing tanks.
Posted by: Sean Lewis at March 18, 2004 08:41 AM
Hi .
we are all talking about water conservation,
we could put our money where our mouth is
This much cheeper toilet water saver is avilabel through the net www.twoflush.com
Mary you can call me any time and I could send you a free sample .
Joe Molho
Aquanotion ltd/twoflush
www.twoflush.com
Posted by: Joe Molho at January 9, 2005 11:47 AM