The Sloan Flushmate system has been steadily building its reputation for both water conservation and outstanding performance. Gaining early recognition as one of the top ten new green building products by BuildingGreen in 2004, Flushmate has remained noteworthy. Flushmate has continued to receive awards for its unique technology. For instance, in 2001, Sloan received an award from the American Society of Plumbing Engineers for outstanding service to the advancement of plumbing engineering technology. Appreciating this widespread embrace of the Sloan Flushmate system requires understanding Flushmate’s pressure-assisted technology.
The Sloan Flushmate is distinctive in its flush technology. In a gravity toilet, the flush is gravity-assisted. Therefore, the waste is siphoned from the toilet bowl. However, in a Flushmate-equipped toilet, the flush is pressure-assisted. Instead of having waste drawn into the trapway, waste is pushed out. The Flushmate system uses water supply line pressure to compress trapped air. The compressed air is used to force the water into the toilet bowl when the toilet is flushed. After the water is released, only air at atmospheric pressure remains in the Flushmate unit. As water from the supply line refills the unit, the air is trapped and compressed again. Water flow to the Flushmate unit continues until trapped air pressure equals the water supply line pressure.
The design of the Flushmate system provides numerous benefits. First, when compared to gravity toilets, Flushmate-equipped toilets have more potential energy. The trapped, compressed air creates more force behind the water. The flush is therefore significantly stronger, cleaning the toilet bowl more effectively than a gravity-assisted flush. Because the pressure-assisted flush is powered by compressed air, less water is required to clean the toilet bowl. Achievable water conservation is demonstrated by the Flushmate models III and IV. The Flushmate III uses less than 1.6 gallons per flush and saves up to 20% more water than gravity toilets, while the Flushmate IV uses less than 1 gallon per flush and saves up to 45% more water than gravity toilets. Finally, Flushmate-compatible toilet bowls have larger diameters and fewer trapway bends than gravity toilet bowls. This prevents possible performance issues, such as blocked waste.
Not only does the Sloan Flushmate system receive accolades from distinguished organizations, Flushmate receives major kudos from a variety of consumer groups as well. For example, Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio, installed Flushmate-equipped toilets on campus and significantly decreased nuisance maintenance calls. Lochwood apartments in Baltimore, Maryland, had similar results, with Flushmate installations leading to 46% lower water bills and fewer maintenance calls. Based on Flushmate’s expansive reach, there is little doubt that the Flushmate system’s success will continue. With Flushmate-equipped toilets available at national home improvement chains and repair parts available online at sites such as Flushmate Repair Parts, Sloan’s position as the leading supplier to major toilet manufacturers will surely endure.