Is your money going down the toilet? Take part in the first plumbing retrofit program in North Georgia. If you live in a home built prior to 1993 and have never replaced the toilets your water bill probably suffers from in-efficient toilets that use from 3 to 5 gallons of water per flush. The toilet accounts for 24% of residential water usage. Your money could be literally going down the toilet. The City of Gainesville’s Public Utilities Department is now offering a $75 credit on your water bill to replace these older inefficient toilets with current 1.6 or 1.28 gallon per flush toilets.

How to determine the efficiency of your toilet:

• Do you know how efficient your toilet is? Have you seen any labels with ____ GPF? Look on the exterior by the seat hinge or inside the tank. If you haven’t seen it or don’t have a label, you can calculate it yourself. Carefully shut off the valve to the toilet tank supply line. Be careful with shutting off the valve. You can strip the threads or create new problems if you are not careful when handling it.

• Mark the line in the reservoir, use a pencil and flush the toilet. Use a measuring cup (Quarts, Cups, etc.), but notice what size it is and fill the cup up with water and pour in the tank.

• Refill the tank to the marked level. Keeping the count of the cups.

• Once you have completed this task, don’t forget to open the valve under the toilet.

If your toilet uses more than 1.6 gallons per flush you could save 50-75% by replacing it.

(25.6 cups=1.6 gallons _____ cups x .0625= # gallons in tank)

How to receive your $75 credit to your water bill:

Step 1. Check and see if your toilets should be replaced.

Step 2. Purchase and install high efficiency 1.28 or 1.6 gallon per flush toilets.

Step 3. Present original receipt of purchase and application (available on the web at: www.gainesville.org) to:

Water Conservation Program

2641 Old Flowery Branch Road

Gainesville, GA 30504

And if you're looking for additional water savings, ask for a free home water assessment or water conservation kit.

Call (770) 532-7462 or email sfuller@gainesville.org for more details.